Edna Reed Clayton DeWees

DeWees was born in Mississippi on September 5, 1921.[1] Her parents moved to Texas before she turned one year old, and she attended school in Breckenridge, Texas.[1] After graduating from high school, DeWees worked as a deputy district clerk in Stephens County, Texas.[1]

During World War II, DeWees worked as a lathe operator at Vultee Aircraft in Fort Worth, and also worked at Pecos Army Airfield.[1] DeWees began living in Loving County in the 1940s.[2]

DeWees was appointed sheriff of Loving County, Texas, in 1945, at the age of 24.[1] She was officially elected to the office in that same year.[3] This made her the first woman to be elected sheriff in the state of Texas.[4] Although DeWees was the first woman elected sheriff in Texas, she was only the second woman to serve as sheriff in the state; Emma Daugherty Banister had been appointed as sheriff in Coleman County in 1918, but was never elected to that position.[5]

DeWees served as sheriff from 1945 (the year of her appointment and her election[1]) to 1947,[2] although the start and end dates of her term have also been given as 1946 and 1948 respectively.[4] During her two years as sheriff, DeWees only conducted two arrests.[3] She also did not carry a firearm.[1] At the time of her election, Loving County was notably sparsely populated,[6] which contributed to its low crime rate.[3]

After she completed her term as sheriff, DeWees worked as county district clerk in Loving from 1965 to 1986.[7]

DeWees was married twice, to George C. Clayton and to Lawrence DeWees, and she had five children.[1] She retired to a ranch near Mentone, Texas and died at the age of 87 in 2009.[1]