References

• WDA – Washington Digital Archives
• CP – Commissioners Proceedings
• MCJ – Mason County Journal
• SMCJ – Shelton Mason County Journal
• Washington Digital Newspapers
• https://mycounties.com/washington/

1802 ~ The Ohio Constitution called for the election of the county sheriff, then state-by-state, the democratic election of sheriff became not only a tradition, but in most states a constitutional requirement.

1805 ~ The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Coast at the mouth of the Columbia River - Thomas Jefferson was President of the US

1848 ~ Oregon Territory organized and incorporated into the United States – James Knox Polk was President of the US

1853 ~ Washington Territory split from Oregon Territory 

1854 ~ Sawamish County was formed out of Thurston County (April 15, 1854) – Franklin Pierce was President of the US

1854 ~ Finis K. Simmons appointed Sheriff of Sawamish County

1854 – 1856 ~ Calvin W. Swindal elected Sheriff 17 Nov 1854 (WDA Swindal was the Captain of Company F Volunteer Army of the US in 1856, Sawamish County, Washington Territory)

1855-1856 ~ Indian Wars, referred to as the Cayuse War

1856-1858 ~ John B. Forbes elected Sheriff 14 Jul 1856 (WDA 2nd Regiment Train Guards 1856 Sawamish County)

1856 ~ Sawamish County had 158 white settlers and 5,365 apple trees

1858 – 1860 ~ Edward Miller elected Sheriff 12 Jul 1858, (WDA 1856 member of the Train Guards Co F 2nd Regiment Washington Territory Volunteer Army) (WDA CP 1858 rec’d 18 votes for Sheriff)

1859 ~ Southwest portion of Oregon Territory admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon – James Buchanan was President of the US

1860-1864 ~ William O. McFarland elected and took the Oath of Office as Sheriff 30 Jul 1860 re-elected 1862 by 1 vote) (1864 McFarland resigns appoints HG Morrow Sheriff of Mason County)

1863 ~ The western portion of Sawamish County (from the western border of today’s Mason County all the way to the Pacific shore) became a portion of the expanding Chehalis County – Abraham Lincoln was President of the US

1863 ~ Idaho Territory split from Washington Territory

1864 - 1864~ Herman Grinsel Morrow appointed Sheriff 13 Jan 1864

1864 ~ Sawamish County renamed in honor of Charles H. Mason the territory’s first Secretary of State and acting governor

1864-1866 ~ Lewis David Wilson Shelton elected Sheriff 2 May 1864 at age 22 (WDA resigned 1866)

1865 ~ US Civil War ends with surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

1866 ~ David C. Cooper appointed Sheriff 1866

1866 – 1867 ~ William Champ elected Sheriff 30 Nov 1866 resigns 2 Feb 1867

1867 - 1867 ~ David C. Cooper appointed Sheriff 2 Feb 1867

1867 - 1869 ~ A.M. Van Horn elected Sheriff 9 Jun 1867

1869 - 1870 ~ G. H. McMaster elected Sheriff 26 Jun 1869

1870 - 1870 ~ John S Kelly elected 6 June 1870 and then resigns 7 Nov 1870

1870 – 1880 ~ Robert Watkinson appointed Sheriff 7 Nov 1870, elected 28 Jan 1871 and reelected 13 Nov 1876 and 1878

1879 ~ The Mason County census reports that the population was 560, there were 218 male citizens over the age of 21, and their occupations were primarily lumberman and farmer – Rutherford B. Hayes was President of the US

1880 - 1883 ~ William Callow elected Sheriff 2 Nov 1880 (WDA CP 1884-1887 ~ William Callow became the Representative to Congress)

1883 – 1885 ~ Hans Hegaas elected Sheriff Feb 1883 (born in Norway)

1885 – 1887 ~ William Callow elected Sheriff Feb 1885

1887-1894 ~ D.M. Duckworth elected Sheriff Feb 1887, served as Sheriff and Assessor in 1889

1889 ~ Washington admitted to the Union as the 42nd State - Benjamin Harrison was President of the US.

1895 – 1898 ~ Samuel Caldwell elected Sheriff 1894

1899-1902 ~ George H. Vogtlin elected Sheriff 1898 took office 1899 (WDA Sheriff Court House and proprietor Shelton Livery Stables)

1903 ~ (WDA CP “On motion Board decided, on the present day, to allow the Sheriff a telephone at the expense of the County.”) – Theodore Roosevelt was President of the US

1903 – 1906 ~ James Forrest elected Nov 1902, reelected 1904

1907 – 1910 ~ Samuel Caldwell elected Sheriff 1906 took office 1907, reelected

1911 - 1912 ~ Louis (Lewis) Edward Sanderson elected Sheriff (in 1910 census Sanderson was listed as the Game Warden) (May 20, 1912, Aberdeen Herald …Grays Harbor Deputies will be joined in the search for John Tornow “by Sheriff Lou Sanderson of Mason County, with a posse”)

1913 – 1914 ~ Ed J. Hanson ~ elected 1912 WDA CP 13 Jan 1913

1913 ~ John Tornow, “Wild Man of the Wynoochee”, was killed by Chehalis County Deputy Giles Quimby. [Note: In 1915 Chehalis County was renamed Grays Harbor County to eliminate confusion with the City of Chehalis which was the seat of Lewis County]

1915-1917 ~ Wilmot A Tucker elected Sheriff in Nov 1914 beating incumbent Ed. J. Hanson, and began his term 1 Jan 1915

1917 ~ United States declares war on Germany - Woodrow Wilson was President of the US

1918-1923 ~ Ralph W Potts – elected Sheriff, reelected 1921/22. He and deputies spent time rounding up moonshiners, liquor runners and tax dodgers

1918 ~ When the war finally ended, on November 11, 1918, more than two million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and some 50,000 of them had lost their lives

1923 – 1926 ~ L. H. Jacobs elected Sheriff (1/07/1927 CP) (1/17/27 CP E. F. Martin posted bond for Deputy Sheriff)

1927-1930 ~ W. A. Tucker elected Sheriff (CP 12/10/1927) Deputies under Sheriff Tucker included E. F. Martin, Wm Compton, and Gerald Byrne

1930 – 1934 ~ Eugene “Gene” F. Martin elected Sheriff

1934-1938 ~ Gerald E. Byrne elected (29 Sept 2016 SMCJ) 1 May 1939 SMCJ

1939-1946 ~ Eugene “Gene” F. Martin elected (SMCJ 7 Sept 1944 Martin wounded in back while arresting a drunk man) (1946 Resigns)

1941 ~ December 7, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor - Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President of the US

1942 ~ Construction of the Grand Coulee Dam completed

1945 ~ On September 2, 1945, formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri, designating the end of World War II.  Harry S. Truman was President of the US

1946-1946 ~ William F. Compton appointed, resigns (SMCJ 18 Apr 1946) – Daniel Orcutt to take over until Jan when Sheriff-elect Jack Cole takes office.

1946 – 1946 ~ Daniel Orcutt appointed to complete Compton term

1947-1949 ~ Jack Cole elected begins term 1 Jan 1947 resigns 17 Mar 1949

1949-1950 ~ Roy Roessel appointed 17 Mar 1949 dies 27 Aug 1950.  Leroy Hubert Roessel was a pioneer logger. He came to Mason County in 1920 with the Roessel Logging Company whose camp was about seven miles west of Belfair. He moved to Shelton in 1938 to become a police officer and in 1946 became a deputy sheriff.

1950-1950 ~ Jack Cole re-appointed to complete his term

1950 ~ High Octane gas prices ranged from 18 to 24 cents per gallon - Harry S. Truman was President of the US

1951-1952 ~ Emmett C. Williams elected begins term 1 Jan 1951 resigns 22 May 1952

1952-1962 ~ William A. (Jug) Potter appointed 22 May 1952, elected begins term 1 Jan 1953, reelected 1955, 1959

1958 ~ USS Nautilus reaches the North Pole, under the ice – Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the US

1960 ~ Ring of Fire filmed in rural Mason County

1963-1966 ~ DS (Sam) Clark elected begins term 1 Jan 1963

1966 ~ August 28, 1966, Naval Air Station in Mason County deeded back to Port of Shelton and christened Sanderson Field after Major General Lawson H. M. Sanderson of the USMC, son of Sheriff Louis Sanderson (1911/12)

1967-1970 ~ Wallace F Anderson elected (SMCJ April 30, 1970, Anderson died 4/21, Robinson took oath)

1970-1973 ~ John D. Robinson appointed 23 APR 1970, elected begins term 1 Jan 1971 resigns 15 JUL 1973 (WDA CP 23 Apr 1970, 27 Apr 1970)

1973 ~ January 27, 1973: President Nixon signs the Paris Peace Accords, ending direct U.S. involvement in the War in Vietnam

1973-1978 ~ Dan W. McNair appointed 16 Jul 1973, elected begins term 1 Jan 1975

1979-1982 ~ Freddie James Pharris elected begins term 1 Jan 1979

1983-1986 ~ Nathan Herbert Stairs – elected begins term 1 Jan 1983, (WDA Death Record – cardiac arrest Jan 8, 1987, Retired Sheriff)

1987-1990 ~ Robert Holter – elected begins term 1 Jan 1987

1991-1994 ~ Robert Lawrence Shepherd elected begins term 1 Jan 1991

1995-2006 ~ Steve Whybark elected begins term 1 Jan 1995, reelected 1999, 2003

2001 ~ On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. George W. Bush was President of the US

2007-2022 ~ Casey Salisbury elected begins term 1 Jan 2007, reelected 2011, 2015, 2019. Salisbury served the citizens of Mason County for sixteen consecutive years

2023-to date ~ Ryan Spurling elected begins term 1 Jan 2023