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  • Eras in SFSD History
    • Before Statehood & Vigilante Justice
      Before California Statehood 1846-1850
      John Coffee Hays: San Francisco's First Elected Sheriff
      Sheriff Thomas P. Johnson: A Life on the Margins of History
      Sheriff William Gorham: Gallows Birds and Early Militias
      Sheriff David Scannell Versus the Vigilantes
      Charles Doane, the Vigilante Sheriff
      20th Century: Disaster & Growth
      Sheriff Tom Finn: The City’s #1 Political Boss
      1906 San Francisco Earthquake and a Strange Journey
      The Tragic and Tempestuous Wild Ride of Sheriff Fred Eggers
      County Jail No. 1 – 1915 to 1961
      San Bruno: “The Most Modern Jail in the World”  Part 1 of 3 - 1928-1932
      San Bruno: “The Most Modern Jail in the World”  Part 2 of 3 - 1933-1968
      The Volatile 1870's
      Sheriff Matthew Nunan and the Chinese Queues
      The Ingleside Jail 1876-1934
      The Ingleside Jail Photo Collection
      Sheriff Tom Desmond, Irish Republican Hero
      New Waves of Reform
      San Bruno: “The Most Modern Jail in the World” Part 3 of 3 - 1969-2012
      Sheriff Richard Hongisto, the Notable Exception
  • The SFSD History Research Project
    • Catherine S. Caroll’s 1997 San Bruno Jail painting
    • First Person History
    • Chronological List of SF Sheriff Elections and Candidates 1850-2020
    • SF County Jail San Bruno Escapes 1935-1962
    • SF Sheriff's Stars and Historic Items
    • Chronological List of SF County Jails 1846-present
    • 1936 San Bruno Jail Compound Map
    • Executions in San Francisco 1851-1890
    • Chronological List of SF Sheriffs 1850-present
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Welcome to the
San Francisco Sheriff's Department
History Online
A research work in progress documenting the history of the
San Francisco Sheriff's Department from 1846 to date.
Chronological List of SF Sheriffs 1850-present
Executions in San Francisco 1851-1890
1936 San Bruno Jail Compound Map
Chronological List of SF County Jails 1846-present
SF Sheriff's Stars and Historic Items
SF County Jail San Bruno Escapes 1935-1962
Chronological List of SF Sheriff Elections and Candidates 1850-2020
First Person History
Catherine S. Caroll’s 1997 San Bruno Jail painting
Before Statehood & Vigilante Justice
  • Before California Statehood 1846-1850
  • John Coffee Hays: San Francisco's First Elected Sheriff
  • Sheriff Thomas P. Johnson: A Life on the Margins of History
  • Sheriff William Gorham: Gallows Birds and Early Militias
  • Sheriff David Scannell Versus the Vigilantes
  • Charles Doane, the Vigilante Sheriff
The Volatile 1870's
  • Sheriff Matthew Nunan and the Chinese Queues
  • The Ingleside Jail 1876-1934
  • The Ingleside Jail Photo Collection
  • Sheriff Tom Desmond, Irish Republican Hero
20th Century: Disaster & Growth
  • Sheriff Tom Finn: The City’s #1 Political Boss
  • 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and a Strange Journey
  • The Tragic and Tempestuous Wild Ride of Sheriff Fred Eggers
  • County Jail No. 1 – 1915 to 1961
  • San Bruno: “The Most Modern Jail in the World”  Part 1 of 3 - 1928-1932
  • San Bruno: “The Most Modern Jail in the World”  Part 2 of 3 - 1933-1968
New Waves of Reform
  • San Bruno: “The Most Modern Jail in the World” Part 3 of 3 - 1969-2012
  • Sheriff Richard Hongisto, the Notable Exception
San Francisco Sheriff's Department History
The independent research and specific text on this website may not be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the authors, or quoted in part without specific attribution. All sources and reproduced materials noted.
San Francisco Sheriff's Managers and Supervisors Association