Sheriff George H. Erwin, Jr. was born in Asheville, NC . He graduated from Clyde A. Erwin High School in 1970. Upon his graduation he received a Congressional appointment to the United States Naval Academy. He chose to pursue a career in law enforcement instead of attending the Naval Academy. Soon after graduation, he enlisted in the United States Air Force where his last assignment was as an investigator with the Security Police.
Sheriff Erwin has been employed with the sheriff's department since 1978 and was elected Sheriff of Henderson County in 1994. He is active in many civic, church, and professional organizations. In 1995 he was selected by the U.S. Department of Justice to represent North Carolina on a National study commission for Rural Law Enforcement. The University of Arkansas selected Sheriff Erwin to make a presentation on Domestic Violence to professionals around the country.
Sheriff Erwin is a North Carolina State Certified Law Enforcement Instructor and has trained officers for 23 years. He has lectured on Drugs, Domestic Violence, Motivation, Leadership, and various other topics throughout the southeast.
Sheriff Erwin is Co-Chairman of the NC Sheriff's Association Legislative Committee and a past member of the NC Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards Commission. In 1996 Sheriff Erwin was nominated for "National Sheriff of the Year" and in 2002 he was named "Citizens of the Year" by the Hendersonville Elks Club. He received the NC Victims Assistance Network "Law Enforcement Award" in 2004.
