Andrew Jackson Sevier
| Andrew Jackson Sevier | |
| In office June 4, 1904 – August 25, 1941 | |
| Preceded by | Coleman H. Lucas |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Mary Louise Day Sevier |
| Born | January 30, 1871 Port Gibson, Claiborne County Mississippi, USA |
| Died | August 25, 1941 Tallulah, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Silver Cross Cemetery in Tallulah |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Louise Day Sevier (married 1905-1941, his death) |
| Relations | Andrew L. Sevier (cousin)
Henry Clay "Happy" Sevier (cousin) |
| Children | John Donelson Sevier Emma Louise Sevier Nadler |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Law enforcement officer |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| | |
Andrew Jackson Sevier, Jr. (January 30, 1872 – August 25, 1941), was the sheriff of Madison Parish in the Mississippi River 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.[1]
Contents
Backgrouind
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. His father had served in the Confederate Army and was held for a period as prisoner of war during the American Civil War.
The family moved west into Madison Parish, when Andrew was five years old. They lived first at Milliken's Bend and then in the parish seat of 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. Sevier, Sr., served from 1883 to 1887 on the Madison Parish School Board. He also served from 1909 to 1913 on the Madison Parish Police Jury (similar to a county commission).[1]
Career
In addition to his law practice, 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." He was elected as Sheriff of Madison Parish for ten consecutive terms, only two with opposition. His official title was "Sheriff and Tax Collector." He had already been a peace officer for six years before Tallulah was incorporated as a town in 1902.[2]
Madison Parish was nearly 90 percent African American in population during the tenure of Sheriff Sevier, related to the history of numerous African American as slaves and later free workers on the large cotton plantations of the area. It remained majority black through the 20th century. Although Louisiana's 1898 Constitution raised barriers to voter registration and discriminatory practices virtually excluded blacks from the political process, black men were called to serve on juries in Madison Parish. In an interview, Sevier said that most of the cases he investigated and handled were black-on-black crime. Sevier said:
We had no trouble in meting out justice to the evil doer. The Negroes picked for service on juries were made up of the old-time, law-abiding elderly men, who hewed to the law as given them by the court. We had eight or ten legal executions of Negroes in this parish during the reign of the Negro jury, all of which were cases that called for that kind of verdict.[2]
Sevier was an active participant in the establishment of the Louisiana Sheriffs Association. He spoke often to civic groups of crime prevention methods. He was an advocate of a penal institution or farm for delinquent African-American juveniles.[2]
Family
Sevier and his wife, the former Mary Louise Day (c. 1880-1958) of Vicksburg, Mississippi, had a son, J. Donald "Don" Sevier (1909-1987), and a daughter, Emma Louise Sevier (1907-1944). Their son lived in Tallulah as an adult. "Don" Sevier was a long-time employee of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, based in
Sevier served as senior warden in the Episcopal Church in Tallulah and the Masonic lodge.[3] Sevier died at his home of a heart attack at the age of sixty-nine, having just returned from a drive to Vicksburg.[3] Services were held at the Sevier home. Like most members of the extended Sevier family, he and his wife are interred at Silver Cross Cemetery in Tallulah. Mrs. Sevier was appointed to complete her husband's last term as sheriff, with service until January 1944.[1]
Legacy
The Chamber of Commerce in Tallulah passed a resolution to honor Sevier:
He was one of our outstanding citizens, answering every call to public service. He was a fearless officer. He was generous to a fault. Hundreds of men, women and children, can testify to his great charity. He was ever sympathetic, fair in all his dealings, and served his people faithfully. We shall ever hold in grateful remembrance his services and his work. His life was that of a Christian gentleman, and his example and his splendid career is one to be followed and emulated by all.[2]
References
