WEST UNION, Ohio — About 70 people gathered at the Adams County Courthouse in West Union to honor father and son lawmen who served as sheriffs.


What You Need To Know

  • Family and friends of the late Sheriff Louie Fulton and his father Gene dedicated a bench in Adams County's Courthouse Square in West Union

  • The Fultons served most years between 1953 and 1985

  • Gene Fulton died in 1985 and Louie in 2021

  • Family and friends raised $2,000 for the bench and installation

Family and friends of Louie Fulton and his father Gene unveiled a bench that sits outside the courthouse and jail where the Fultons served between 1953 and 1985. The elder Fulton died in 1985 and Louie Fulton passed away two years ago.

“It’s a humbling experience to see this many people come out to appreciate your father and grandfather both,” said Rick Fulton, Louie’s son, who helped to organize the tribute.

He and other family and friends spent about a year planning and raising about $2,000 to pay for the bench. It features Fulton’s end-of-watch call, “Thank you for your service, we will take it from here.”

Current Sheriff Kimmy Rogers and County Judge Roy Gabbert, along with Sue Fulton, Louie’s widow, spoke at the ceremony.

Commissioners Barbara Moore, Kelly Jones and Diane Ward declared June 16 “Louie Fulton Day” in Adams County.

Fulton’s great granddaughter, Lexi Mason, is directing a documentary about Louie. 

“I just knew him as ‘Papa Louie,’ and everybody always talks so highly about him, so I wanted to learn about him,” Mason said. She interviewed more than a dozen family, friends and coworkers. 

“He was an even better man than I knew growing up,” she said. Mason plans to share the documentary online.