ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The nation’s longest-serving sheriff, who served a middle Georgia county for more than 50 years, has died at 92.

The Houston County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday that Sheriff Cullen Talton died surrounded by his family.

The Georgia Sheriff’s Association said Thursday that Talton had entered hospice care. He was set to retire and had previously announced that he would not run for re-election in 2024.

Talton — a former dairy farmer who had served as county commissioner — was elected sheriff in 1972. At the time, the county’s population was about 63,000 people. It now has nearly 170,000, centered around the town of Warner Robins.

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