James C. Byers was born March 14, 1883, in Erling, Iowa.  His family moved to Harlan in 1889, where he grew up.  He graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1904 in the law department.

In 1907, he was elected Mayor of the city of Harlan.  In 1909 he became the city attorney for Harlan and continued to practice law there until 1912, when he sold his practice and moved to San Diego.  He was admitted to the California Bar in 1914 and practiced law for three years before becoming legal adviser for Sheriff Conklin, later becoming a Deputy and taking charge of the civil department of the Sheriff’s Office.

Byers was Undersheriff to Sheriff Ralph L. Conklin and assumed the duties of Sheriff when Conklin died in office in 1918.  He was subsequently elected Sheriff in 1918 and re-elected in 1922 and 1926.

In 1928, he argued publicly in an interview with the Evening Tribune that “The trouble with prohibition … is that the right kind of people and interests do not seem to be backing it.”  He further complained that the relatively small minority violating the law “… is aided and abetted by the newspapers, bootleggers and special liquor interests.”

His “dry squad” recorded many arrests for bootlegging and other illegal liquor activities.  His “dry squad” officers told the newspaper that they were part of Sheriff Byers’ program to “dry San Diego County”.

On April 29, 1929, Sheriff Byers died by jumping or falling from his hospital window following apparently successful surgery for appendicitis.  The coroner declared it a suicide, but Byers’ friends noted that it could have been an accidental death due to delirium caused by the sickness from which he was recovering.

He was reportedly at the height of his political career in San Diego at the time of his death and lived in a “a palatial home ‘in the English style’ at 4230 Arguello Street”.

When Byers died, the commissions of “several hundred honorary deputies” expired, along with the commissions of the regular staff of salaried Deputies.

When he died on April 29, 1929, his Undersheriff, Edgar Cooper was appointed Sheriff by the Supervisors.  Cooper had previously filed papers to resign, effective April 30^th, but with the death of Byers, Cooper’s resignation was cancelled, and he went on to run the Sheriff’s Office for the next six year.

Sheriff Byers was survived by his widow, Mrs. Lillie Byers, and a daughter, Edith Beatrice Byers.