Looking for any history with regards to the first sheriffs office in Oklahoma and the start of the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association. If anyone has any information or can point me to place of research I would appreciate it

The first Sheriff's in Oklahoma were in the Indian nations prior to statehood. The Cherokee and Choctaw Nations had Sheriffs for their districts. I believe the Cherokee called them High Sheriffs. There is information available at the Archives and Manuscripts Division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The most famous Cherokee lawman, Sam Sixkiller was once the High Sheriff, which gave him direct responsibility for the Cherokee National Prison in Tahlequah.

Most of the Five tribes had Sheriffs as a part of their district government. The Chickasaw had one Sheriff and two constables per county (four counties.) With statehood, general elections selected the first Sheriffs (many of whom had been deputy US Marshals) for a two year term. One of the first problems the new officers encountered was that many counties made no provision for deputy salaries, including jailors. The deputies were expected to earn their way from process serving fees and reward collection. A lot of the deputies were nothing more than bouncers with a badge or debt collectors and spent more time at that job than working for the Sheriff. In April, 1910, Charles Worley, of Garvin County was out of office but already running for his second term. He and a host of other Sheriffs had already recognized the need for change and got together and formed the first Oklahoma Sheriff's Association of which Worley was the first president. Some of the stuff they pushed through the legislature were providing each County Sheriff with an "office man" and salaries for deputies.

I appreciate the information and will do further research with the Oklahoma Historical society. Tower can I ask where you did your research?

By accident. I was looking into Worley when I came across the info in the Pauls Valley newspapers for 1909-10. Those papers are available at the Historical Society.

A follow-up: Worley's obit can be found in the Pauls Valley Democrat, 12-21-1933, p.1, c.5. This is the most complete. The Oklahoma City Times for 2-24-1927 carries a piece on p.1, c.3 announcing his appointment as Superintendent of the State Bureau of Criminal Investigation and has a brief bio. My notes show I used the Pauls Valley Enterprise for April 28,1910. Worley was the first Sheriff of Garvin County but was defeated for re-election in 1909. It was while he was out of office that he became involved with the Sheriff's association. You can probably find quite a lot in newspapers from Durant, Ardmore, Oklahoma City, and Muskogee for 1909-12 regarding the association. Believe it or not, the request of the Sheriff's association for office men and paid deputies was so radical and progressive, that many newspapers and legislators labeled the idea as socialist thinking.

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The article referred to above is referring to a meeting of the State Sheriff's Association of April 26, 1910 at the Lee-Huckins Hotel. A resolution was passed denouncing the fee and salary act passed by the last session of the Legislature. It then continues to explain that while the Sheriffs were placed on stipulated salary, the deputies were not to receive any fees in misdemeanor cases...thereby destroying their usefulness and making it impossible to get good men to fill the jobs because of the meagerness of the salary. Then there was a complain that in counties under 25,000, there was no provision for an office man. This was followed by a resolution to ask voters to select men for office that would amend the present law to give all sheriffs an office deputy and placing all deputies on a reasonable salary. Sheriffs present (as best as I can read the dim copy): M. C. Binion, Oklahoma County; M. Louthan, Grady; C. F. Worley, Garvin; G. H. White, McClain; G. B. Noble, LeFlore; G. B. Hensley, Jackson; M. M. Ta?, Kingfisher; and J. B. Sal?, Cleveland. Hope this helps. Don't know if this was the organization meeting or if the association had formed before.

I've always understood that the "genesis" for the present Sheriff's and Peace Officers Organization was formed early in 1902, in response to the deaths of Sheriff Smith and Deputy Beck at the hands of the Bert Casey Gang.

"About two weeks after Smith and Beck were killed (Jan. 15, 1902), thirty-five county and city law officers convened at El Reno. The main subject of discussion was the recent murder of their two comrades, and how to prevent such disasters in the future. They decided to continue their all-out effort to chase the murderers to the end and capture them - - dead or alive. They each pledged two hundred dollars, to raise the reward offer by seven thousand dollars. They felt that this increased reward would attract still more men dedicated to the search and would insure that all of the guilty parties would be caught." Anadarko Record 2/28/1902

(Source: "Oklahoma Renegades" by Ken Butler p.100)

At this first gathering of law enforcement officers, the attending Sheriff's agreed to meet with each other again the following year; and, thus, the Sheriff's Association was born.

to: Oklahoma Kid
The first sheriffs, I learned this incollage,were connected to rhe miller county courthouse in apx. 1820.

Rex Strickland, I believe is his name; he researched the early Texasans. Some of his material can be found in the Chronicles of Oklahoma though the bulk of his research materialcan be found in El Paso. The Northern Standard Newspaper my have some information also - the Northern Standard can be found on microfilm at OHS. What kind of broom handle is OutWest, anyway.

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