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'''James Cornelius Van Pelt''' ([[February 8]], [[1864]] - [[July 31]], [[1927]]) served two terms as [[Escambia County Sheriff]], [[1903]]-[[1913]], and [[1917]]-[[1919]].
Van Pelt was a farmer, dairyman and merchant by trade. He was named sheriff in [[1903]] after the unexpected death of [[George E. Smith]]. He presided over a eventful and tumultuous period in the history of [[Escambia County, Florida]], from massive construction projects that transformed [[downtown Pensacola]] to events like the [[1908 streetcar operators' strike|Pensacola Streetcar Company strike]] of [[1908]]. In [[1912]], Van Pelt oversaw the completion of the [[Court of Record Building]] and transferred prisoners to the new jail contained therein. Van Pelt was defeated in the [[1912]] election by [[A. Cary Ellis]], but ran again in [[1916]] and won.
In [[1919]], Sheriff Van Pelt was involved in a scandal involving liquor distillation. The Eighteenth Amendment had been ratified at the time, but it would not go into effect until [[January 16]], [[1920]]. Nevertheless, due largely to the administration of Governor [[Wikipedia:Sidney J. Catts|Sidney J. Catts]], a member of the Prohibition Party, Van Pelt was removed from office.
