Sevier County Office Holders

by Beulah D. Linn, County Historian

Introduction

Sevier County was established by the Legislature of the Territory South of the River Ohio meeting in Knoxville in September and October, 1794. The first court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions met at the home of Isaac Thomas on November 8, 1794. The eight magistrates who composed the court had been appointed by Governor Blount. The Court met dour times a year. It was the legislative and chief executive body of the county.

After statehood in 1796 fifteen justices were appointed by the Tennessee Legislature until 1836, the year of the new constitution, after which they were elected by popular vote.

Due to the loss of courthouse records in the fire in 1856 it has been difficult for historians to compile a complete list of Sevier County officeholders.

I wish to express my appreciation and heartfelt thanks to the following people who have helped me prepare this article for publication:          

From information abstracted by Steve Cotham, Head McClung Historical Collection, from early Knoxville newspapers and published from 1985 to 1989 in ANCESTORS (the East Tennessee Historical Society publication), a review of the Hamilton District Court Files by Brad Cannon of the Knox County Archives, and Pollyanna Creekmore’s Tennessee Newspaper Extracts and‑Abstracts Vol I, 1816-1830 and Vol 2, 1830-1839 published in 1996, the blank spaces in previously published ‘lists of Sheriffs, county court clerks and circuit court clerks have been filled

I am indebted to Inez E. Burns, Blount County Historian and author of HISTORY OF BLOUNT COUNTY, TENNESSEE 1795-1955 for the history of the various offices of county government according to the constitution.

Mr. John B. Waters Jr. compiled the list of chancery court clerks.

Mr. Sam Maner of the Sevier County Library Staff read the microfilm of the Sevier County Court Minutes to compile the list of County Court chairmen from 1856 to 1870 and the microfilm of Sevier County newspapers to find the names of Sevier County tax assessors from 1916 to 1960.

Mr. James Shular read the County Court Minutes 1894-96.

Mrs. Jettie Clabo, Mrs. Carolyn McMahan, Mrs. Sherry Robertson, Mrs. Elaine Burgess, Mr. Johnny King, Mr. Joe Keener and Glenda Bright of the present courthouse staff have been very kind to help me find information. . It is a joy to record that two of my high school science students, Johnny King and Jackie Parton, are Sevier County officeholders in the year 2000.

Sevier County Trustees

Although the office of Trustee is constitutional the office of Trustee is not mentioned in the record of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions on November 8, 1796.

A diligent search of the Tennessee State Archives did not reveal the name of a Trustee before 1821.

The Trustee was appointed by the County Quarterly Court until 1836. After 1836 the Trustee has been elected by popular vote.

The Trustee is the treasurer of the county. Since 1876 the Trustee has been the collector of property taxes.

Name	From	To		Name	From	To
George McCown	1821	1827		A.G. Rambo	1884	1886
Benjamin Holland	1827	1836		A.J. Kyker	1886	1892
Eli Roberts	1836	1842		W.C. Large	1892	1896
William H. Trotter	1842	1852		W.C. Allen	1896	1908
John Bird	1852	1854		John T. Ingle	1908	1912
P. M.  Atchley	1854	1856		R.H. Shields	1912	1916
M. A. Rawlings	1856	1858		G.F. Ownby	1916	1920
J. M. Wade	1858	1860		L.E. Sarten	1920	1924
William M. Burnett	1860	1863		John Fain	1924	1936
D. P. Gass	1863	1866		A.B. Shields	1936	1940
G. W. Caton	1866	1870		John Fain	1940	1944
P.M. Atchley	1870	1874		E.O. Burnett	1944	1946
W.M. Burnett	1874	1876		Joe W. Dockery	1946	1962
J.H. Walker	1876	1880		Blaine McMahan	1962	1986
J.S. Maples	1880	1884		Jettie Clabo	1986

Sevier County Circuit Court Clerks

The Sevier County Circuit Court was organized in 1810.

Up to 1836 the Circuit Court Judge who had been appointed by the Tennessee General Assembly appointed the Circuit Court Clerk. From 1836 the circuit court clerk has been elected by popular vote for a term of four years.

Name	From	To		Name	From	To
Isaac Thomas, Jr.	1810	1814		S.T. Proffit	1890	1894
John W. Porter	1814	1828		R.C. Fowler	1895	1901
P.M. Wear	1828	1836		R.N. Ownby	1902	1910
George McCown	1836	1844		J.B. Waters	1910	1914
M.C. Rogers	1844	1848		W.M. Maples	1915	1922
M.W. McCown	1848	1865		Henry Price	1923	1930
W.M. Burnett	1865	1866		John N. Watson	1931	1934
A.E. Murphy	1866	1870		H.T. Ogle	1934	1958
M.W. McCown	1870	1878		Pleas Newman	1958	1966
W.C. Chandler	1878	1886		Helen K. Loveday	1966	1994
P.A. Wear	1886	1889		Janette Layman Ballard	1994

Sevier County Superintendents of Public Instruction

The office of County Superintendent of Public Instruction was created by an act of the Tennessee Legislature in 1867. The first superintendent, Nathaniel M. Baker of the Third District, was appointed to serve a term of three years.

The Legislative Act of 1867 was repealed in 1870. The office of county superintendent was abolished and replaced with an examining board of three members appointed by the County Quarterly Court. The members were Dr. J. M. Hammer, Rev. N. Huffaker, and D. G. Emert. The members acted independently, the board never having a regular meeting.

In 1873 the act of 1870 was repealed. A County Superintendent of Public Instruction elected by the Quarterly Court replaced the three member examining board.  

L. H. Tarwater was elected Superintendent by popular vote on August 2, 1928 for a term of four years. He was unopposed.

Name	From	To		Name	From	To
D.G. Emert	1873	1876		Alton O. Delozier	1915	1921
J.M. Layman	1876	1879		Robert L. Ogle	1921	1923
J. R. Leake	1879	1882		Alton O. Delozier	1923	1928
L.A. Whaley	1882	1883		L.H. Tarwater	1928	1932
P.A. Wear	1883	1886		Ray Ownby	1932	1934
W.D. McElroy	1886	1887		Theron Hodges	1934	1948
J.F. Sharp	1887	1888		Mayford Seaton	1948	1952
W. S. 0gle	1889	1892		Roy Ledwell	1952	1960
J.L. Caton	1892	1895		Chan Huskey	1960	1968
John J. Massey	1895	1900		Paul Bogart	1968	1976
Addie Trotter	1900	1903		Eugene Huskey	1976	1984
Thomas Drinnen	1904	1912		T. Mack Sharpe	1984	1988
James R. Keeble	1912	1915		Jack Parton	1988

Sevier County Court Clerks

The County Court Clerk is clerk of the Quarterly, Probate, and Juvenile Courts and is the licensing and revenue collection agency of the state. Prior to 1836 the clerk was elected by the County Quarterly Court. Since 1836 the clerk has been elected by popular vote.

Name	From	To		Name	From	To
Samuel Wear	1794	1817		W.P. Mitchell	1878	1882
Simeon Perry	1817	1826		D.H. Emert	1882	1886
George McCown	1826	1836		J.J. Ellis	1886	1894
Isaac A. Miller	1836	1837		John Chandler	1894	1906
0.H.P. Hill	1837	1841		A.J. Marshall	1906	1918
P.H. Toomey	1841	1846		H.D. Bailey	1918	1930
W.S.J. Ford	1846	1850		James N. Rector	1930	1938
P.H. Toomey	1850	1854		E.T. King	1938	1946
J.P.H. Clark	1854	1855		W. Henry Ogle	1946	1950
B.M. Chandler	1855	1860		Ray Miller	1950	1958
C.A. Clementson	1860	1861		Paul Atchley	1958	1992
A. Lawson	1861	1863		Karen Cotter	3/30/92	8/31/92
M.A. Rawlings	1863	1866		Joe Keener	1992
W.H.H. Duggan	1866	1873
William Fowler	1873	1878

Sevier County Register of Deeds

The office of Register of Deeds dates from 1794.

The Register was elected by the Quarterly Court from 1796 until 1836. Since 1836 the Register has been elected by popular vote.

The Register is elected for the purpose of registering property deeds, liens, leases, charters, rights of way, church deeds, school deeds, etc.

Name	From	To		Name	From	To
Jesse Byrd	1794	1796		Jerome D. Bowers	1882	1886
James McMahan	1796	1828		Miller Yett	1886	1890
Unknown	1829	1830		Jerome D. Bowers	1890	1894
Alexander Preston	1831	1844		J.C. Keeler	1894	1896
Thomas Hill	1844	1845		Samuel M. Williams	1896	1910
M.W. McCown	1845	1848		James L. Wayland	1910	1918
James McNelly	1848	1863		Arthur Allen	1918	1926
Edmund Hodges	Appt 7/9/1863			W.W. Montgomery	1826	1938
M.P. Thomas	Appt4/4/1864			Edgar White	1938	1946
Thomas Tipton	1865	1866		Xan C. Davenport	1946	1954
W.H. Pickle	1833	1870		Elsie Tarwater	1954	1974
James L. Randles	1870	1874		Veryl Henderson	1974	1990
Gideon Hurst	1874	1878		Sherry Robertson	1990
William C. Loveday	1878	1882

Chairman of the County Court – County Judges – County Executives

Prior to 1950 the chairman of the County Court was elected by the justices composing the County Court. Although the county chair man was elected for one year at a time traditionally a justice elected as county chairman sometimes would be elected for a second term in the position. The chairman served as executive officer of the county.

Since 1875 the office of chairman was comparable to that of county judge.

In 1950 E. T. King was elected County Judge by popular vote. He became the general administrative, financial and executive officer of the county. The office of County Judge was changed to County Executive in 1987.

Chairman of the County Court
Name	From	To		Name	From	To
Samuel Newell	1794	1796		J.W. Houk	1895	1896
(Record lost)	1797	1853		C.W. Fox	1897	1900
S.W. Randles	1854	1855		I.M. Lindsey	1901	1907
Morgan Davis	1856			P.J. Mount	1908
Samuel Pickens	1857			H.D. Bailey	1909	1915
Isaac Trotter	1858	1862		J.R. Wade	1916
S.W. Randles	1863			E.B. Clabo	1917	1920
Lemuel Bogart,	1864			L.R. Huskey	1921	1923
S.W. Randles	1865	1869		W.L. Trotter	1924	1928
T.D. Wynn	1870	1878		J.W. Bogart	1929	1935
S.A. Sims	1879			C.A. Temple	1936	1937
T.D. Wynn	1880			J.C. Allen	1938	1942
David Kelly	1881			S.P. Allen	1943	1944
S.A. Sims	1882			W.W. Fox	1945	1946
Levi Branson	1883	1885		Conley Huskey	1947	1948
John W. Houk	1886	1888		E.T. King	1949	1958
W.G. Caton	1889	1894
County Judges
Ray L. Reagan	1958	1978		Harold Atchley	1978
County Executive/Mayor
Larry Waters	1987

Sevier County Sheriffs

The sheriff is the county’s chief peace officer and the executive officer of the courts. The office dates from 1794. The first sheriff, Thomas Buckingham, was appointed by Governor Blount of the Territory South of the River Ohio Under the first constitution in 1796 the sheriff was appointed by the County Quarterly Court. Since 1836 the sheriff has been elected by popular vote.

Name	From	To		Name	From	To
Thomas Buckingham	1794	1802		R. H. Shields	1900	1904
Robert Wear	1803	1805		R. A. McMahan	1904	1908
William Mitchell	1806	1821		J. W. Sauls	1908	1910
W.H. Rogers	1821	1827		Sam Cates	1910	1914
George Rogers	1827	1833		M. M. Newcomb	1914	1916
C. Cowan	1833	1841		J. W. Wynn	1916	1920
A. Lawson	1841	1842		M. L. Rolen	1920	1922
John Howard	1842	1848		S. H. Taylor	1922	1923
Asa Derick	1848	1850		J. R. Allen	1923	1924
B. J. Tipton	1850	1851		F. M. Robertson	1924	1928
M.V. Pickens	1851	1852		J. R. Allen	1928	1930
Lemuel Duggan	1852	1858		F. M. Robertson	1930	1932
Thomas Cate	1858	1860		Roy E. Fox	1932	1936
Lemuel Duggan	1860	1862		E. R. Conner	1936	1940
Micajah Butler	1862			J. Roy Whaley	1940	1946
N. N. Cate	1862	1863		Ray C. Noland	1946	1948
Lemuel Duggan	1863	1864		J. Roy Whaley	1948	1953
Carroll Shrader	1864	1866		Lewis Wayland	1953	1954
James McCroskey	1866	1868		Ray C. Noland	1954	1958
J. H. McNutt	1868	1870		Fred M. Pierce	1958	1960
R. R. Reagan	1870	1874		Ray C. Noland	1960	1966
G. C. Shrader	1874	1880		Millard Gibson	1966	1972
Sam Rolen	1880	1886		Carmen Townsend	1972	1990
E. M. Wynn	1886	1890		Don C. Ogle	1990	1994
George L. Delozier	1890	1894		Bruce Montgomery	1994	2007
M. F. Maples	1894	1898		Ron Seals	2007
T. H. Davis	1898	1900