Jefferson County Sheriff

The Jefferson County Sheriff upholds the duties of Sheriff for Jefferson County on behalf of the State of Alabama and heads the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff is charged chiefly with preserving the peace by enforcing the laws of the state, executing orders of the courts, keeping a jail and quelling uprisings. In these duties the Sheriff is enabled by law the right of posse comitatus (the power of the county), to call citizens into service in times of emergency.

Sheriffs

• Levi Reid (August 28, 1819–August 5, 1822)
• John McWhorter (August 5, 1822–March 20, 1824) (resigned)
• John B. Ayers (March 20, 1824–August 20, 1824) (appointed)
• James Murray (August 20, 1824–August 22, 1826)
• John B. Ayers (August 22, 1826–August 8, 1829)
• William A. Scott (August 8, 1829–August 8, 1832)
• Moses Kelly (August 8, 1832–August 7, 1835)
• Peter Anderson (August 7, 1835–August 25, 1838)
• Moses Kelly (August 25, 1838–August 25, 1841)
• Peter Anderson (August 25, 1841–August 23, 1844)
• Baylis Grace (August 23, 1844–August 12, 1847)
• Peter Anderson, August 25, 1847–August 17, 1850)
• Abner Killough (August 17, 1850–August 17, 1853)
• Richard Hudson (August 17, 1853–August 17, 1856)
• William C. Eubanks, August 17, 1856–August 9, 1859)
• Richard Hudson (August 9, 1859–August 13, 1862)
• Abner Killough (August 13, 1862–July 25, 1865)
• William F. Hamby, July 25, 1865–August 8, 1868)
• Marion A. May (August 8, 1868–November 22, 1871)
• James T. Eubank (November 22, 1871–November 18, 1874)
• R. H. Hagood (November 18, 1874–September 20, 1877)
• John T. Reed, September 20, 1877–September 2, 1880)
• Thomas A. Anderson (September 2, 1880–January 15, 1885)
• Samuel R. Truss (January 15, 1885–September 1, 1888)
• Joseph S. Smith (September 1, 1888–September 1, 1892)
• George Morrow (September 1, 1892–September 1, 1896)
• Frank P. O'Brien (September 1, 1896–September 1, 1900)
• Andrew W. Burgin (September 1, 1900–January 15, 1907)
• E. L. Higdon (January 15, 1907–January 16, 1911)
• Walter McAdory (January 16, 1911–January 18, 1915)
• Thomas Batson (January 18, 1915–January 20, 1919)
• J. Chris Hartsfield (January 20, 1919–January 15, 1923)
• Thomas Shirley (January 15, 1923–January 17, 1927)
• J. Chris Hartsfield (January 17, 1927–August 11, 1928) (died in office)
• Jesse Russum (August 11, 1928–December 10, 1928) (coroner completed term)
• W. O. Downs (December 10, 1928–January 19, 1931)
• James Hawkins (January 19, 1931–January 14, 1935)
• Fred McDuff (January 14, 1935–January 17, 1939)
• Harry E. Smith (January 17, 1939–November 24, 1940) (resigned for Army)
• Holt McDowell (November 24, 1940–January 19, 1963) (appointed, then elected to 5 terms)
• Mel Bailey (January 19, 1963–April 5, 1996) (nine terms, resigned due to illness)
• Robert Brissie (April 5, 1996–April 9, 1996) (medical examiner acted as interim sheriff)
• Jim Woodward (April 9, 1996–January 19, 1999) (appointed)
• Mike Hale (January 19, 1999–November 5, 1999)
• Jim Woodward (November 5, 1999–January 21, 2003) (by recount of votes)
• Mike Hale, January 21, 2003-2018
• Mark Pettway, 2018-

Reference

• Past Sheriffs at jeffcosheriff.net