History

The Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office was established on May 5 1856. The Tennessee General Assembly created Cheatham County on February 28, 1856, from parts of Davidson, Robertson, Montgomery and Dickson Counties. The county name honors Edward Saunders Cheatham, Speaker of the state Senate. At the first county court meeting at Sycamore in May 1856, the commissioners purchased fifty acres of land on the north side of the Cumberland River from James Lenox for the establishment of Ashland City. Proceeds from the sale of town lots financed the construction of a courthouse and jail. The courthouse, completed in 1858, was replaced by a larger, brick structure in 1869. In 1886 a brick jail supplanted the original log jail; following a fire in 1935, it was rebuilt, and a new jail was erected in 1986.

Former Cheatham County Sheriffs

• Williamson Gatewood, May 6, 1856 (MB A, Page 1) Appointed
•  E. G. Murphy, Jun 2, 1856 to March 3, 1859 (MB A, Page 156)
• Thomas H. Dunn, March 7, 1859 to March 3, 1860 (MB A, Page 306)
• W. H. Stewart, March 3, 1860 to March 1862 (MB A, Page 472)
• No Sheriff during the Civil War March - 1862-Jun 19, 1865;
• Joseph J. Jarrett, Jun 19, 1865 to Aug 7 1865 (MB B Page 244)
• Ephraim F. Miles, Jul 29, 1865 appointed Aug 7 1865 to March 7 1868 (MB B, Pages 266 & 387)
• James N. Osborn, March 7, 1868 to September 7, 1874 (MB B, Page 626 and MB C, Pages 120 & 314)
• G. W. Maxey September 7, 1874 to September 6, 1880 (MB C, Pages 470, 471 and MB D, Pages 70 & 238)
• J. N. Hooper, September 6,1880 to September, 5 1882 (MB D, Page 392)
• W. C. Read, September 5, 1882 to September 6, 1886 (MB E, Pages 56, 281 & 282)
• J. J. Nicholson, September 6, 1886 to September 5, 1892 (MB E, Pages 487, 88 & 205)
• J. Pardue, September 5, 1892 to September 5, 1898 (MB F, Pages 352 & 471 and MB G, Page 101)
• T. J. Stump,September 5, 1898 to September 1, 1902 (MB G, Pages 318 & 475)
• S. L. Harper, September 1, 1902 to September 7, 1908(MB H, Pages 3 & 328)
• W. M. Bracey, September 7, 1908 to September 2, 1912 (MB H, Page 513 and MB I, Page 176)
• Sam Baggett, died Feb 17, 1913 - Memorial MB I Page 499, September 2, 1912 to Feb 17, 1913(MB I, Pages 416 & 487)
• W. M. Bracey, Feb 17, 1913 to September 7, 1914 (MB I, Pages 486 & 487) Appointed
• W. C. Greer, September 7, 1914 to September 4, 1916 (MB J, Page 76)
• N. B. Knight, September 4, 1916 to September 2, 1918(MB J, Pages 305 & 306)
• J. T. Felts, September 2, 1918 to September 4, 1922 (MB J, Page 516 and MB K, Page 89)
• Thomas T. Williams, September 4, 1922 to September 1, 1924 (MB K, Page 314)
• G. Henry West, September 1, 1924 to September 3, 1928 (MB L, Pages 33 & 382)
• Verner Harper, September 3, 1928 to September 1, 1934 (MB M,Pages 161 & 565 and MB N, Page 288)
• J. W. Keith, September 1, 1934 to September 1, 1940 (MB O, Pages 32, 347 & 598)
• R. C. (Dick) Reding, September 1, 1940 to Apr 10, 1944 (inducted into military service) (BB One, Page 2)
• Leola Keith Reding, May 6, 1944 to September 1, 1944 (BB One, Page 22)
• Thomas T. Williams, September 1, 1944 to September 1, 1946 (BB One, Page 23)
• Verner Harper, September 1, 1946 to September 1, 1950 (BB One, Pages 30 & 32)
• Bruce Bradley, September 1, 1950 to September 1, 1956 (BB One Pages 41, 47 & 50)
• Leslie H. Binkley, September 1, 1956 to September 1, 1962 (BB One, Pages 57, 72 & 78)
• Verner Harper, September 1, 1962 to September 1, 1964 (BB One, Page 91)
• Leslie Binkley, September 1, 1964 to September 1, 1970 (Deed Book 47 Page 821 and BB Two Pages 29-66)
• Dorris Weakley, September 1, 1970 to September 1, 1972 (BB Two, Page 98)
• Leslie Binkley, September, 1 1972 to September 1, 1974 (BB Two, Pages 136-137)
• Dorris Weakley, September 1, 1974 to Nov 18, 1990, died while in office (BB Two, Pages 166, 117 & 425)
• Marc Coulon, Nov 19, 1990 to January 18, 1991 (BB Two, Page 695) Appointed
• John P. Chandler, January 18, 1991 to September 1, 1998 (BB Two, Pages 522 & 615)
• John Henry Holder, September 1, 1998 to September 1, 2014 (BB Two, Page 713)
• Mike Breedlove, September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2022
• Tim Binkley, September 1, 2022 to Present