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Davis, Clifford
Clifford Davis, U.S. representative from Memphis, was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, on November 18, 1897, to Odom A. and Jessie Davis. In 1911, the family moved to Memphis, where the elder Davis ... Continue Reading »
Dempster, George Roby
George R. Dempster, a leading twentieth-century Knoxville businessman and political figure, was born in Knoxville on September 12, 1887, to Scotland natives John D. and Ann Dempster. After his high sc... Continue Reading »
Development Districts
Development districts are regional planning and economic organizations owned and operated by the cities and counties of Tennessee. The nine development districts were established by the general assemb... Continue Reading »
Disfranchising Laws
In 1889 the Tennessee General Assembly passed four acts of self-described electoral reform that resulted in the disfranchisement of a significant portion of African American voters as well as many poo... Continue Reading »
Donelson, Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson Donelson, son of Samuel and Mary Donelson, was a soldier, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. After his father's death around 1804 and his mother's remarriage, Donelson was rear... Continue Reading »
Dragging Canoe
Dragging Canoe, Cherokee warrior and leader of the Chickamaugas, was born in one of the Overhill towns on the Tennessee River, the son of the Cherokee diplomat Attakullakulla. Historians have identifi... Continue Reading »
Dudley, Anne Dallas
Anne Dallas Dudley, a national and state leader in the woman suffrage movement, was the daughter of a prominent Nashville family. She received her education at Ward Seminary and attended Price's ... Continue Reading »
Duncan Sr., John J.
John J. Duncan Sr., congressman and mayor of Knoxville, was born on a farm in Scott County, the sixth of ten children of F. B. and Cassie Duncan. Duncan attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville... Continue Reading »
Dunn, Winfield C.
In November 1970 Winfield Dunn defeated Democratic Party nominee John J. Hooker and became the first Republican to be elected governor of Tennessee in a half-century. Before his election to the govern... Continue Reading »
Eaton Affair
When Andrew Jackson became president of the United States in 1829, he chose John Henry Eaton, his biographer, leading political adviser, and Tennessee friend, to be secretary of war. Just a few month... Continue Reading »
Eaton, John Henry
Born into a prominent family, John Henry Eaton was the son of John and Elizabeth Eaton. His father, a chaise maker, was county coroner, a member of the state assembly, and the owner of five thousand a... Continue Reading »
Eaton, Margaret
Born to William O'Neale, the owner of a Washington boarding house and his wife Rhoda, the young Margaret and her five brothers and sisters were well known in political Washington. Leading congres... Continue Reading »
Ellington, Buford
Buford Ellington, governor of Tennessee from 1959-63 and 1967-71, alternated power both times with uncertain ally Frank Clement. The differences between Ellington's first and second stints as chi... Continue Reading »
Elliott, Sarah Barnwell
Sarah Barnwell Elliott, novelist, short story writer, and advocate of women's rights, was born in Savannah, Georgia, the daughter of Stephen Elliott, a bishop of the Episcopal Church who was a le... Continue Reading »
Eskind, Jane Greenebaum
The first woman to win a statewide election in Tennessee, Jane G. Eskind was raised and educated in Louisville, Kentucky. She attended Brandeis University, married Richard Eskind, completed her underg... Continue Reading »
Etheridge, Henry Emerson
Henry Emerson Etheridge, important West Tennessee Whig politician and Union loyalist, was born in Currituck County, North Carolina, in 1819. In 1833 the family moved to Weakley County, Tennessee. Ethe... Continue Reading »
Evans, Henry Clay
Chattanooga businessman and politician Henry Clay Evans was born in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, to Jesse and Anna Single Evans. In 1844 his family moved to Wisconsin, where he attended public school... Continue Reading »
Evins, Joseph Landon
Joe L. Evins was the "Dean" of Tennessee's congressional delegation during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in 1910 in DeKalb County to James Edgar Evins and Myrtie Goodson Evins, Joe L. Evins attended ... Continue Reading »
Farmers' Alliance (Farmers' and Laborers' Union)
The Farmers' Alliance made its first appearance in Tennessee in the winter of 1887, when J. T. Alsup, a national lecturer, organized the first Alliance in Wilson County. Perhaps Alsup selected Mi... Continue Reading »
Fenians in Tennessee
In 1858 John O'Mahony established the Fenian Brotherhood of America to provide money, arms, and military leadership for an anticipated rising against England by the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhoo... Continue Reading »