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Baxter County Patrol Vehicle

Sheriff Pauline Edmonds

Sheriff Pauline Edmonds
Sheriff Pauline Edmonds
Term: 1968 - 1968

PAULINE POWELL EDMONDS
1924 - 2010

Pauline Edmonds was born in Gassville, Arkansas, on May 25, 1924, and raised in Monkey Run. She was the second of three children born to Howard Homer Powell and Thena Jane Reed Powell. She attended school at Pilgrim's Rest until 8th grade when all students transferred to Mountain Home High School. After graduating high school in 1942, she attended Hocott Business College in Mountain Home.

During World War II, Pauline moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to help with the war effort by working in an aircraft factory as a buffer. She later moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she was very proud of soloing after taking flying lessons.

She returned to Baxter County where she remained for the remainder of her life with the exception of a brief move to Missouri. She was married to the late Sheriff Emmett Olin Edmonds on January 1, 1947, and had three children: Jackie Lonell, Joe Howard, and Susan Jane Edmonds.

Her life in Mountain Home was spent in service. She first worked at Ken's Men's Store (later Hackler's Men's Store) until she worked as a clerk for her husband, the new Baxter County Sheriff, from 1962 until he was killed in office in May, 1968. After Emmett's death, she was appointed as Sheriff by Governor Winthrop Rockefeller to fill out the remainder of his term, thus making her the first and only female sheriff in Baxter County to date. She was also the only sheriff in Arkansas to have both a husband and a son who also served as sheriffs.

After her term was completed, she began her banking career of 20 years with First National Bank and Trust Company, where she worked her way up from teller at the main bank to Vice President and Manager of the Gassville branch.

After her retirement in 1989, she continued a very active life as a member and/or officer, or volunteer of Coterie; Mountain Home Business and Professional Women; Chamber of Commerce; First Baptist Christian Life Center; Arkansas Federation of Democratic Women's Club; Daughters of the Confederacy; Baxter County Historical & Genealogical Society; Baxter County Democratic Club; First Ladies of First National Bank; and Baxter Belles Red Hat Ladies. She was a very dedicated member of the First Baptist Church and Ruth Sunday School class.