Police Marshals, Superintendents and Chiefs
1816 ~ 2009

From Feburary 10, 1816, when the borough of Columbus began its corporate existence, the following Marshals, Superintendents of Police and Police Chiefs have held office. Authority for this list is credited to Alfred E. Lee, publisher of Lee's History of Columbus in 1892 and the publishers of the preceeding police histories.

Marshals

1816 to 1817..........
Samuel King
1836 to 1842..........
George B. Harvey
1818........................
James Fisher
1843........................
George Riordan
1819........................
Demming L. Rathbone
1844 to 1846..........
George B. Harvey
1820 to 1823..........
Samuel Shannon
1847 to 1850..........
John Writzell
1824........................
Benjamin Sells
1851........................
John H. Turney
1825 to 1826..........
Samuel Shannon
1851 to 1853..........
James Stephens
1827........................
John Kelly
1854 to 1856..........
Henry M. Wakeman
1828 to 1829..........
Benjamin Sells
1857 to 1860..........
John B. Coffroth
1830........................
Julius G. Goodman
1861 to 1864..........
Samuel Thompson
1831........................
John Kelly
1865........................
Adam Stephens
1832........................
Benjamin Sells
1866 to 1868..........
Patrick Murphy
1833........................
George B. Harvey
1869 to 1873..........
Charles Engelke
1834 to 1835..........
Abraham Stotts

 

Superintendents & Chiefs

1874 to 1875..
Samuel Thompson
1936 to 1939.........................
John F. Dunn
1876 to 1877..
Charles Engelke(acting)
1940 to 1943.........................
Otto C. Kaffits
1878 to 1879..
Charles Engelke (full)
1943 to 1944.........................
Robert Wynn
1880 to 1881..
J. W. Lingo
March 5, 1944 to
March 1, 1948........................
Lester Mercia
1882 to 1883..
Samuel Thompson
March 1, 1948 to
March 9, 1948.......................
Howard B. Hinton
1884 to 1886..
J. W. Lingo
March 10, 1948 to
November 15, 1948..............
Charles M. Berry
1887 to 1893..
John E. Murphy
November 16, 1948 to
March 5, 1954......................
Frank Harrison
1893 to 1895..
Edward Pagels
April 20, 1954 to
June 15, 1966........................
George Scholer
1895 to 1899..
Patrick Kelly
June 14, 1966 to
September 2, 1966...............
Martin Winters¹
1899................
J.M. Walcutt
September 3, 1966 to
February 18, 1970.................
Robert H. Baus
1899 to 1903..
William P. Tyler
February 18, 1970 to
March 15, 1970.....................
Robert Gloeckner²
1903 to 1904..
John A. Russell
March 15, 1970 to
April 4, 1972........................
Dwight W. Joseph
1904 to 1910..
John F. O'Connor
April 4, 1972 to
March 12, 1983.....................
Earl Burden
1910 to 1920..
Charles E. Carter
April 10, 1983 to
May 26, 1990.......................
Dwight D. Joseph
1920 to 1931..
Harry E. French
June 15, 1990 to
March 16, 2009....................
James G. Jackson
1931 to 1936..
Fred Kuntz
March 17, 2009 to
January 13, 2012....................
Walter L. Distelzweig
January 14, 2012 to
April 5, 2012....................
Stephen P Gammill¹
April 6, 2012 to Present
Kimberley K. Jacobs

¹ Appointed Interim Chief Awaiting Civil Service Test Results
² Appointed Acting Chief Awaiting Civil Service Test Results