When Sheriff-elect John Myers takes office, he will be the 56th sheriff in the 201-year history of the Lawrence County, Tennessee Sheriff’s Department, and the first Republican to hold that office in five decades.

The longest-serving sheriff in Lawrence County history, according to the best information on hand, was Sheriff William Dorning, who held the office for twelve years, between 1994 and 2006. Second-longest service belongs to Sheriff Thomas Matthews, who was sheriff of Lawrence County for ten years, between 1831 and 1841.

Incumbent Sheriff Jimmy Brown is tied for third-longest service as sheriff at eight years (2010-2018), a record that he shares with Sheriff Tom Pyrdum (1982-1990).