A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of Cornwall. In England and Wales the office previously known as sheriff was retitled high sheriff on 1 April 1974.
In some states of the United States of America, the high sheriff is the chief sheriff of the state, who outranks and commands all other sheriffs.
Read more about High Sheriff: England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Declaration, United States
Famous quotes containing the words high and/or sheriff:
“From the beginning, the placement of [Clarence] Thomas on the high court was seen as a political end justifying almost any means. The full story of his confirmation raises questions not only about who lied and why, but, more important, about what happens when politics becomes total war and the truth—and those who tell it—are merely unfortunate sacrifices on the way to winning.”
—Jane Mayer, U.S. journalist, and Jill Abramson b. 1954, U.S. journalist. Strange Justice, p. 8, Houghton Mifflin (1994)
“The man’s an M.D., like you. He’s entitled to his opinion. Or do you want me to charge him with confusing a country doctor?”
—Robert M. Fresco. Jack Arnold. Sheriff Jack Andrews (Nestor Paiva)