Andrew Jackson Sevier | |
---|---|
Sheriff of Madison Parish, Louisiana | |
In office June 4, 1904 – August 25, 1941 |
|
Preceded by | Coleman H. Lucas |
Succeeded by | Mary Louise Day Sevier |
Personal details | |
Born |
Port Gibson, Claiborne County Mississippi, USA |
January 30, 1871
Died | August 25, 1941 Tallulah, Louisiana |
(aged 70)
Cause of death | Heart attack |
Resting place | Silver Cross Cemetery in Tallulah |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Mary Louise Day Sevier (married 1905-1941, his death) |
Relations |
Cousins Andrew L. Sevier |
Children |
John Donelson Sevier |
Parents | Columbia Dobyns and Andrew Jackson Sevier, Sr. |
Residence | Tallulah, Louisiana |
Occupation | Law enforcement officer |
Religion | Episcopalian |
Cousins Andrew L. Sevier
John Donelson Sevier
Andrew Jackson Sevier, Jr. (January 30, 1872 - August 25, 1941), was the sheriff of Madison Parish in the delta country of northeastern Louisiana, having served from 1904 until his death in office thirty-seven years later at the age of sixty-nine. He was a direct descendant of John Sevier, a fighter in the American Revolution who served as governor of Tennessee and is the namesake of Sevierville in Sevier County in eastern Tennessee.
Sevier was born to the former Columbia Dobyns (died 1881) and Andrew Sevier, Sr. (1844-1916), in Port Gibson in Claiborne County in southwestern Mississippi. He came to Madison Parish when he was five years of age and lived first with his parents at Milliken's Bend and then the parish seat of government, Tallulah. He had six siblings. His mother died when he was eleven years of age; apparently his father did not remarry and was a widower for thirty-five years. The senior Sevier was a Confederate taken as a prisoner of war in the American Civil War. Sevier, Sr., served from 1883 to 1887 on the Madison Parish School Board and from 1909 to 1913 on the Madison Parish Police Jury.
Sevier began his law enforcement career in 1896 as a deputy to Sheriff Coleman H. Lucas. A Democrat, Sevier ultimately became the "Dean of Louisiana sheriffs", having been elected for ten consecutive terms, only two with opposition. His official title was "Sheriff and Tax Collector." He was already a peace officer for six years before Tallulah was incorporated as a town in 1902.