Jess Sweeten - Athens, Texas - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Legendary Texas Lawman
In 1930 Sweeten was appointed deputy constable at Trinidad, Texas, and the following year was promoted to deputy sheriff. In 1932 he ran successfully for the Henderson County sheriff's office, becoming the youngest sheriff in Texas, and served for the next twenty-two years. The six-foot-four, 225-pound Sweeten gained a reputation as a hard-nosed investigator and a crack shot. During his tenure he shot nine men, killing three, including Gerald Johnson, the so-called "Dallas Kid" whom Sweeten gunned down after a high-speed car chase through Athens. He also solved numerous high profile crimes, including the murders of the McGeehee family and Mr. and Mrs. W._T._German, both of which attracted the attention of the national media. In one instance, he reportedly interviewed a suspect in a kidnapping case for sixteen days and nights without letup. Not surprisingly, Sweeten's tough methods elicited both praise and criticism. In the 1960s in the wake of civil rights reforms he once said: "I broke 21 murder cases and sent three to the electric chair....But if I had to work under the conditions I'd have to work under today, I doubt if I could have broken all those cases." If you questioned a suspect like that now, he continued, "the Supreme Court would have put the sheriff in jail."

An expert marksman, he conducted shooting exhibitions for schools and civic clubs throughout his career. In 1969 Sweeten was elected mayor of Athens, serving until June 1970, when he resigned due to business commitments. During the 1970s he served as a special investigator for the local district attorney's office.

Source: www.findagrave.com/memorial/10027489/jess-sweeten

Born in Stigler, Okla. Indian Territory in 1905, and died November 16, 1980. Jess Sweeten was a colorful county sheriff and also mayor of Athens. In 1932 he was elected sheriff of Henderson County making him the youngest sheriff in Texas. He was sheriff from 1932 to 1954. The six-foot-four, 225-pound Sweeten gained a reputation as a hard-nosed investigator and a crack shot. Jess Sweeten solved two mass-murder cases and over two thousand felonies, He survived eleven gun battles, five assassination attempts, three car wrecks, one running gun battle with the "Dallas Kid," over 150 bare-knuckle fistfights, leaving office with no unsolved cases. Raymond Hamilton once told a Dallas newspaper that Bonnie and Clyde always avoided Henderson County because of Sweeten's reputation.

Source: texashideout.tripod.com/otherside.html

Texas Historical Marker for Jess Sweeten, located in front of the Old Henderson County Jailhouse; plaque text is in next section.

Books written about Jess Sweeten:

Jess Sweeten Texas Lawman Hardcover - 1962 by Allan Sigvard Lindquist

A Trail is Never Cold: The Life and Times of Sheriff Jess Sweeten Paperback – July, 2001 by Lawrence Melton Jr.

Description: Completing his work as a steel rigger in 1929 employed by Otis Elevator Company on the Texas Power & Light Company in Trinidad, Texas, Jess Sweeten was offered a job as a deputy constable in Henderson County. Bob King was appointed to find a new deputy constable for Trinidad and witnessed Jess break up a fight between the rough transient laborers working in the area. Jess' tall and strong stature and his willingness to use his fists made him a good candidate. Jess formally began his career in law enforcement in 1930. Jess' background in law started with his great-grandfather, grandfather and father who were all U.S. marshals. Jess grew up with high regard for the law and was an expert marksman. He had considerable success in cleaning up the small town of Trinidad where residents took on their own form of law and order, resulting in chaos and danger in the town. His success was documented by several newspapers. The newly-elected Henderson County Sheriff, Joel Baker, was so impressed that he hired Jess as a deputy sheriff in 1931. Jess was nicknamed "Two Gun Pete" by the Athens Daily Review. Because of his fame and success, Jess and Sheriff Baker’s relationship declined until Baker asked Jess to resign. He was then offered a job as a Texas Ranger but turned it down to become the deputy constable for Athens, under constable M.G. Jepson. Jepson encouraged Jess to run for county sheriff and, in 1932, at 26 years of age, Jess was elected as the youngest sheriff in Texas at that time. Jess served as sheriff from 1933-1946 and again from 1949-1954. At age 72, Jess earned his GED diploma and became the special criminal investigator of the 3rd Judicial District which included Henderson County. He died in 1980 in Athens. Source: Texas Historical Marker located in front of the old Henderson County Court House and waymarked as WMZFCY Date of birth: 05/07/1905 Date of death: 11/16/1980 Area of notoriety: Law Enforcement Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link] Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Not listed

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