Mention the word "sheriff" and many people's minds will fill immediately with images of shootouts and gunfights in the Wild West. Such as the sheriffs of old movies and television series, which have so magnified the role of the nineteenth-century American "high sheriff" that it is now virtually impossible to think of sheriffs as existing in any other place or time. Most people would be surprised to know that the office of sheriff has a proud history that spans well over a thousand years, from the early Middle Ages to our own "high-tech" era in the United states of America.
With only a few exceptions, today's sheriffs are elected officials who serve as the chief law-enforcement officer of the county. Although the duties of the sheriff vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, in Texas the sheriff's office is generally active in all three branches of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, the courts and corrections (county jails). To appreciate the vital function that sheriffs continue to serve, it is useful to become acquainted with the long and diverse history of the sheriff's office, and how the office has grown and changed over the past centuries.
President Ronald Reagan stressed the importance of the modern sheriff in his address to the National Sheriffs' Association on June 21, 1984. He said, "Thank you for standing up for this nation's dream of personal freedom under the rule of law. Thank you for standing against those who would transform that dream into a nightmare of wrongdoing and lawlessness. And thank you for your service to your communities, to your country, and to the cause of law and justice."
Aransas County has a proud heritage with its sheriffs, which first took office in the 1870's when the county was first formed from a part of Refugio County. Aransas County was home to two different women sheriffs during the early 1900's and again in the 1960's.
I would like to welcome you to the Aransas County Sheriff's on-line home page, which is the first of its kind for any sheriff of Aransas County. We believe that communication with our citizens is very important to the community-policing concept that we strive to be a part of. We believe that the law-abiding citizens of Aransas County should be treated like customers and my office should be run like a business. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact my office at 361-729-2222 or e-mail me at sheriff@aransascounty.org
Mark Gilliam
Sheriff, Aransas County
2001
According to the Sammy Tise book Texas County Sheriffs. Arley Cruse Shiver was appointed on May 19, 1951; was elected Nov 4, 1952; re-elected Nov. 2, 1954, Nov 6, 1956, Nov. 8, 1960 and served until October 13, 1962 when he died. He was the third Sheriff in the history of Aransas County to die while in office. He was born Dec 24, 1908 at Woodville, TX. He married Virginia Estelle Adolphus in Rockport, Texas on Sept 9, 1938.
Virginia Shivers was appointed on Oct. 15, 1962; was elected Nov 6, 1962 and served until Jan 1, 1965. She was the third lady in the county’s history to serve as Sheriff and the second one to be elected. She was the seventh lady elected a county Sheriff in the history of Texas. Mrs. Shivers was born on November 14, 1910 in Rockport, TX. She and Arly Shivers were married in the Sacred Heart Rectory in Rockport.
Sheriff Shiver had reportedly responded to a call at the Rockport Youth Center and was alone in his car when he suffered a fatal heart attack about 9pm on Saturday, October 13, 1962.
He is listed on our Lost Lawman Memorial Wall Panel 9 Column A line 8 his EOW is 10/13/1962.
