Herman Delbert Crockett

Herman Delbert Crockett was born on March 23, 1916, in Ballinger, Runnels County, Texas. His family moved to Morton while Crockett was still quite young.

In 1938, he married Lois Maurice King.

Crockett worked at Reynolds Service Station for $20 a month. He later worked for Phillips 66, driving a transport truck for $90 a month.

In 1941, Crockett and his family moved to Borger, Texas. The family moved to Stinnett, Texas, in 1942, where he became the jailer at the Stinnett courthouse.

When World War II began, the family returned to Morton. Crockett was drafted and joined the United States Navy.

After completing boot camp, he received a medical discharge because he was flat-footed. Crockett returned to Morton and began working as a deputy.

Crockett was elected Cochran County sheriff in 1948 and entered office on January 1, 1949. He served through December 31, 1950.

After completing his term as sheriff, Crockett managed a service station in Morton.

In 1954, Crockett and his family moved to Ellinwood, Kansas, where he went to work for the Morgenstern Oil Company.

Herman Delbert Crockett died of a heart attack in downtown Ellinwood on May 15, 1966. He had been returning home after pulling a well that was down. He was 50 years old.

He was buried at Lakin Comanche Cemetery in Ellinwood, Kansas.

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