Henri Peire (1778-1848) was the first sheriff of Escambia County.[1]
Born circa 1778 in St. Dominique, Haiti, Peire was a privateer and merchant mariner who emigrated to the United States in the early 1800s, joining the army and fighting in the War of 1812. He was a major (and later a colonel) in the 44th Infantry and accompanied General Andrew Jackson on his 1817-1818 campaigns through Florida. When Jackson oversaw the transfer of Florida from Spain on July 17, 1821, he appointed Peire as "alguazil," a position analogous to sheriff.
Peire served for only for a few months, moving to New Orleans around October of 1821. He became superintentendent of the New Orleans port and died in December 1848.
References
- John Appleyard. The Peacekeepers: the Story of Escambia County, Florida's 43 Sheriffs. 2007.
- ↑ Other records show a man named William Loftin, a resident of the Oyster Bay/St. Andrews area (modern day Panama City) as being appointed sheriff of "Florida's Western District," another designation for the territory west of the [[Wikipedia:Suwanee River|]]. It is unclear if the "sheriff" title was exclusive to Loftin, but Peire was certainly the effective sheriff of the Pensacola area.
| Preceded by: N/A |
Escambia County Sheriff 1821 |
Succeeded by: Charles Bradford |