Uriah T. Downs, Rapides Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller

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Uriah T. Downs, sheriff of Rapides Parish, is an official resident 
of Alexandria, though the place that has known him best as a business 
man for a number of years has been Pineville.

Sheriff Downs was born in LaSalle Parish, Louisiana. October 12, 1881, 
son of Thomas and Margaret (Whatley) Downs.  His grandfather, Crawford 
Downs. was a native of Mississippi, and his maternal grandfather, Uriah 
Whatley, came to Louisiana about 1812 as a Methodist circuit rider.  
Thomas Downs was born in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, and his wife in 
Catahoula Parish, and they reside on their farm.  They are Methodists 
and democrats in politics.  Of their seven children, five are living, 
Uriah T. being the second in age.

Uriah T. Downs was educated in the high school at Jena, in his native 
parish, and several years of his youth were spent as clerk in a general 
store.  When locating at Pineville, he engaged in the mercantile business 
on his own account, and gave close attention to his affairs there until 
he became sheriff of the parish.  While in Pineville he served as mayor 
two full terms and part of another term.

Mr. Downs married, in 1900, Cally McCann, a native of Avoyelles Parish, 
where she was reared and educated. They have a family of seven children:  
Carey, employed by his father, and the younger children, all in school, 
are  Carl,  Earl,  Ruby,  Zola,  Clifton and  Crawford.

Mr. Downs is a prominent member of the Baptist Church at Pineville, 
being deacon of the church and superintendent of the Sunday school, 
which has an enrollment of 630 members.  He is a democrat, He was 
elected sheriff of the parish January 13, 1924.  He is a member of 
Solomon Lodge No. 22l, Free and Accepted Masons, of Pineville; Knights 
of Pythias Lodge No. 33 of Alexandria, the Woodmen of the World, and 
was exalted cyclops of Klan No. 12 for two years and took an important 
part in the affairs of the Klan in Rapides Parish.  When the Klan was 
disbanded he transferred his membership to Atlanta, Georgia, and is 
now a member in good standing there.

NOTE:  The referenced source contains a black and white photograph of 
the subject with his/her autograph.

A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), pp. 245-246, by Henry E. Chambers.  
Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and 
New York, 1925.