Edward Saunders Cheatham (July 31, 1818 – December 21, 1878) was an American politician and businessman.

Early life

Edward Saunders Cheatham was born on July 31, 1818 in

Robertson County, Tennessee Robertson County is a County (United States), county located on the central northern border of Tennessee in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 72,803 people. Its county seat is Springfield, Tennessee, Spri ...

. His father,

Richard Cheatham Richard Cheatham (February 20, 1799 – September 9, 1845) was an American politician in Middle Tennessee. He was elected as a Whig in 1836 from Tennessee's 11th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives, serving one ...

(1799-1845), served as

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from Tennessee from 1837 to 1839, after eight years of previous service as a state legislator. His mother was Susan Saunders. They had the

Mansfield Cheatham House The Mansfield Cheatham House is a historic mansion in Springfield, Tennessee, U.S.. History The house was built for Richard Cheatham and his wife, Susan Sanders, circa 1833. It was inherited by their son, Edward Saunders Cheatham. After he died ...

built in Springfield, Tennessee, where they lived for many years with their family. Two of Edward's three brothers also went into politics. His brother, Dr. William Archer Cheatham (1820–1900), became the third husband of

Adelicia Acklen Adelicia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham (March 15, 1817 – May 4, 1887), best known as Adelicia Acklen, became the wealthiest woman in Tennessee and a plantation owner in her own right after the 1846 death of her first husband, Isaac Frankli ...

(1817–1887), who owned the Belmont Mansion in Nashville. His brother, Richard Boone Cheatham (1824–1877), served as alderman and as Mayor of Nashville from 1860 to 1862. His third brother, Boyd M. Cheatham, also served in the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

.The Political Graveyard: Cheatham-Foster family of Tennessee
/ref>

Career

Cheatham owned a grocery in Nashville and a sawmill in Greenbrier. He served as the president of the

Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad Edgefield may refer to: * Edgefield, Norfolk, United Kingdom In the United States: * Edgefield, Louisiana * Edgefield, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Multnomah County Poor Farm, Troutdale, Oregon, operated as a lodging and entertainment compl ...

as well as of the

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...

in the antebellum era. Cheatham joined the Whig Party. He served as a member of the

from 1853 to 1855. He then served as a member of the Tennessee Senate from 1855 to 1857, and again from 1861 to 1863. He also served as Speaker of the Tennessee Senate. Cheatham supported the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

Personal life, death and legacy

Cheatham was married three times. He first married Ellen Foster, the daughter of US Senator Ephraim H. Foster. They had a son, Robert, and two daughters. After her death, he married Julia Cockrill, the daughter of

Mark R. Cockrill Mark Robertson Cockrill (1788-1872) was an American cattleman, horse breeder and planter. He was the owner of a large farm in Davidson County, Tennessee and a cotton plantation with 300 slaves in Mississippi. He won many prizes for his sheep-rear ...

, a planter known as the "Wool King of the World". She also died young. Cheatham married Lottie Wall; they had a son and two daughters together. Cheatham resided at the family home, the

, which his father had built for his own family earlier in his life in Springfield, Tennessee. Cheatham died on December 21, 1878 in DeSoto County, Mississippi, near

Horn Lake Horn Lake is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is located south of Memphis, Tennessee. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Horn Lake was 26,066, up from 14,099 in 2000. Geography Horn Lake is bordered to the nort ...

. He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. Cheatham County, Tennessee was named in his honor.

References

External links

Edward Saunders Cheatham
on FindaGrave {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheatham, Edward Saunders 1818 births 1878 deaths People from Robertson County, Tennessee Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Tennessee state senators Businesspeople from Tennessee 19th-century American politicians Tennessee Whigs Louisville and Nashville Railroad people Cheatham family 19th-century American businesspeople