Eli Mellen Wight (May 4, 1841 – January 6, 1881) was an American politician who served as mayor of

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

.Zella Armstrong,
History of Hamilton County and Chattanooga, Tennessee
' (Overmountain Press, 1993; originally published 1931), p. 203.

Biography

Wight was born in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

on May 4, 1841. He was educated as a physician. In 1861, he joined the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. In 1864, he was stationed at

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

where he also treated civilians. In 1866, he left the military and remained in Chattanooga where he started his own medical practice. In 1873, he was elected mayor where he focused on reducing the government deficit by shrinking the police department, laying off the city engineer in the winter, closing the Public Works department for several months, and asking the citizens more quickly pay their taxes. In 1876, he was elected to a second term again focusing on fiscal responsibility. In 1878, he ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for

Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The governor is the only official in Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state. The current governor is Bill Lee, a ...

receiving 42,284 votes compared to 89,958 votes for the winner

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Albert S. Marks Albert Smith Marks (October 16, 1836November 4, 1891) was an American attorney, soldier and politician. He was the 21st governor of Tennessee from 1879 to 1881. Prior to that, he had served as a state chancery court judge. Marks fought for the ...

, and 14,155 votes for the Greenback candidate,

Richard M. Edwards Richard Mitchell Edwards (December 31, 1822 – January 19, 1907) was an American attorney, politician and soldier who served one term in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1861–1862). A Southern Unionist, he represented Bradley ...

.Phillip Langsdon, ''Tennessee: A Political History'' (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 203-204. After his defeat, he returned to the practice of medicine. He died on January 6, 1881.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wight, Eli M. Mayors of Chattanooga, Tennessee 1841 births 1881 deaths 19th-century American politicians