undersheriff

An officer on the staff of a sheriff; a deputy sheriff. 47 Am J1st Sher § 154. A general deputy sheriff, --a deputy sheriff who, by virtue of his appointment, has authority to execute all the ordinary duties of the office of sheriff. Allen v Smith, 12 NJL 159, 162. In old England, air officer immediately subordinate to the sheriff, or high- sheriff, as he was often called. The undersheriff usually performed all the duties of the office of sheriff; the personal presence of the sheriff himself was seldom necessary. Statute limited the term of the office of the undersheriff to one year. See 1 Bl Comm 345. In some jurisdictions, a distinction is made between a deputy sheriff and an undersheriff, although both are subordinate to the sheriff.