Aaron Hazel Hancock

Aaron Hazel Hancock was born on July 29, 1911, in Hancock, Dawson County, Texas. He was known by his middle name, Hazel.

He was the son of Cochran County Sheriff Mac Wesley Hancock.

Hazel Hancock, his wife Eunice, and their children moved from Dawson County to Cochran County in January 1946.

On May 3, 1948, Hancock's father, Sheriff Mac W. Hancock, was killed in an automobile accident while returning to Morton after transporting a prisoner to Huntsville, Texas.

Hazel Hancock was appointed sheriff and tax assessor-collector on May 7, 1948, to complete his father's unexpired term. He remained in office through December 31, 1948.

After completing his father's term, Hancock served as a constable and as a city police officer for Morton. He also served on the Morton City Council as mayor pro tempore and was a member of the Morton Volunteer Fire Department.

Hancock was elected Cochran County sheriff in 1952 and entered office on January 1, 1953.

His deputies included Chester Miller in Morton, Son McKay in Whiteface, and Slick Nichols in Bledsoe. After McKay retired, Joe Hodge was hired as the deputy in Whiteface.

Because county funds were limited, the Bledsoe deputy position was later eliminated. Hancock, Miller, and Hodge were then responsible for covering the entire county.

While the sheriff's office and tax assessor-collector's office were combined, tax office employees answered the telephones and operated the radio for both offices.

The sheriff's office and tax assessor-collector's office were separated in 1957. Because the county lacked funds to hire a dispatcher, Hancock's wife, Eunice, filled the position.

Eunice Hancock assisted as dispatcher for many years without pay because members of elected officials' families could not be paid for their services.

Sheriff Hancock retired from office on December 31, 1972, after completing 20 consecutive years as Cochran County sheriff.

He was named Morton Man of the Year in 1985.

Aaron Hazel Hancock died at his home in Morton on January 10, 1999. He was 87 years old.

He was buried at Morton Memorial Cemetery in Morton, Texas.

Biography source: Adapted from Texas Sesquicentennial: Texas' Last Frontier, Cochran County, 1836–1986, Volume 1 . Copyright Cochran County Historical Commission. Written by Eunice Hancock circa 1985 and adapted by Mary Helen McKnight in 2016.