List of sheriffs of Worcester County, Massachusetts

Last updated November 04, 2024

This is a list of sheriffs of Worcester County, Massachusetts . The sheriff originally was an appointed office, it has been an elected position since 1856.^[1] The sheriff is elected to serve a six-year term.

The current Worcester County Sheriff is Lewis Evangelidis

No.	Sheriff	Term	Party	Note
1	Daniel Gookin	June 30, 1731 – June 1743
2	Benjamin Flagg	1743–1751
3	John Chandler	1751 – August 7, 1762
4	Gardner Chandler	1762–1775		Last Worcester County sheriff of the royal Province of Massachusetts Bay.
5	Simon Dwight	1775–1778
6	William Greenleaf	1778–1788		Impeached and removed for misconduct.
7	John Sprague	1788–1792
8	Dwight Foster	1792–1793	Federalist
9	William Caldwell	1793–1805
10	Thomas Walker Ward	1805–1824
11	Calvin Willard	1824–1844		Resigned rather than hang a condemned prisoner.
12	John W. Lincoln	1844–1851
13	James Estabrook	1851–1853	Democratic
14	George W. Richardson	1854–1856	Know Nothing
15	John S.C. Knowlton	1857–June 11, 1871	Democratic	First sheriff elected by popular vote. Died in office on June 11, 1871.
16	Augustus B. R. Sprague	July 5, 1871^[2] – January 1890		Appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of sheriff John S.C. Knowlton who died in office. Subsequently elected for six three year terms.^[2]
17	Samuel D. Nye	1890–1892	Democratic
18	Robert H. Chamberlain	1892 – January 14, 1910	Republican	Resigned on January 14, 1910.
19	Benjamin D. Dwinnell	1910 – December 15, 1916	Republican	Died on December 15, 1916.
20	Albert F. Richardson	December 1916 – March 13, 1932	Republican	Died on March 13, 1932.
21	Henri Oscar Rocheleau	March 23, 1932 – January 1945	Democratic	Appointed to the office by Joseph B. Ely to fill the vacancy caused by the death of sheriff Albert F. Richardson.
22	William A. Bennett	January 1945 – January 1963	Republican
23	Joseph A. Smith	January 1963 – 1977	Democratic
24	Francis J."Bud" Deignan, Jr.	January 1977 – 1983	Democratic
25	Theodore M. Herman	January 4, 1983 – 1987	Democratic	Appointed Worcester County Sheriff, to fill vacancy; on January 4, 1983, by Governor Edward J. King. Herman won the 1984 Democratic primary and the subsequent November 1984 election to fill the unexpired term.
26	John M. Flynn	1987–2005	Democratic
27	Guy Glodis	2005 – January 5, 2011	Democratic
28	Lewis Evangelidis	January 5, 2011 – present	Republican

↑ Hurd, Duane Hamilton (1888), History of Essex County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Volume I., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J. W. Lewis & Company, p. xi.
1 2 Herndon, Richard (1896), Bacon, Edwin M. (ed.), Men of Progress: One Thousand Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Leaders in Business and Professional Life in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston: New England Magazine, p. 347

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[Hurd_1888_Vol_I_pg_xi-1] Hurd, Duane Hamilton (1888), History of Essex County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Volume I., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: J. W. Lewis & Company, p. xi.

[Herndon1896pg347-2] 1 2 Herndon, Richard (1896), Bacon, Edwin M. (ed.), Men of Progress: One Thousand Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Leaders in Business and Professional Life in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston: New England Magazine, p. 347

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