Edna Reed Clayton DeWees

Edna Reed Clayton DeWees (September 5, 1921 – January 22, 2009) was an American law enforcement officer. As the sheriff of Loving County, Texas, from 1945 to 1947, she was the first woman to be elected sheriff in the state of Texas.

Edna Reed Clayton DeWees
BornSeptember 5, 1921
Mississippi, US
DiedJanuary 22, 2009[1]
Del Rio, Texas, US
Occupation
  • Sheriff
Known forFirst woman elected sheriff in Texas

Life and career

DeWees was born in Mississippi on September 5, 1921.[2] Her parents moved to Texas before she turned one year old, and she attended school in Breckenridge.[2] After graduating from high school, DeWees worked as a deputy district clerk in Stephens County.[2]

During World War II, DeWees worked as a lathe operator at Vultee Aircraft in Fort Worth, and also worked at Pecos Army Airfield.[2] DeWees began living in Loving County in the 1940s.[3]

DeWees was appointed sheriff of Loving County, Texas, in 1945, at the age of 24.[2] She was officially elected to the office in that same year.[4] This made her the first woman to be elected sheriff in the state of Texas.[5] Although DeWees was the first woman elected sheriff in Texas, she was only the second woman to serve as sheriff in the state; Emma Daugherty Banister had been appointed as sheriff in Coleman County in 1918, but was never elected to that position.[6]

DeWees served as sheriff from 1945 (the year of her appointment and her election[2]) to 1947,[3] although the start and end dates of her term have also been given as 1946 and 1948 respectively.[5] During her two years as sheriff, DeWees conducted only two arrests.[4] She also did not carry a firearm.[2] At the time of her election, Loving County was notably sparsely populated,[7] which contributed to its low crime rate.[4]

After she completed her term as sheriff, DeWees worked as county district clerk in Loving from 1965 to 1986.[8]

DeWees was married twice, to George C. Clayton and to Lawrence DeWees, and she had five children.[2] She retired to a ranch near Mentone and died at the age of 87 in 2009.[2]

References
  1. "Loving County Sheriff TX". www.lovingcountytxsheriff.org. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  2. Bills, E. R. (June 2013). "The First Madam Sheriffs". Texas Co-op Power. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  3. Meyer, Richard E. (January 31, 1993). "West of Pecos: There Ain't Many Folks in Loving County, but Durned Near Everyone's a Character: One Bulldozed His Pool, Some Drive 50 Miles for a Cup of Coffee and the Sheriff Was Named Punk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  4. Teitz, Liz (November 10, 2016). "Jefferson County elects Texas' first black female sheriff". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  5. Colloff, Pamela (October 1997). "Not-So-Loving County". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  6. Horswell, Cindy (June 23, 2017). "County's only female sheriff leaves legacy of fearlessness". The Courier of Montgomery County. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  7. Goldthwaite, Carmen (October 2, 2012). Texas Dames: Sassy and Savvy Women Throughout Lone Star History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781614237099.
  8. "Loving County Sheriff's Office". Loving County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
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