Saturday, January 13, 2018

Some Stats on Nodaway County's Sheriffs

More frequent updates on the project appear at https://www.facebook.com/missourijusticeproject/

Forty-six (46) men have served as sheriff of Nodaway County. Of those, one was interim-sheriff and deputy coroner George M. Atchison, Jr.(appointed by Coroner B.F. Byland) after the death of Sheriff Earl M. Anderson in 1958. Mr. Atchison was also Sheriff Anderson's son-in-law, having married Marilyn Anderson a few months earlier, in 1957. He had worked as a jailer part-time under Sheriff Anderson.

Coroner and local physician, Dr. Robert E. Dunshee served as interim-sheriff for twenty-five days in 1969, following the death of Sheriff Fred Newton on June 27, 1969.

John Middleton, deputy and nephew of Sheriff Fred Newton, served as deputy under Sheriff Dunshee until the special election 25 days later, on July 22, 1969, when Middleton was elected. He would serve as sheriff for that partial term, to end Dec 31, 1972. In the election of November 1972, however, he won reelection and would serve a full four-year term. On Aug 4, 1980 and continuing through November 4, 1980, John Middleton served as interim sheriff, after Sheriff Roger Cronk resigned. Danny Estes, who won the Nov election, then posted bond and took over the duties of the office.

Of the forty-six men who served, at least seven entered and completed their first term of office as an unmarried man. At least twenty have served in community, civic, and military organizations during their lives, including Masons, Knights Templar, I.O.O.F, V.F.W, American Legion, 40 & 8, WWI Barracks, Knights of Pythias, G.A.R., Elks, and Lions.

Among the political party affiliation, 16 were Democrats, 21 were Republicans, 1 was of the Greenback Party, 8 are unknown. One sheriff later changed his party affiliation from Republican to Populist when he sought a different office. Another served as a Republican sheriff and later sought another office as a Democrat. At least five served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and two served in the Confederate Army.


#amwriting #Missouri #LawEnforcement #NonFiction #History