Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 9, 2026

Cook County Sheriff

The Cook County Sheriff is the sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, heading the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Last revised
Jul 9, 2026
Read time
≈ 5 min
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1,188 w
Citations
64
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Cook County Sheriff
Incumbent
Tom Dart
since December 2006
Term length4 years
Inaugural holderJohn H. Kinzie
Formation1831

The Cook County Sheriff is the sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, heading the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Office description

Terms are currently four-years in length.

Officeholders

Sherriff Term in office Party Notes Cite
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 John H. Kinzie 1831–1832 Appointed by governor John Reynolds 12
Stephen R. Forbes 1832–1834 Cook County's first elected sheriff 23
Silas W. Sherman 1834–1838 Democratic 4
Isaac R. Gavin 1838–1840 Independent Democrat 45
Ashbel Steele 1840–1842 5
Samuel J. Lowe 1842–1846 5
Isaac Cook 1846–1850 5
William L. Church 1850–1852 5
Cyrus Bradley 1852–1854 5
James Andrew 1854–1855 5
James Beach 1855–1856 (acting) 5
John L. Wilson 1856–1858 5
John Gray 1859–1860 5
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 Anton C. Hesing 1860–1862 Republican 5
David Hammond 1862–1864 5
John A. Nelson 1864–1866 5
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 John Lourie Beveridge 1866–1868 Republican 67
Gustav Fischer 1868–1870 Absconded in 1869
Benjamin L. Cleaves 1870 Simultaneously ex officio Cook County Coroner 5
Timothy Bradley 1870–1872 8
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 Charles Kern 1872–1878 Democratic 8
John Hoffman 1878–1880 Republican 89
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 Orrin L. Mann 1880–1882 Republican Elected in 1880 10
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 Seth Hanchett 1882–1886 Republican 1112
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 Canute R. Matson 1886–1890 Republican 8
James H. Gilbert 1890–1894
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 James Pease 1894–1898 Republican 13
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 Ernest Magerstadt 1899–1902 Republican
Thomas E. Barrett 1902–1906 Democratic 141516
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 Christopher Strassheim 1906–1910 Republican 16
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 Michael Zimmer 1910–1914 Democratic 16
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 John E. Traeger 1914–1918 Democratic 16
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 Charles W. Peters 1918–1922 Republican 116
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 Peter M. Hoffman December 1922–December 26, 1926 Republican 171819
Charles E. Graydon December 29, 1926–December 1928 19
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 John E. Traeger December 3, 1928–December 1930 Democratic Had previously served as sheriff 2021
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 William D. Meyering 1930–1934 Democratic 1720
John Toman 1934–1938 20
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 Thomas J. O'Brien 1938–1942 Democratic 20
A. L. Brodie 1942–1943 20
Michael F. Mulcahy 22
Elmer Michael Walsh 1946-1950 Republican Elected in 1946 20
John E. Babb 1950–1954 Republican 2023
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 Joseph D. Lohman 1954–1958 Democrat 2023
Frank G. Sain 1958-1962 Democrat 2024
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 Richard B. Ogilvie 1962–1966 Republican 20
Joseph I. Woods 1966–1970 Republican 20
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 Richard Elrod 1970–1986 Democratic 20
James E. O'Grady 1986–1990 Republican Elected in 1986; lost reelection in 1990 20
Michael F. Sheahan 1990–2006 Democratic Elected in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 20
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 Tom Dart 2006–present Democratic Elected in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 20

Election results

References

References

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  4. Healy, Daniel David (1909). History of Cook County, Illinois--: Being a General Survey of Cook County History, Including a Condensed History of Chicago and Special Account of Districts Outside the City Limits; from the Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Goodspeed Historical Association. pp. 324, 330, 331. ISBN 9780608368931. Retrieved October 25, 2020. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
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  9. "Image 7 of Chicago daily tribune (Chicago, Ill.), December 1, 1878". Chicago Tribune. December 1, 1878. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  10. "GENERAL O. L. MANN". Newspapers.com. The Inter Ocean (Chicago). November 1, 1880. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  11. "The...". Newspapers.com. The Inter Ocean (Chicago). October 20, 1882. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  12. "SETH HANCHETT'S RECEPTION". Newspapers.com. The Inter Ocean (Chicago). December 1, 1882. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  13. Illinois Political Directory and Sketch Book, 1898: With Portraits of Party Leaders, Volume 1. Chicago: Bodine & Co. 1898.
  14. "The Political Graveyard: Knights of Columbus, politicians, Illinois". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
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  16. The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for ... Chicago Daily News Company. 1921. p. 598.
  17. "Organized Crime & Political Corruption". www.ipsn.org. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  18. "Will this log cabin built by Capone-era sheriff be saved?". Crain's Chicago Business. July 10, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  19. "GRAYDON WILL TAKE OFFICE AS SHERIFF TODAY". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. December 29, 1926. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  20. "Cook County". Illinois Sheriffs' Association. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  21. "LIUET. COLLINS NAMED CHIEF OF HIGHWAY POLICE". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. December 1, 1928.
  22. "Illinois blue book, 1945-1946". State of Illinois. p. 645. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  23. "Organized Crime & Political Corruption". www.ipsn.org. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  24. "Press, Democrats of Cook County Select Sain". The Daily Chronicle. January 9, 1958. p. 1.
  25. "Chicago Daily News Almanac". Chicago Daily News Company. 1911. pp. 511–512. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  26. The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for ... Chicago Daily News Company. 1921. p. 784. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  27. "Official Final Results General Election Cook County, Illinois Tuesday, November 4, 1986" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2008.
  28. "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1990" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2008.
  29. "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1998" (PDF). results.cookcountyclerkil.gov.
  30. "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2002 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  31. "SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY RESULTS". voterinfonet.com. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005.
  32. "Cook County and the City of Chicago Combined Summary Report November 2006 General Election Tuesday, November 7th, 2006" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  33. "Cook County General Election November 2, 2010 Combined Summary Report" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  34. "General Election Cook County and The City of Chicago Tuesday, November 4, 2014 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  35. "Cook County and The City of Chicago General Election November 6, 2018 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  36. "Tabulated Statement of the Returns and Proclamation of the Results of the Canvass of the Election Returns for the November 8, 2022 Gubernatorial General Election Held in Each of the Precincts in Cook County, Illinois Including the City of Chicago" (PDF). www.cookcountyclerkil.gov. Cook County Clerk. 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.