A few years back, Caswell County townships had constables. In 1962, the following ran for the position (unless otherwise indicated all were Democratic):
Anderson: W. B. Totten, L. S. Massey
Dan River: Maynard S. Collie, Teddy Willis
Hightowers: Ben H. Blaylock (unopposed)
Leasburg: James Webster (unopposed)
Locust Hill: Walker Hodges, Kenneth Hodges, Benny
E. McKinney
Milton: ?
Pelham: L. H. Hamlett, Jim Adams
Stoney Creek: Brodie James Terrell, John A. Strader (Democrats); John Howard Talley (Republican)
Yanceyville: Raymond Wilson, Leon Foster
__________
Constables were abolished in North Carolina in the mid-1960s. They were peace officers who served under the justice of the peace (JP) of each voting precinct. They were not salaried but received a fee of several dollars for each court order served from the presiding JP of their precinct. Constables were elected to four-year terms alongside that of the JP of their precinct and while they had full peace officer powers, their daily duties focused on serving orders of the JP and providing bailiff service to the JP court.
In this revamping of the NC legal system, district court judges were required to be licensed attorneys at the same time that the office of constable, along with JP, mayor's court and city jail systems were phased out with the new NC court system changes of the mid-1960s. JP's were replaced by magistrates and the duties of constable were absorbed by sheriffs. Some cities continue to maintain temporary lockups, but city jails were abolished as a rule. Also in this set of changes, coroners who were elected judicial death investigators were generally replaced by medical examiners who were required to be a medical doctor, osteopathic physician, dentist, lawyer or veterinarian in the new system, though coroner still exists on the books in many NC counties.
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