Sheriffs of Hinsdale County 1874 - Present

Oscar Downtain was the first Constable of Lake City, Colorado. The son of Grotious and Charlotte Mary (Burgess) Downtain, he was born on December 26, 1848 in Harrison County, Kentucky. Submitted by Harley K. Haynes, Jr., third great-grandson of Charlotte Mary (Burgess) Downtain.

James M Swinney 1874-1877 (Appointed upon formation of Hinsdale County)

Henry Finley 1877-1878

James Hanrahan 1878-1880

Edward N Campbell* 1880-1882 (Killed in Line of Duty) (Photo - Sheriff Edward N. Campbell, 28; wife Ruth, 19; daughter, Cora Amanda; brother, George Shocky Campbell, 24) Edward Newton Campbell was born in Coshocton County, Ohio in September, 1843. He served as a Fifer in Company K of the 32nd Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, and was a school teacher in Effingham County, Illinois. He relocated to Waterville, Kansas in 1869, and on March 26, 1870 married Ruth Scott. He and his family moved to Lake City, Colorado in 1876. He was elected Sheriff of Hinsdale County in 1879. On April 26, 1882, Sheriff Campbell and Deputy Clair Smith caught George Betts and James Browning in the act of robbing the W. G. Luckett residence in the Ball Flats. Sheriff Campbell was killed instantly by a single shot from a .44 caliber pistol. Betts and Browning escaped, but were caught a few hours later. An angry mob took the men from jail and hung them from the Ocean Wave Bridge, now the Ball Flats Bridge, the next day. Sheriff Campbell was survived by his wife and six children per the 1880 Census: Cora, George, Charles, Perry and Effie; the sixth child was not listed in reference. In 1885, Ruth (Scott) Campbell married George Shocky Campbell, her former brother-in-law. She died on June 4, 1940 in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin.
Information taken from Cemeteries of Hinsdale County, Colorado, 1974-1995, Revised 1996, pp. 28-29. Compiled and Researched by Grant E. Houston for the Hinsdale County Historical Society, Lake City, Colorado. Printed by The Anundsen Publishing Company, 108 Washington Street, P.O. Box 230, Decorah, Iowa 52101 and used with permission of the Hinsdale County Historical Society. Information is copyrighted and cannot be used without permission.

Clair Smith 1882-1885 (Appointed, served during first Trial of Alferd Packer)

O A Baker 1885-1886

George F Gardner 1886-1892

Terrance Brennan 1892-1896 Sheriff Badge (Photographs provided by Robert Brennan of Denver, Colorado)

D McCafferty 1896-1897

James W Deck 1898-1902

A P Truesdale 1902-1904

Harry Youmans 1904-1908

William P Hunt 1908-1909

James W Deck 1909-1914 (Died in Office)

Edward H Graves (D) 1914 (Appointed)

Ben F Hunt (R) 1914-1924 Benjamin Foster Hunt was the son of Joseph A. and Sarah A. (Smith) Hunt, he was born on June 17, 1888 in Grand Junction, Colorado and remained single.. He died of pneumonia on July 7, 1929 in Lake City, Colorado. A veteran of World War One, he served in Company D, 341st Field Artillery, 89th Division.

Hugh Coburn (D) 1924-1946 (Died in Office, photo with Nancy Burke)

M G (Shorty) Rexroad (R) 1946-1950

Unknown

A P (Brick) Griffiths-(R) 1952-1954 (Resigned)

Lloyd M (Mickey) Pavich 9/7/54-11/8/54

Glen A Hunt (R) 1954-1955 (Killed in Car Accident)

Joseph M Vickers (R) 1955 (Appointed/Resigned)

Robert F Wheeler (R) 1955 - 1956 (Appointed/Resigned)

Albert Etling (R) 1956-1960 (Appointed/Resigned)

Robert F Wheeler (R) 1/11/60-11/13/60 (Appointed/Resigned)

Maxwell D Hersinger (R) 1960-1972 (Elected) (with wife Irma)

Charles Colopy (R) 1972-1976 (Elected/Resigned)

Thomas Atkins 1977 (Served Two Weeks - Resigned)

James Skinner (R) 1977 (Appointed)

Burton E Smith (D) 1977-1990 (Elected)

L Franklin Wilcox (R) 1991-1994 (Elected/Resigned)

Roger D Coursey** (R) 8/94-11/94 (Appointed/Elected) (Killed in Line of Duty)

Raymond J Blaum, Jr (R) 1994-1997 (Appointed/Elected/Resigned)

William B Denison (R) 1997-Current

*Sheriff Campbell was shot and killed during an attempted home burglary. Betts & Browning, killers of Sheriff Campbell ,were lynched by a town mob on April 27, 1882 at 1:00 A.M. on the Ball Flats Bridge. Sheriff Campbell was the second Colorado peace officer killed in the line of duty.

**Sheriff Coursey was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff Wilcox. He was elected as Sheriff on November 10, 1994. On November 18, 1994, he was shot and killed instantly while stopping two suspected bank burglars fleeing from Creede. His murderers bodies were found a month later having committed suicide approximately one-half mile from where they shot Sheriff Coursey.