St. Mary's Co. Sheriff's Office Remembers Sheriff Somerville's Life and Legacy One Year Later

newsBot · Apr 1, 2022

Sheriff Joseph Lee Somerville Sr.

Today, on April 1, 2022, Sheriff Tim Cameron and the St. Mary's County Office of the Sheriff solemnly mark the one-year anniversary of Sheriff Joseph Lee Somerville Sr.'s passing.

Sheriff Somerville’s terms in office from 1977 to 1982 were historic in St. Mary's County and in Maryland. A native of Loveville, Somerville was St. Mary’s County’s first black sheriff’s deputy when he joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1966.

In 1977, Somerville became both the first black sheriff in St. Mary’s County and in the state of Maryland when he was appointed by the governor to complete the previous sheriff’s term. Sheriff Somerville went on to win the 1978 election for St. Mary’s County Sheriff, which then made him the first elected black sheriff in St. Mary’s County and in Maryland as well.

At the time of the 1978 election, Sheriff Somerville was only the sixth black sheriff in the entire United States, according to “America’s First, A History of America’s Oldest Continuously Operating Sheriff’s Office.”

Two of his sons -- Kevin Somerville and Joseph Lee Somerville Jr. -- both went on to serve long and proud careers as deputies with the St. Mary's Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Somerville died on April 1, 2021 at the age of 81.

Capt. Steven Hall and Sheriff Tim Cameron at Sheriff Somerville's funeral

Sheriff Cameron presents the American flag to Sheriff Somerville's family

thanks from the community

funeral procession entering Charles Memorial Gardens

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.