TCSO: Past Sheriffs
Travis County was created Jan. 25, 1840, from Bastrop County and was named for William Barret Travis, commander of the Alamo. The county was organized on Jan. 1, 1840, with Austin as the county seat. Austin was the largest city in the county, but then Travis County included the small town of Abilene and covered 40,000 square miles. Travis County was later divided into 14 separate counties.

There have been 33 officers who have served as sheriff during the history of the county. The following is a listing of those sheriffs and their tenure.
 

Sheriff

Term
 

Wayne Barton

March 14, 1840 - Feb. 27, 1841
 

A.C. McFarlane

Feb. 27, 1841 - Oct. 30, 1841
 

Charles F. King

Oct. 30, 1841; April 8, 1843 - Oct. 21, 1844
 

James H. Matthews

Oct. 21, 1844 - late 1845 or Feb. 18, 1846.
(exact dates are unclear in the State Election Register)
 

C. C. Hornsby
1845;
(unknown if he was elected or appointed)
 

Charles F. King

Feb. 4, 1846 - July 13, 1846
 

James H. Matthews
July 13, 1846 - Aug. 5, 1850
 

Harvey Smith

Aug. 5, 1850 - December 1850
 

Thomas C. Collins

December 1850 - October 1851
 

George W. Scott

Oct. 4, 1851 - March 1855
John T. Price

John T. Price

March 3, 1855 - March 1857
 

Adolfus Y. Weir

March 9, 1857 - March 1858
 

J. M. Blackwell

March 29, 1858 - Aug. 6, 1860
 

John T. Price

Aug. 6, 1860 - Oct. 12, 1861
 

Thomas C. Collins

Oct. 12, 1861 - June 25, 1866
George B. Zimplemann

George B. Zimplemann

June 25, 1866 - Nov. 1, 1867
Radcliff Platt

Radcliff Platt

Nov. 1, 1867 - Dec. 3, 1869
 

George B. Zimplemann

Dec. 3, 1869 - Feb.15, 1876
 

Dennis Corwin

Feb. 15, 1876 - Nov. 2, 1880
 

Ed Creary
Nov. 2, 1880 - Nov. 7, 1882
Malcom Hornsby

Malcom Hornsby
Nov. 7, 1882 - Nov. 6, 1888
Robert E. White

Robert E. White

Nov. 6, 1888 - Nov. 6, 1900
 

J. M. Davis

Nov. 6, 1900 - Nov. 4, 1902
George S. Matthews

George S. Matthews

Nov. 4, 1902 - Nov. 2, 1920
W. D. Miller

W. D. Miller

Nov. 2, 1920 - Jan. 27, 1927
 

Horace E. Burleson

Nov. 2, 1926 - Nov. 1, 1929
Coley C. White

Coley C. White

Nov. 6, 1929 - Dec. 31, 1932
Lee O. Allen

Lee O. Allen

Jan. 1, 1933 - Dec. 31, 1939
Jim McCoy

Jim McCoy

Appointed in 1940 and served until 1941
 

H. W. “Rip” Collins

Jan. 1, 1942 - Dec. 31, 1948
Ernest Best

Ernest Best

Jan. 1, 1949 - Dec. 31, 1952
T. O. Lang

T. O. Lang

Jan. 1, 1953 - Dec. 31, 1972
(longest serving Sheriff in Travis County history)
Raymond Frank

Raymond Frank

Jan. 1, 1973 - Dec. 31, 1980
Doyne Bailey

Doyne Bailey

Jan. 1, 1981 - July 1992
Dan T. Richards

Dan T. Richards

Appointed July 1992; served until November 1992
 

Terrence M. Keel

Jan. 1, 1993 - Dec. 31, 1995
Margo Frasier

Margo Frasier

Jan. 1, 1996 - Dec. 31, 2004
(first female sheriff in Travis County history)
Greg Hamilton

Greg Hamilton

Jan. 1, 2005 - Present
(first African-American sheriff in Travis County history)