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 Present........................... |
James G. Jackson | |
| 1931 to 1936.. | Fred Kuntz |
¹ Appointed
Interim Chief Awaiting Civil Service Test Results
² Appointed Acting Chief Awaiting Civil Service Test Results
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This page was last updated on: November 12, 2001