Mesquite reader Ed Waynick wanted to know more about the first police chief in the city, so he asked Curious Texas, a project from The Dallas Morning News that allows you to join in on the reporting process.
Chief H.L. Gaddis was chief of the Mesquite Police Department from November 1952 until January 1958, according to historical records kept by the city.
Before serving in Mesquite, Gaddis spearheaded a one-man police force in Wills Point, about 40 miles east of Mesquite in Van Zandt County.
Under Gaddis’ leadership, the number of officers in Mesquite’s police department more than tripled — from two officers to seven. The department of seven served a much smaller Mesquite, which was labeled as a town in the 1950 U.S. Census and reportedly had a population of 1,684.
Gaddis and his wife owned a 20-acre farm in Wills Point, where they had a house with about a dozen cows and enjoyed hosting fish-frying and barbecue festivities, according to the city.
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