Retired Chambers County sheriff dies at age 88

Former Chambers County Sheriff James C. Morgan has died, the agency announced Thursday on its Facebook page.

Morgan died at age 88 after battling leukemia for less than a year, Chambers County Sheriff Sid Lockhart confirmed.

“The man would give you the shirt off his back just to help someone,” Lockart said. “He was just a genuine man.”

Morgan was elected sheriff in 1971 and continued to serve until 1995. He previously served as the chief of the LaFayette Police Department for seven years.

Enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he was honorably discharged in 1946. He was a past president of the Alabama Sheriff’s Association and the Alabama Peace Officers Association.

Known for his generosity, Morgan also served as a member of the National Sheriff’s Association, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 20, Rotary Club, Alabama Scottish Rite, the Alcazar Shriners in Montgomery and the Masonic Lodge 74 in Lafayette.

Morgan is survived by his wife, Louise Morgan, and five children.

Visitation is set for today from 5 to 7 p.m. CDT at the Lafayette First Baptist Church, 01 Lafayette St. South.

Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. CDT at the Valley Community Center, 130 Sportsplex Drive. Burial will take place at the Lafayette City Cemetery.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Retired Chambers County sheriff dies at age 88."