Sketches of prominent Tennesseans. Containing biographies and records of many of the families who have attained prominence in Tennessee, Part 116

Author: Speer, William S
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Nashville, A. B. Tavel
Number of Pages: 1278

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chose the law for his profession because he loved it, has mastered it and devoted himself to it without going into polities, seeking office or any other business, except farming, and this not to an extent to distract his atten- tion from professional requirements. His success has come from closely observing an old saying which he casually heard when a boy: " Play upon one string." Always a close student, he thoroughly investigates his cases. Making a great deal of money, he has lived upon it freely, and has been a very moral man, possessed of the cardinal virtues and free from besetting vices all his life. In his practice he has been bold, but has ever had an unutterable contempt for cunning and petifog- ging tricks and methods. As a speaker, he is earnest and effective, but his strength and tastes lie chiefly in chancery practice. His speeches, however, are strong and convincing, at times ornate. His main effort in

life has been professional success for the benefit of his family. Having inherited a good name from his ances- tors, his ambition has been to preserve it untarnished and to perpetuate it. Physically, he looks the lawyer ; is six feet high, weighs one hundred and sixty pounds, and has a high forchead. His countenance is open, de: noting a kindly nature. His expression is that of a man at home enjoying his ofium cum dignitate, in a way most satisfactory to himself. He has always been a nervous man and something of a dyspeptic, which has been somewhat against him, and has caused him to de- eline many offers of preferment in the line of his pro- fession and politically. But his chief characteristic is his devoted attachment to his ancestral home and his family. When offered a Supreme judgeship, he de- clined, saying, " I cannot give up this home for official honors.'

HON. JOHN V. WRIGHT.

NASHVILLE.

T" "THIS big-hearted, big-brained, silver-tongued ora- tor, one of the most distinguished Democratie politicians in the State; one of the most eminent mem- bers of the Tennessee bar; renowned likewise as a genial, whole-souled, impulsive and gallant gentleman ; who has served three terms in the Federal and two in the Confederate congress; has occupied the bench as judge and as chancellor, and who became still more widely known as a Democratic gubernatorial nomince for Tennessee in 1880, was born in MeNairy county, Tennessee, June 28, 1828. Of the older historie states- men of Tennessee, he most resembles, in personal ap- pearance, Felix Grundy. Of medium height, full build, heavy weight, and symmetrical proportions, his presence in any crowd would attract and please attention. His laughing gray eyes, easy and courteous manners, spirited air, and versatility of talent, mark him as "a man of the world," and especially of the political arena. He is quick spoken, quick -motioned, alert, agile, and, in busi- ness hours, pushing, full of vim and energy. As a con- versationalist, he is one of the most genial, charming and companionable of men ; quick with repartee, rich in illustration, possessed of a seemingly inexhaustible fund of ancedote and reminiscence, a happy word- chooser, and a most excellent raconteur. As a public speaker, his reputation gives him a rank in the galaxy of Tennessee orators whose brightest stars were Jones, Polk, Johnson, Haskell, Gentry, Bell, and Brown, His speeches are less sparkling, perhaps, with wit, humor, and anecdote, but more weighted with faet and "inex- orable logie " than were those of the orators in the latter days of the ante bellum period. In their day Tennessee

eloquence reached its climateric. Its object was amuse- ment and entertainment rather than instruction. Times since the war are more serious, at any rate more prac- tical and matter-of-fact. Men are of praver tempera- ment, and the concerns of business demand of a public speaker facts, figures, and estimated results. In these days, when' everybody reads everything in the morning papers, and the reporter forestalls the orator, it requires genius of a high order to make a name as an eloquent speaker, either on the stump or at the bar. But in every age and under all conditions of society, the great orator is " king of men," whether his discourse consists of the logic of business or kaleidoscopie declamation. At the bar of Columbia. where Judge Wright practiced from 1870 to 1853, he made a name for forensic eloquence that is not dimmed by being found on the roll with the names of A. O. P. Nicholson; L. D. Myers, James HI. Thomas, I. N. Barnett and W. P. Martin, His speeches in his canvass of the entire State in 1882. in behalf of State credit, and in favor of the payment of the public debt, were pronounced, even by political opponents, as able as were ever delivered by any man in the State on any subject ; and it is certain his laborious efforts in that campaign had the final effect of bringing the people to a settlement of the State debt. Even so early as 1855 to 1861, when in the United States congress, in which he took his seat when ouly twenty-seven years old, and later on, when the Kansas questions were the subject of debate, he made a national reputation as a fluent, forei- ble, and eloquent speaker.

Judge Wright was raised in a pioneer family, and in boyhood had only the advantages of a common-school

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education. Later he studied the higher branches - Latin, Greek, mathematics, and law-under David A. Street, a graduate of the University of Virginia, and a fine scholar. His first aspirations were for the law, and this seemed to be the ambition of his parents. He was a wild, frolicsome boy, a leader in most of the boyish sports in his neighborhood, but withal a good student bright minded, quick to learn, and apt to retain. In 1851, he was admitted to the bar at Purdy, after satis- factory examination, by Judges Elijah Walker and A. O. W. Totten, and at once entered upon practice at that place.

It was not long, however, before his brilliant talents were recognized and he was called into public life. His first venture was a failure, but by what manner of means will soon be seen. In 1853 he was called upon by the Democratic party to become its candidate to rep- resent MeNairy county in the Legislature. The young barrister consented to make the race, although the Whig majority in the county was nearly four hundred. This majority he cut down, but was defeated by one vote, his opponent voting for himself. The brilliancy of this race, and the fiery eloquence of the youthful politician, stimulated his party, in 1855, to run him for congress, in a district previously represented by a Whig, and he was elected by three thousand majority over his com- petitor, William P. Kendrick, and had the additional distinction of being the youngest member of that con- gress. In 1857 he was re-elected to congress, without opposition, and again in 1859, by an overwhelming ma- jority, over T. HI. Gibbs.

Then came the war, and in 1861 he raised a company in his native county for the Confederate service, and was elected its captain .. This company was merged into the Thirteenth Tennessee infantry regiment at Jackson, and John V. Wright was unanimously elected its colonel, and continued in command of it till after the battle of Belmont, when, on being notified of his election to the Confederate congress, he resigned his military position and took his seat in the congress at Richmond, in which he served till the close of the war. Under Col. Wright, the Thirteenth Tennessee regiment assisted in fortify- ing Fort Wright, on the Mississippi river, and after ward took part in the operations at New Madrid. Cape Girardeau, Hickman, and Columbus, and was engaged in the hotly contested battle of Belmont, in which he was wounded and had his horse shot under him. Gen. Pillow and Gen. Polk both complimented him highly for gallant conduct in that engagement, and recom- mended him for promotion. Maj .- Gen, Leonidas Polk, commanding the army, in his report of the battle of Belmont, thus spoke of Col. Wright and his regiment : " The firmness with which Col. John V. Wright and his gallant regiment sustained themselves on the left flank of the first line of battle, as elsewhere, merits strong commendation." Gen. Gideon J. Pillow, in his letter of November 12, 1861, approving the recommenda-

tion of Surgeon John A. Forbes, for leave of absence of Col. Wright, said: "I take great pleasure in testifying to the distinguished gallantry of Col. John V. Wright on the battle-field of Belmont, and though I regret the necessity of temporarily parting with him, yet I am sat- isfied it is necessary, and therefore I approve of the leave, hoping that in a short time he will join his brave and gallant regiment to lead it to new fields of glory." In his letter transmitting to the authorities at Rich- mond the resignation of Col. Wright, Gen. Pillow said : " Under the circumstances of the case, I accept the res- ignation of Col. Wright, deeming his services of higher importance in congress than commanding his regiment in the field. In the battle of Belmont, Col. Wright and his regiment acted with distinguished gallantry. In parting with him. I earnestly ask the president to send Col. Wright back to the field with a brigadier-general's commission."

After the close of the war, Judge Wright, having spent one year in the Confederate army and three years in the Confederate congress, went to Alabama, where he had large property interests before the war, but which were swept away by the tide of conflict. He remained there two years, trying to rebuild the shattered wreck: In 1868, he moved to Winchester, Tennessee, practiced law there two years, and then decided that Columbia, Tennessee, would furnish a better field for his eminent talents, and so took up his residence in that delightful little city, in 1870. In 1876, he was appointed by Gov. James D. Porter judge of the circuit courts of Maury, Williamson, Giles, Marshall, aud Lawrence-one of the most important judicial circuits in the State. He filled this position niost acceptably to the bar and litigants, for two years. He also served at various times on the bench as special chancellor in the same circuit, and for a short time sat as special judge on the Supreme bench of the State.

In 1880, he was nominated by the State convention of the Democratic party for governor on the State credit ticket, but was defeated by reason of disaffection and division of the party growing out of the State debt ques- tion. The canvass he made, however; as has been stated before, was a masterly effort in every particular, and from one end of the State to the other his clarion voice rang out in matchless eloquence, imploring the Democ- racy to rally around the Jacksonian standard and up- hold the honor of the commonwealth.

About the beginning of 1883, Judge Wright removed to Nashville, and began practice of the law in partner- ship with Hon. Lee Bullock, under the firm name of Wright & Bullock. At present he is the senior mem- ber of the firm of Wright & Williams, his partner, Col. Frank E. Williams, being the former law partner of Gov. William B. Bate. The firm enjoys a large and lu- crative practice.

Judge Wright belongs to no church, but attends the Protestant Episcopal. of which denomination all his

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family are members. In 1849, he was made a Master Mason in Purdy Lodge, No. 134. He was very success- ful, financially, up to the war, and had, by his profession and by marriage, accumulated a large property, consist- ing of one hundred negroes and several plantations, but by the war he lost the greater part of his fortune. As a business man, his methods are straightforward and prompt. As a lawyer, he is attentive to the interests of his clients. But he is too indulgent a creditor, and withal, his habits and disposition, without being extrav- agant, are those of the ambitious politician and lawyer, rather than of a man whose object is the accumulation of a fortune. As an illustration, it may be mentioned that he made his first canvass of fifty-five speeches for congress on fifty dollars and a borrowed horse. But men of his caliber do not fail in the long run. Reverses of fortune only develop their manhood, and bring them out stronger and triumphant at last.

Judge Wright comes of military stock. His father, Maj. Benjamin Wright, of Georgia, was an officer in the war of 1812-15, under Gen. Jackson. He was orig- inally commissioned a lieutenant in the regular army, but rose to be captain and major in the Thirty-ninth United States infantry. At the battle of the Horseshoe he was promoted to the rank of major, succeeding Lem- uel P. Montgomery, who was killed in that engagement. Late in life he served as a private in the Mexican war, refusing rank offered him, and was said to have been the oldest private in the army. He died at his home in Me Nairy county, in 1859, at the age of seventy-five, dis- tinguished through all his life for truth, courage, and humanity. Judge Wright's grandfather, John Wright, was a captain in the Revolutionary war. The Wrights are of Scotch-Irish descent. From this ancestry Judge Wright has inherited a courageous, hardy nature, as from his French mother he has derived the grace of manners that distinguish him. His mother, nee Miss Martha Ann Hicks, daughter of Vines Hicks, of Din- widdie county, Virginia, was of Huguenot extraction. Her mother, Elizabeth Hardaway, of Virginia, was of English parentage. Judge Wright's mother was a very handsome lady, celebrated for her broad good sense, womanly and family pride. She was a devoted member of the Methodist church. She died in 1858, at the age of sixty-five years. Her children by Maj. Benjamin Wright were Judge John V. Wright, subject of this sketch, and Gen. Marcus J. Wright, of Washington City. The latter gentleman was a distinguished briga- dier-general in the Confederate army, and now has charge of the collection of Confederate war history and Confederate archives under the United States govern- ment. Ile is a man of broad culture and splendid legal and literary attainments. The only sister of Judge

Wright, nee Miss Elizabeth Wright, died the wife of Dr. Charles Crump, of Maury county, Tennessee, leav- ing three children, to-wit: Marcus V. Crump, now a merchant at Brownsville, Tennessee; Richard (),' Crump, and Martha D. Crump, now wife of Joseph Alexander, a merchant of Spring Hill, Tennessee.

Judge Wright's mother, by a former marriage with Herbert Harwell, left several children, among them, Dr. Rufus S. Harwell, of Camden, Arkansas; Richard S. Harwell, a merchant at Purdy, McNairy county, Ten- nessee ; and Amanda F. Harwell, now widow of Bur-' nell B. Adams, of Corinth, Mississippi.

Judge Wright's father, by his former marriage with Miss Mary Lewis, of Gallatin, Tennessee, had two chil- dren : Charles L. Wright, deceased ; and Fannie Wright, who died at Holly Springs, Mississippi, wife of E. J. Bracken, by whom she had four children : Charles, Ella (now wife of Fielding Lucas, Holly Springs), Fannie, and Ida. John H. Dew, a prominent lawyer at Columbia, Tennessee, was a half-brother of Judge Wright's father.

Judge Wright married in Entaw, Green county, Ala- bama, November 23, 1858, Miss Georgia Hays, a native- of that county, daughter of George Hays, esq., a large planter, formerly of South Carolina, and of Trish de- scent-a plain, unostentatious, elegant gentleman. Mrs. Wright's mother was originally Miss And M. Beville, of a Virginia family. Mrs. Wright's brother, Ilon. Charles Hays was a member of congress from Alabama, six years following the war. Her half-sister, nee Miss Pauline Womack; married Gen. Marcus J. Wright, brother of the subject of this sketch, now living in Washington City. They have three children: John, Casey Young, and Paul Howard.

Gen. Wright, by a former marriage, has two surviv- ing children, Marens J. Wright, jr., in the signal ser- vice of the United States, on duty in the chief office in Washington City, and Benjamin Wright, a cadet in the United States navy, at this writing on the flag-ship Pensacola, in the Mediterranean.

Mrs. Wright was educated at Eutaw, Alabama, and at Charleston, South Carolina. She is a lady of bright, intellectual qualities, and remarkable for good sense, discriminating judgment and taste. In her girlhood she was noted for the beauty of her person, as she re- mains distinguished for the grace of her manner. By his marriage with Miss Hays, Judge Wright has had eight children, of whom six are living: Annie Wright, born at Eutaw, Alabama, educated at Columbia Fe- emale Institute and Ward's Seminary Nashville; Eu- genie Wright, died two years old; Pauline Wright ; Georgie Wright ; John V. Wright ; Lily Wright; George Hays Wright, died four years old; and Mary ("Blos- som"), Wright.

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GEN. CHARLES THURMAN.

NASHVILLE.

O NE of the most prominent and at the same time most favorably known young business men in Ten- nessee is the subject of this sketch, Gen. Charles Thur- man, of Nashville. He was appointed, March 3d, 1883, by Gov. William B. Bate, inspector general of the State of Tennessee, with the rank and title of brigadier-gen- eral, an appointment creditable alike to the judgment of the governor and to the young gentleman upon whom the honor was conferred, in proof of which it was most favorably commented upon by the press throughout Tennessee. An estimate of the mental make- up, the worth and popularity of Gen. Thurman, may therefore be gathered from the comments of the press at the time the appointment was made.

The Nashville American of March 4, 1883, said : "His Excellencey, Gov. William B. Bate, on Saturday, appointed Capt. Charles Thurman, of this city, inspec- tor-general of the State of Tennessee. Gen. Thurman is the son of a prominent citizen of Lynchburg, Vir- ginia, Samuel B. Thurman, esq., and is a kinsman of Ilon. Allen G. Thurman, of Ohio. He is one of the live and enterprising merchants of the city, and has a legion of friends who rejoice in his promotion to a post he will fill gracefully and worthily. Of fine pres- ence and courtly address, affable manners and a sunny temper, his popularity is a matter of course. He is all enterprise and energy, free handed as a prince, and a hearty supporter of any local movement to promote the commercial advancement of the city of his adoption. The governor could not have made an appointment that will meet with a more general approval."

The Nashville World, of the same date, said : "Among the many .citizens of the State upon whom the toga of office has fallen, none more worthily deserves the honor nor will wear it more gracefully than Gen. Charles Thurnian, who was yesterday appointed inspector- general of the State of Tennessee. Capt. Thurman, as he is familiarly known, has been a citizen of Nashville for comparatively a short time, but in that time no man has won more friends by his princely bearing and strict integrity. He is the son of Mr. Samuel B. Thurman, one of the prominent men of Lynchburg, Virginia, and can proudly boast that the same blue blood which flows in the veins of the illustrious Allen G. Thurman, is part of his inheritance from a common ancestor. Gen. Thur- man is well known for his public spirit and knightly bearing, and in all competitive military drills has taken a prominent part. In the summer of 1881, he was chosen captain of the honorary membership of the Porter Rifles. Of well proportioned physique, handsome face, genial manners, and in every respect a gentleman to the manner born, he will perform the duties of the office with credit to the State and to the perfect satisfaction of his many friends."

The Banner said: "Capt. Charles Thurman has been appointed inspector-general of the State of Ten- nessee, by Gov. Bate. Capt. Thurman is one of the livest, and most enterprising men of the city. He is a Virginian by birth, and comes of a good family. Ile has been engaged in the clothing business here for a number of years. His appointment will give general satisfaction."

The Evening Journal: "No act of Gov. Bate, dur- ing his official career, has been wiser or more worthily bestowed than the appointment of Capt. Charles Thur- man as inspector-general of the State of Tennessee. Capt. Thurman is a courageous, accomplished gentle- man, and springs from the best blood of Virginia. He is a near relative of the great and illustrious statesman, Allen G. Thurman, and is recognized by all who know him as one of the most progressive and enterprising citizens of the city. In 1881 he was chosen captain of the honorary membership of the Porter Rifles, and with his splendidly proportioned physique, handsome face and dignified and courtly bearing, has won the admira - tion and good will of all the military with which he has come in contact. The Captain's promotion is not only warmly endorsed by the general public, but is, indeed, truly gratifying to his best friends."

The Bristol News: . "The many Bristol and Virginia friends of this gentleman will hail with pleasure the action of Gov. Bate in selecting him for one of the most honorable and conspicuous positions on his staff, having commissioned him as inspector-general of the State of Tennessee. Coming from one of the most dis- tinguished of the soldier governors of the Volunteer State, this is an honor which might swell the pride of men less retiring and modest than Charles Thurman. He is one of the coming men of Nashville, and we confidently predict for him at an early date the mayoralty of that city. He is a man of great liberality, large publie spirit and free generosity. He is unquestionably the most popular clothier in Tennessee, and his large house is one of the successes of Nashville, On our fourth page will be found under one heading the comments of the Nashville press on his appointment. His selection by such a soldier and civilian as Gov. Bate, is even more complimentary than a popular election could have been. It speaks more than popu- larity. It means deliberate appreciation."

Numerous other journals were hearty in their com- mendation of his appointment, and their spontaneous and unsought compliments, coming from all quarters with one accord, were well merited tributes to Gen. Thurman's sterling business qualifications, his executive ability, and his genial and magnetic personality.

Gen. Thurman was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, April 17, 1854, and grew up in that good old town, attending

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school until sixteen years old, when he went into the clothing business as a clerk at Lynchburg two years, and at Bristol, Tennessee, three years. At the end of this time he bought the interest of the resident partner and assumed the entire control of the house. He began life on nothing but the capital that strict integrity and industry and an honored ancestral name can give, but during his five years' clerkship so won the confidence of his employers, that he bought his first stock of goods on their endorsement, without a note or security.

In 1875, he became a Mason at Bristol, Tennessee, and is now a Knight Templar, and has held the offices of Senior Warden and Junior Warden, and has been a member of the Grand Lodge:' He is also a Knight of Honor. In 1879 he was sent by King Lodge at Bristol, as a representative to the Masonic Grand Lodge of Ten- nessee, which assembled at Nashville, and while there became so much impressed with Nashville as a great commercial center, that he at once rented a house, one of the largest and best located stores in the city, returned to Bristol and immediately disposed of his stock, and in sixty days was located in Nashville with his family.

It is an interesting and instructive study to trace and observe carefully the lives of such men, and see how true it is that industry and independence are factors of their success. Take, for instance, his appointment as inspector-general by Gov. Bate, which was not of his own seeking, but through the solicitations of his many friends throughout the State, thus showing that people are always ready and anxious to honor and assist those who help themselves.

Gen. Thurman is a man of untiring perseverance, and has ever been sober, industrious and attentive to business, and few men can boast of having lived so temperate a life. He has displayed no ordinary ability as a business man. and has at all times promptly met and fulfilled all business engagements, and this, coupled with his inexhaustible energies and genial temperament, has enabled him to establish one of the largest houses of the kind in the State. His was the first house in the South after the war to uniform and equip a military company out and out, and ever since his first order he has been invariably successful in all competition for the furnishing of uniforms for miliary organizations, as well as for railroad companies and other bodies and corporations having a regulation uniform, and such has been the magnitude and extent of his business in this line that he is to-day one of the most widely known business men in the entire South, and ranks as one of the "solid men" of his adopted city.

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Sketches of prominent Tennesseans. Containing biographies and records of many of the families who have attained prominence in Tennessee, Part 116

Author: Speer, William S Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Nashville, A. B. Tavel Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Speer, William S
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Nashville, A. B. Tavel
Number of Pages: 1278