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. His father, Richard Cheatham (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 built in

Springfield, Tennessee Springfield is a city in and the county seat of Robertson County, which is located in Middle Tennessee on the northern border of the state. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 18,782. Geography Springfield is located at (36.499508, ...

, 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 (1817–1887), who owned the Belmont Mansion in Nashville. His brother,

Richard Boone Cheatham Richard Boone Cheatham (December 8, 1824 – May 7, 1877) was an American politician based in Nashville, Tennessee. He was serving as the mayor of Nashville, Tennessee during the opening years of the Civil War. After the war he served as alderman ...

(1824–1877), served as alderman and as Mayor of Nashville from 1860 to 1862. His third brother,

Boyd M. Cheatham Boyd M. Cheatham (c. 1838–1876) was an American politician from Springfield, Tennessee. He came from a very political family, following his father and uncle into electoral office. He served in the Tennessee State House. Early life Boyd M. Chea ...

, also served in the Tennessee House of Representatives.The Political Graveyard: Cheatham-Foster family of Tennessee
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Career

Cheatham owned a grocery in Nashville and a sawmill in Greenbrier. He served as the president of the Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad as well as of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in the antebellum era. Cheatham joined the Whig Party. He served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1853 to 1855. He then served as a member of the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue rega ...

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 Ephraim Hubbard Foster (September 17, 1794September 6, 1854) was an American politician, who twice served as a United States Senator from Tennessee. During his political career, he was a member of the Whig Party. Biography Foster was born nea ...

. They had a son, Robert, and two daughters. After her death, he married Julia Cockrill, the daughter of Mark R. Cockrill, 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 Mansfield Cheatham House, which his father had built for his own family earlier in his life in

. Cheatham died on December 21, 1878 in

DeSoto County, Mississippi DeSoto County is a County (United States), county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 161,252, making it the third-most populous county in Miss ...

, near Horn Lake. He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.

Cheatham County, Tennessee Cheatham County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,072. Its county seat is Ashland City. Cheatham County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, ...

was named in his honor.

References

External links

Edward Saunders Cheatham
on

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{{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