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The office of sheriff is a very old one. It's roots date back
to 1066 in England. At this time, the sheriff was considered superior to
any nobleman in the country and was himself a member of the royal family.
The word "sheriff" is a combination
of "shire" meaning county and "reeve" meaning
"keeper of." In other words, the sheriff is the "Keeper of
the County."
Over the years, the duties of the sheriff have
been many and varied. In the early days, the sheriff was responsible for
the collection of taxes. The sheriff and his deputies were paid a
commission on the taxes collected. Later, the courts named the sheriff as
Executor of Deceased Estates. Both practices were removed.
The office of sheriff is constitutionally
mandated in North Carolina. It is an elected law enforcement position. The
sheriff has duties in all three branches of law enforcement, which are:
- Policing
- Courts/Criminal
Justice
- Corrections/Jail
In North Carolina, the sheriff is elected to a
four-year term. A county sheriff is responsible to the citizens of the
county, not to county authorities. County government is responsible for
providing funding to the sheriff's office.
General Information
Burke County has had a total of fifty-nine
sheriffs.
*Two sheriffs were named Greenlee
- James
Greenlee (1780-1783)-3rd
- Samuel
Greenlee (1783-1784)-4th
*Three sheriffs were named Tate
- Hugh
Tate (1806-1808), (1811-1813) - 15th & 17th
- Samuel
M. Tate (1824-1829) - 20th
- Samuel
C. Tate (1829-1830) - 21st
*Two sheriffs were named Moore
- William
Moore (1784-1786) - 5th
- E.Peyton
Moore (1871-1874) - 35th
*Three sheriffs were named McDowell
- John
McDowell (1805-1806) - 14th
- Athan A.
McDowell (1813-1815) - 18th
- Charles Manly McDowell (1898-1906) -
40th
*Nine sheriffs have had the prefix " Mc" in their last name
Tenure of Burke County Sheriffs
- 1-year
sheriffs.........11
- 2-year
sheriffs.........15
- 3-year sheriffs...........9
- 4-year
sheriffs...........6
- 5-year
sheriffs...........3
- 6-year
sheriffs...........3
- 7-year
sheriffs...........1
- 8-year
sheriffs...........4
- 9-year
sheriffs...........1
- 10-year
sheriffs.........2
- 14-year
sheriffs.........1
- 16-year
sheriffs.........1
Party Affiliation
- Democratic
Party sheriffs..........22
- Republican
Party sheriffs............8
- Whig
Party sheriffs.....................3
- Conservative
Party sheriffs.........1
Democratic sheriffs have served for 127 years
since 1838
Republican sheriffs have served for 30 years
since 1838
Whig sheriffs have served for seven years
since 1838
Four sheriffs have died while in office:
- John
Bowman (2nd)-Killed in battle of Ramsour's Mill
- John Boone
(23rd)-Died of an apparent heart attack
- Fred
Ross (47th)-Died of a heart attack
- David Oaks (52nd)-Shot and killed in the line of duty in
1966
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