Athens native Joseph William (J.W.) Brownlow (1924-2001), born to Ed and Annie Lou Brownlow and raised in the Walnut Creek and Oakland communities, devoted 31 years to law enforcement, including 26 years as Henderson County Sheriff. He married Laura Jo Ramsey in 1943, and they had three children; that same year he served in the U.S. Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Brownlow began his public service career in 1949 as Constable of Henderson County's Precinct 1, then joined the sheriff's department as County Jailer at Sheriff Jess Sweeten's request before being promoted to Deputy Sheriff and, after four years, succeeding Sweeten as sheriff. When he took office, he had two deputies and one jailer, and one of his first actions was to return the sheriff's office from the county jail to the courthouse for the public's convenience. During his tenure, as Henderson County's population increased, the sheriff's office expanded in personnel and adopted new technology. With county funds lacking, he acquired, trained, and housed bloodhounds to assist investigations. Brownlow and Athens Police Chief Dave Harris were instrumental in establishing the Henderson County Peace Officers Association for professional networking and social fellowship. Upon retiring, Brownlow advised his replacement to listen carefully to what people were saying because small bits of information could become important, and he said that all cases were big for the people involved. He is buried at Oaklawn Cemetery in Athens.