Edward D. Hager
Elected 1898

E.D. Hager was born in 1866 in Siskiyou County. He was involved in the cattle industry all of his adult life. He owned the largest Bowles Meadows ranch, and his residence was Steele Swamp.

Hager was elected sheriff in 1898, and he gained the recognition of being the only sheriff killed while performing his duties. The accident that caused his death occurred in March of 1901. On a Thursday afternoon, he had been subpoenaing grand jurors near Likely, and he was going back to Alturas in his buggy with two horses. He had reached a large gate on the north side of the Thad Jones ranch. He was suspected of opening the gate, leading the horses through. The horses might have spooked and bolted right over top of Sheriff Hager. He was discovered a little later by Sam Steele, who brought him to Alturas. He was taken to his room at his Street residence where he survived for a few days with brain bruising. Sheriff Hager was 35 years old when he died. He left siblings and parents, who lived in Washington. No photograph has been found of him.