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 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 |