Robert Houston was born in South Carolina where his father, who had married Alice Armstrong, settled in the Abbeville District. Robert Houston came to the Tennessee County around 1790. Knox County was established in June 1792 in the territory of the United States, south of the river Ohio and Houston was commissioned Sheriff by Governor William Blount. He was qualified June 25, being sworn in as Sheriff by David Campbell, Judge of the Supreme Court of Law and Equity for the territory.

His first duty in this office was to make a proclamation for the opening of a County Court at the tavern of Captain John Stone in Knoxville. At the January 1793 session of the court, a committee was appointed to construct a jail that the Sheriff would approve. The specifications called for a building “sixteen feet square; the logs to be one foot square, the lower floor to be laid of logs of that size, to be laid  double and crosswise; the loft to be laid also with logs, and covered crosswise with oak plank, one and a half inches thick and well piked down."  In September 1793, the Sheriff helped defend the town at the time of the Indian attack on Cavet Station.

He served as Sheriff until 1803 and, from that time until almost the end of his life, he was engaged in the public service; again 1824-1825, as Sheriff; 1804, 1814-1816, 1826 as Tax Assessor; for a number of years as Justice of the Peace; In 1812 he was elected County Trustee and re-elected in 1818, 1820 and 1828; in 1807-1811 he was Secretary of State; in 1805-1807 he represented the counties of Knox, Roane and Anderson in the State Senate.  In addition to County and State offices, he served the United States Government as Paymaster of the troops stationed in East Tennessee.

In March of 1819, he received, through John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, a commission from the President of the United States appointing him to run the part of the survey lines of the reserved tracts of land in Tennessee according to the treaty of 1819 concluded with the Cherokee Nation; also to layoff the tracts reserved in North Carolina and in the Alabama territory.  By the end of July of that year, the survey had been completed. For a time, this public officer was President of the Branch Bank of the State at Knoxville. 

Houston also took an interest in the education of the youth of Tennessee. In 1794, when Blount College was established in Knoxville, Robert Houston was among the Charter Trustees.  He was appointed Trustee of Hampden Sidney Academy in 1807 and named as one of the Trustees in the 1827 charter of the Knoxville Female Academy.

He married Margaret Davis on March 20, 1794 in Knox County and they became the parents of six children.  Their daughter, Amelia, married Drury Payne Armstrong, who in the 30's and 1840's owned much land in the Kingston Pike section of Knoxville.  A daughter, Melinda, married George A. McNutt. 

A number of citizens of Knox County are direct descendants of the first Sheriff of the County. J.G.M. Ramsey, the historian, said of Robert Houston: "the correctness and fidelity with which his official duties were performed... cannot have been surpassed"; and that in his family relations, he was "mild and affectionate; as a neighbor, kinds and obliging,; as a friend, active and constant; as a citizen, liberal and public spirited.”

John Love came to Tennessee from Philadelphia. He owned approximately 1200 acres in the Sinking Creek area. During his administration, a jail tax was levied so that a new jail could be built.  He said "to the Worshipful Court of Knox County"; "I do hereby protect against the Jail of the said County of Knox to the end that I may not, in case of escape from confinement therein, be charged with neglect of my duty or be considered answerable for damages for want of a good and sufficient Jail.”

Joseph Love resigned from his position on January 4, 1814. Coroner Thomas Brown was appointed to serve the remaining term.

John Callaway was among the early settlers in the Ball Camp area. He held the rank of Major. Callaway protested condition of his Jail and later, while still in office, a new Jail was built. The Jail was located on Walnut Street, behind what is now the First Baptist Church.

George White was the grandson of George McNutt, one the first Commissioners of Knoxville (1791), and member of the first Knox County Court.  White served as Sheriff, County Court Clerk, Circuit Court Clerk, Mayor of Knoxville, and as a Register for a number of years. He also served as President the Board of Trustees of the East Tennessee Female Institute, White fathered 12 children.

William Dunlap attended "Ebenezer Academy" and was a judge in West Tennessee.  His father was a lawyer, soldier and diplomat.

Samuel McCammon was born in Blount County on January 24, 1801 and died on January 3, 1860 at 58 years of age.  He married the former Elizabeth Caroline Montgomery and together they had four children. McCammon is buried in Gray's Cemetery in Knoxville.

William Craig oversaw the completion of the fourth Knox County Jail.  The cost of this Jail was approximately $10,000.

William Crippen had to deal with the first years of the Civil War. He felt very strongly in the Confederate cause. Crippen also served as a Revenue Collector after his term of Sheriff was over.

William Swan was an attorney. In 1837 he was appointed to look into the title of the lot on which the court house then stood, investigating the construction of the new courthouse.

Marcus Bearden enlisted in the Federal Army in 1862. He served as Captain of Company D of the 6^th Tennessee Infantry during the Civil War.  Bearden was a member of the committee that contracted the new Jail. Among his positions held were: Mayor for two terms, President of Knoxville and Carolina Railroad in 1869, the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1877.  The town of Bearden was named for this man.

Volney Fleming Gossett, the son of Calvin Gossett and Vandalee DeArmond Gossett, sheriff of Knox County from 1870-1874, was born October 26, 1842.

He served as a lieutenant in Company A, Sixth Tennessee Union Infantry during the Civil War and in 1866 married Martha Jane King, with whom he had six children: Calvin (Cal) Gossett, 10 Dec 1866, Sara Lucretia Gossett, 29 May 1868, Martha Eckel (Mattie) Gossett, 11 Feb  1870, Columbus Calvin Gossett, 17 June 1873, Harriet Gossett, 10 Nov 1874, Cora Rebecca Gossett. (Martha Jane King Gossett's sister, Sara Rebecca King, married Volney Fleming Gossett's brother, Calloway Blanton Gossett, sheriff of Knox County 1889 - 1882)

In 1899 Volney Fleming Gossett served a term as chief of the Knoxville Fire Department. He and his wife were charter members of South Knoxville Presbyterian Church, now Graystone Presbyterian Church. Volney Fleming
Gossett died November 23, 1915 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, South Knoxville.

No information available.

Republican Alexander Reeder was married to Miss Melinda Luttrell.  Miss Luttrell was a member of a pioneer Knox County family. Mr. Reeder died in a passenger train wreck on the old Knoxville, Cumberland Gap and Louisville Railroad (now the Southern Railway Line) between this city and Middleboro, Kentucky.  That wreck took the Lives off five prominent Knoxvillians, including one or two city officials, who had been invited for the first passenger train trip over the new line.

The train wreck happened on August 22, 1889. The wreck occurred near Flat Creek, when a bridge gave way. The son of Alexander Reeder, C.A. Reeder, later became Sheriff of Knox County in 1906.

Calloway Blanton (Blant) Gossett, Knox County, sheriff 1880 -1882, was born December 5, 1844 in north Knox County near what is now the Union County line. His father, Calvin Gossett, who was a lieutenant in the Knoxville Dragoons and served in the Mexican War, died in 1851 at the age of thirty-six so Blant's mother, Vandalee DeArmond Gossett, moved him and his brother, Volney Fleming Gossett, to Knoxville to live. ( Volney Fleming Gossett was Knox County sheriff 1870 - 1874.)

Blant Gossett served as a 1st sergeant in Company A of the Sixth Tennessee Union Infantry, serving from early 1862 until being mustered out in April, 1865. He attended college in Athens and in 1868 married Sarah Rebecca King, with whom he had four children, Erastus Gossett, March 6, 1869, Josephine Rebecca Gossett, 3 December 1870, Arthur King Gossett, 3 July, 1872, and William Blanton Gossett, 3 May 1875. With the birth of William Blanton Gossett, Sara Rebecca King Gossett, died and William Blanton died two months later. They are buried at New Prospect Presbyterian Church Cemetery in South Knoxville. (Her sister, Martha Jane King, married Blant's brother, Volney Fleming Gossett.)

In 1876 Blant Gossett married Harriet Elizabeth Maxwell, with whom he had two children, John Maxwell Gossett, 22 Sept1877, and Mary Vandalee, 11 0ct 1878. Harriet Elizabeth Maxwell died in 1899, and in 1902 Blant married Elizabeth Hooper. They had no Children.

Blant Gossett was appointed deputy sheriff of Knox County on September 2, 1878 by sheriff Alex Reeder and was elected sheriff of Knox County on August 5, 1880, serving from 1880 to 1882. Afterward he was one of the first letter carriers with the Knoxville Post Office, a position he held for twenty-six years.

He was, for many years, superintendent of the Jones Chapel Sunday School (now Vestal United Methodist Church). Blant Gossett passed away on January 13, 1918 at the age of 73 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, South Knoxville.

After the close of the Civil War, Captain Gilmore returned to Knoxville and was prominent in affairs in this city and county. He was elected Sheriff to Knox County and later became a member of the Knox County Court.  In addition to being prominent in public affairs, Captain Gilmore was successful in business. He was associated with the firm of Gilmore and Bell, a livery establishment, which operated at Market Street and Cumberland Avenue for a long period.  Captain Gilmore was a member of the Broadway Baptist Church and Masonic Fraternity, his membership being with the Masonic Lodge at Rutledge, Grainger County.

Captain Gilmore was married six months after the close of the war to Miss Elizabeth Skaggs.  He was a courteous southern gentleman and always won the love and respect of all with whom he came in contact.

-Taken from his obituary in the Knoxville Journal, 1923.

Jacob Kimberlin Lones was a Captain in Company C, 1st Tennessee Cavalry Union Army during the Civil War in 1862.  He was promoted from First Lieutenant to Captain at the Battle of Mossy Creek in Jefferson County in 1863. Captain Lones served two terms as Sheriff of Knox County.  During his first term, a Deputy was shot and killed by a black man, and as the story goes, the Sheriffs wife was home when the man was caught and brought to jail. The Sheriff was still out looking for the suspect, so the townspeople were going to break into the Jail and take the black man and hang him.  The Sheriffs wife stood in their way and kept the prisoner safe until her husband came home.  Sheriff Lones ran for Sheriff and was elected to his second term because "his wife made a mighty fine Sheriff."  He was the last surviving veteran of the 1st Tennessee Cavalry.

Tom Holloway was a brother to Judge J.B. Holloway.

Democrat Matt Swann was elected Sheriff for Knox County and recognized material for a good officer in James Fox and made him a Deputy. Mr. Fox held the position during Sheriff Swan's term of office.  After leaving the Sheriffs office, Mr. Fox engaged in business for himself. He began trading in stock and shipping it south. Later he engaged in the livery business in Knoxville and then sold it out in July 1896.  Mr. Fox went into contracting for grading and building streets.

Jesse Groner was elected Sheriff in 1894 and again in 1896. In 1904, when Harmon Kreis was elected Sheriff, as a reformed Democrat, he made Mr. Groner Chief Deputy.  In the August election of that year, Mr. Groner helped to organize and command the famous 'flying squadron".  This was a body of men organized and armed to demand an honest election, at the point of rifles, if necessary.  In 1910, Mr. Groner was elected to the lower House of the Tennessee legislature from Knox County.

Harmon Kreis was born in Wartburg, Tennessee, on October 14, 1846. He served for three years in the 9th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army, during the War Between the States.

During his term as Sheriff, he cracked down on gambling in the City and County. Mr. Kreis was a member of the state legislature from Knox County for two terms, beginning in 1914.  He had been prominently connected with contracting and marble businesses in Knoxville. As a contractor, he helped build the old K& 0 Railroad.  He also built roads for L&N and Southern Railroads.  Kreis was connected with the Gray Knox Marble Co., retiring in 1913.  Through the marble company, he quarried the marble and helped erect the old Post Office at Market Street and West Clinch Avenue.  Kreis helped with the construction of the wall surrounding the Knox County Courthouse house and the stonework surrounding the present (1937) City Hall.  Harmon Kreis died on February 28, 1937, at the age of 91. He is buried at Asbury Cemetery.

Columbus A. Reeder started his law enforcement career at the age of 21 as a Knox County Jailer.  He then moved on to be a Deputy, City Policeman, City Detective, Chief of Police, State Constable, County Sheriff and Warden of the State Penitentiary in Nashville.

Reeder was the son of former Sheriff Alexander Reeder. His father was one of five Knoxville men who died in the first passenger train to run on the new Knoxville-Middleboro Railroad on August 22, 1889.

No information available.

John H. Blankenship was born in Maryville, Tennessee, on March 24, 1865. During his term as Sheriff, he won the title of "The Raiding Sheriff" for his constant warfare against bootleg whiskey and gambling.

Mr. Blankenship was a Deputy U.S. Marshal before being elected Sheriff in 1914. At one time, he was a livery man and a real estate dealer. Blankenship never married; and at the age of 73, he fell and broke his hip. He died just over a week later, on November 23, 1938.

John Lea Callaway was born in Cleveland, Tennessee.   His early life was spent on his father's farm on Little River in Monroe County.  After finishing his education, Mr. Callaway came to Knoxville and was employed by the Southern Railway. Later he entered the mercantile business on Gay Street. He entered politics in 1914 and was elected Sheriff 1916 as a Democrat.

William T. Cate was a former Deputy U.S. Marshal under President McKinley's administration before being elected Sheriff in 1918.  Mr. Cate's administration as Sheriff was one of the stormiest in the history of the Sheriffs Department.  He had the riot of 1919-a black man named Maurice Mays was arrested as a suspect in a murder case.  A mob had formed outside the Jail to lynch the suspect.  The people were not aware that Sheriff Cate had taken Mays out a back way and boarded a train for Chattanooga.  When the Sheriff and his prisoner returned to Knoxville the next morning, they found the jail in a shambles.   After the mob had gained entry into the Jail, they looted the place, taking liquor, wine, and other confiscated stock.  The mob members also stole more than $3,000 in cash from the Jail office, property of value being held for prisoners, as well as property of the Sheriff and Mrs. Cate and that of Austin and Carroll Cate, (then Deputies).  The Cate apartments were in the adjoining building next to the Jail entrance.  The National

Guard units were called out, and the city was under martial law for several hours. Newspaper reporters were searched by military men if they were found walking on Gay Street.  The mob had stolen every gun from the jail, along with ammunition; and also broke into a hardware store and took more guns and ammunition.  The riot of 1919, and the associated deaths and plunder credited to the drunken mob, was the most tragic event in Knoxville history since the battle of Fort Sanders during the War Between the States.

Joseph Saylor worked for Southern Railway for a total of 36 years.  He was elected Sheriff in 1922; and after his term, went back to the railroad.  There, he was in charge of a passenger train between Knoxville and Chattanooga.  Illness forced him to retire in May of 1927.  Saylor died on December 28, 1929 at the age of 63.

Twice Mr. Anderson was elected Sheriff; and later was named by the County Court to fill the unexpired term of Chester R. Hackney, who resigned as Sheriff. Sheriff Anderson was one of the organizers of the Tennessee and Mississippi Peace Officers Association.  He was elected President of the Association and cooperated with every state in the South when criminals attempted to find refuge in Tennessee.

Anderson served as Safety Director of Knoxville and Supervisor of the County Highway Department. He was also a member of the Knox County Court, and was at one time the youngest member.

Chester Hackney was twice elected as Knox County Sheriff. He was also a United States Chief Deputy Marshal, and held that job for 20 years before retiring. He worked as a bailiff under Sheriff Paul Lilly, and was a bailiff for Third Circuit Court at the time of his death on July 13, 1961.  Mr. Hackney resigned during his first term when as ouster suit was filed against him.  He stated, "I was accused of giving away whisky taken in raids.  About 50 reputable physicians wrote prescriptions for small quantities for influenza victims who were poor, and I issued Liquor for them. I had had Legal advice it was all right.  Later I found it was against the Law; I resigned.”   He then ran again for Sheriff on a "vindication platform" and was re-elected.   Mr. Hackney became a figure on the Knoxville scene as operator of a meat stall in the old market house for several years, and then developed his ability as a campaigner.

Brewer served as Executive Committeeman of the Knox County Republican Party and Sergeant-at-Arms at the 1962 County Convention. He was Sheriff in an era when the Roger Toughy Gang was headquartered here and Clarence Bunch was killed in a shoot-out with police.   After serving two terms as Sheriff, Mr. Brewer operated funeral homes in South Knoxville and on Magnolia Avenue.

J. Carroll Cate, 1936-1940

 During his career, J. C. Cate was the image of a successful, behind-the-scenes politician. His only elected office was Sheriff from 1936-1940. His numerous appointed positions included: Chief Jailer, Workhouse Superintendent, Federal Prohibition Agent for East Tennessee, Deputy Tax Assessor, District Federal Court Clerk, Slum Clearance Officer with the Knoxville Housing Authority and County Veterans Service Officer.

Mr. Cate was a Republican, but was able to hold jobs under various administrations.  He grew up on a farm in the Thorngrove community. He opened a general merchandise store and ran it until going into the Army during World War I.  After the war, he taught school and then worked at the Knox County Jail during the administration of his uncle, W.T. Cate, Sheriff.

Hazen Kreis got his first Peace Officer experience as a Deputy and Turnkey not long after completing Central High School.  The gigantic officer (6'5"-365 lbs.) was on the police force for five years and drew hundreds into his circle of friends as a jovial bluecoat on downtown traffic duty. He was one of the first policemen to cruise in a loudspeaker car and chide offenders such as jaywalkers.  He was later Chief Deputy for two years before he entered his first term as Sheriff in 1940.  He served three consecutive terms, the maximum allowed by law.

Mr. Cate had served as Chief Jailer for Sheriff J. Wesley Brewer and as Chief Deputy under his first cousin, Sheriff Carroll Cate.  As a youth, Austin would drive his father, Sheriff William T. Cate, on his daily rounds.  His father couldn't drive an automobile.  While Sheriff, Mr. Cate established the County's two-way radio system between the office and cruisers.   He was a Past President of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association; and in 1956, served as an Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco.

Clarence Walter "Buddy" Jones was the first Democrat to hold the office of Sheriff in 18 years.  At one time he was a Warden at Brushy Mountain State Prison.   C.W. Jones was an expert marksman with all types of firearms, and was a championship trap shooter.  In the 1930s, he was an exhibition shooter and representative for Remington Firearms Co.   In World War II, he was Army Air Corps Officer and gunnery instructor.  Once during his term as Sheriff, he made a statement that he would not sleep until a murder suspect was apprehended, thus earning him the nickname, "Sleepless Jones".

Mr. Lilly joined the State Highway Patrol in Knoxville in 1941, leaving in 1943 to join the Air Force. In 1946, he returned to Knoxville and ran for Sheriff, losing to R. Austin Cate.  Cate named him as Workhouse Superintendent, and when C. W. Jones was elected Sheriff in 1950, Lilly became his Chief Deputy.  After the end of Jones term, Lilly worked in state politics, and again as Workhouse Superintendent before being elected Sheriff in 1956.

E.B. Bowles was elected four times as a State Senator and once as Knox County Sheriff.  Nominally a Democrat, he would often run as an Independent if opponents managed to defeat him in a primary. He owned a produce business, which sold potatoes and oranges to local grocers.

Herman Wayland joined the police force in 1937, where he served until he went into the Navy during World War II.  There he was a Shore Patrolman and Diver. After the war, Mr. Wayland returned to the Police force and was promoted to Detective in 1952, a rank he held until he retired in 1956.  For three years he worked as an independent diver on TVA dam construction.  Wayland was elected Sheriff in 1960.  After his term, he worked for the Public Service Commission.   In 1975, he became Associate Warden at the Brushy Mountain State Prison, and he retired from this position.

Carl Ford was a self-employed masonry contractor before being elected Sheriff in 1962. He was a life-long resident of South Knox County and served as Constable for that district prior to deciding to run for Sheriff.

During his two year term, 17 moonshine stills were found and destroyed, 9 murders were solved, 356 persons were found and charged with assault and battery, 51 charged with felonious assault, 127 charged with illegal possession of whiskey, 96 charged with grand larceny, 42 charged with gambling and possession of gambling devices, 50 with embezzlement, 13 charged with rape, 15 with robbery, and 28 with receiving and concealing stolen property.  $22,090.33 in stolen property was recovered and returned.

Carl was married to the former Willimena Moore. They had three children, Dennis, Cotteena and Jeff.  He died on April 5, 1974 at the age of 49.

Archie Weaver served as Sheriff of Knox County for two terms. One his re-election in 1966, he was given the largest vote of any County official ever elected in Knox County (44,786 votes received out of 55,772 total votes).  In 1969, he was appointed Chief Sergeant-at-Arms for the Tennessee House of Representatives 86th General Assembly.   In 1972, he was appointed to serve on the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Bernard Waggoner was born in Knox County, Tennessee, in 1906.  He graduated from Knoxville High School in 1923, and earned his Law degree in 1931.  In 1932, he began his Law enforcement career with the Knox County Sheriffs Office, and moved to the Knoxville Police Department in 1935.  After retiring in 1968, he was elected Sheriff, and served three consecutive terms.

During his tenure as Sheriff, Waggoner made tremendous strides in modernizing the department and bringing working conditions and professionalism up to standard.   In 1968, Deputies worked seven days a week, twelve hours per day. They had no paid vacation or sick leave and could be fired at will by the Sheriff.  Waggoner established the Knox County Sheriff’s Department Merit Council, got work hours reduced to 40 hours per week, as well as significant pay raises, paid vacation and sick leave, insurance, and a clothing allowance.   In addition, officers were trained for the first time at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Academy in Donelson, Tennessee.

Ross Sims began his law enforcement career earning $4.00 a day as a Patrolman with the Knoxville Police Department.  He was later promoted to Assistant Chief of Detectives, and served for a time as Acting Assistant Police Chief He retired in 1967 and soon joined the Sheriffs Office as Chief Deputy. In 1974, he was elected Sheriff.

When Joe Jenkins took office in 1976, the department had nine cruisers and 35 employees. In 1981, during his reelection campaign, the department had grown to 150 cruisers and 300 employees.  Jenkins developed specialized Burglary and Auto Theft Investigative Divisions, as well as Child Abuse, Education, Crime Prevention and Safety Education Programs.  The Narcotics Division was formed, and the Traffic Enforcement Division started.

Born January 22, 1927, in Knoxville, Tennessee, Joseph Clyde Fowler was raised here and graduated from Knoxville High School in 1945. He then entered the United States Navy, serving in the Asian Pacific Theater for the duration of WWII.

Honorably discharged, Mr. Fowler pursued studies at The University of Tennessee and Bob Jones College.   He joined the Knoxville Police Department in 1950, where he served in many capacities during his 28 year career, including Patrolman, Motorcycle Patrolman, Juvenile Detective, Assistant Chief and Chief

(1970-78). He is also a 1967 graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Mr. Fowler was elected Sheriff in 1982, and served two consecutive terms.   In 1990, he was appointed, by Governor Ned McWherter, Warden of the Knoxville Community Service Center.   In 1994, he received a Presidential appointment to the United States Marshal position for the Eastern District of Tennessee, where he serves today.

Mr. Fowler is a past president of the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association, as well as the Tennessee Chiefs of Police Association.   He serves on numerous community and civic organizations, and is an active member of his church.  He and his wife, Sue, have two sons, and live in Knoxville.

Hutchison began his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a process server in 1974, moved on to a Correctional Officer position, and was then promoted to the Patrol Division.   He worked as a Detective in the Auto Theft Division, and then moved back to patrol, first as a Sergeant, then as a Lieutenant.

Sheriff Hutchison is responsible for modernizing the agency by implementing several specialized teams; an Aviation Unit, a Child Safety Education Program, and a Family Crisis Unit to assist victims of domestic violence and child abuse.   In addition, he is responsible for the construction and implementation of the Knox County Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy.