Andrew Henderson, sheriff of Washington county, Oklahoma, was born at Bates City, Missouri, May 2, 1878, a son of A. J. and Katherine (Ferguson) Henderson. The father, who was a native of Illinois and a highly educated man, was a farmer and stock raiser. He left his native state when eighteen years of age and on removing to Texas he located in Limestone county, where he engaged in the cattle business for many years, driving his cattle to the market at Kansas City, Missouri. He then obtained a lease on the entire site where the town of Dewey now stands, there following the occupation of farming and stock raising to the time of his death, which occurred in 1898. He was a good friend to the Indians and on many occasions acted as adviser to them, thereby gaining the reputation among the Delaware and Cherokee Indians of being a great and wise man.
In 1871 he wedded Katherine Ferguson, whom he met on the Maryzene river, Missouri, while on one of his drives to the market at Kansas City. They have both passed away and are buried in Stokes cemetery west of Dewey. They were the parents of seven children, three of whom are dead, while the four living are: Mrs. Mary Elam of Bartlesville; Mrs. Kate Mane of Missouri; Grace Taylor of Washington county, Oklahoma; and Andrew of this review.
Andrew Henderson attended the schools of Rich Hill, Missouri, to the age of twelve years when with his parents he removed to Indian Territory.
When reaching adult years he also followed the occupation of stock raising, knowledge of which he gained while on his father’s farm, but only until Oklahoma was admitted into the Union. He then entered the political field, his first office being that of assistant chief of police at Bartlesville, a position which he most acceptably filled for five years.
In 1912 he turned his attention to the oil business, becoming a driller and devoting seven years to that line of endeavor. In 1919, however, he was appointed deputy sheriff of Washington county and in the following year was elected sheriff. During his incumbency he has handled some very important cases, one of the most celebrated among these being the attempted murder of a sixteen-year-old girl, by her sweetheart. This boy is a member of a most influential family in Bartlesville. Everything in the case pointed to the young man’s innocence, even the young woman concerned exonerated him from the deed, but Mr. Henderson’s quick mind and keen perception caused him to stick stubbornly to his first impression and after gathering sufficient evidence against the boy, the girl made a clean breast of the deed and confessed. As a result the boy is now in custody awaiting trial.
Another important case was added to the credit of Sheriff Henderson’s service, when he returned from a trip to California, bringing with him an embezzler of four thousand dollars from the Smelters Union fund. He located his man at Long Beach, California, where the embezzler was engaged in business and as a result he is also awaiting trial. Of the many criminals Sheriff Henderson has caught since he assumed the duties of his office, nine have been sent to the penitentiary, the majority of these being burglars and car thieves. Thus he is doing all within his power to advance the safety and security of the citizens of Washington county.
On the 1st of July, 1900, Mr. Henderson was married to Gertrude Moon of Osage, Oklahoma, and they have become the parents of four children: Marie, twenty years of age; Jack, eighteen years of age; Belle, fifteen years of age; and L. D., who is four years old. Mr. Henderson has little interests outside of his official duties and is an influential factor for good among his fellow citizens.