Sheriffs of Henry County

In 1822, the Georgia Legislature gave approval to the Henry County government to elect a sheriff. The first sheriff to run for this seat was a man by the name of James Fletcher. Fletcher was a colonel in the Georgia Militia and a landowner in Henry County. Not much is known about what Fletcher's tenure was like but we do know that he had very little supplies to work with due to his position being fairly new and him not having an official jail to store prisoners in.

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Fletcher only served one term and eventually died from a disease that . The office would then be occupied by Jesse Johnson, great grandfather of President Lyndon B Johnson. It was clear that Jesse enjoyed his job because he ran for the position more than two times and won each election. Johnson eventually stepped down and gave the position to younger deputies of his department.

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The sheriff in 19th century Georgia had a very important job. The sheriff was considered the highest law enforcement officer in the county and their responsibilities included the upkeep of the county jail, the execution of court documents, the seizing of goods that have been condemned by the courts, in some cases they helped arrange executions and making sure that the law was being followed in all areas of the county.