John Harward is the second longest-serving Durham County sheriff as of 2013. His 24 years in the office were marked by financial corruption. When he died in office in 1930, the county was $176,000 short of taxes that had been written off for political cronies, friends, and well-wishers. Harward’s penchant for cronyism was an impetus for the state to develop a new, more accountable system for tax collection.

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