J. Washington Moore (March 16, 1866 – January 2, 1965) was an American fraternity president, lawyer and politician. He served as the Eminent Supreme Archon (President) of Sigma Alpha Epsilon from 1891 to 1894. He was a member of 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 ...

in 1903. He served as the City Attorney for Nashville, Tennessee in the 1930s. He served as United States Commissioner from 1942 to 1963.

Early life

Moore was born on March 16, 1866, in Collierville, Tennessee near Memphis. Moore graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in 1890 and a bachelor of laws degree 1891. At Vanderbilt, he joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity and the Dialectic Society. In an 1888 contest, he argument against the right to vote for women, suggesting they did not want to vote. He served as the Eminent Supreme Archon of SAE from 1891 to 1894.

Career

Moore started his career as an attorney in Nashville in the late 1890s. Moore joined the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He served as a member of the

in 1903. He nominated

Austin Peay Austin Peay (June 1, 1876 – October 2, 1927) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Tennessee from 1923 to 1927. He was the state's first governor since the Civil War to win three consecutive terms and the first to die ...

to become Speaker of the House. Moore was a proponent of labor unions, arguing, "What is called the labor movement is only a part of the larger movement toward human freedom." Moore was appointed as Assistant Attorney General of the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Tennessee in 1910. He served as the Nashville City Attorney in the 1930s. When a black physician was elected to the city council and a ballot box was stolen, Moore suggested he was "unfamiliar with the law and procedure regarding such a theft," even though this had happened before. Meanwhile, Moore was elected as a member of the Nashville Bar Association in 1942. He served as United States Commissioner from 1942 to 1963. In this capacity, he arrested William L. Brown, a

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

dealer with connections in

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and Chicago who sold the drug to black musicians; Moore called him "the king of Nashville reefer dealers." Moore was a member of the

Tribe of Ben-Hur The Tribe of Ben-Hur was a fraternal organization based on the novel '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'' by Lew Wallace. In 1930 it became the Ben-Hur Life Association. History The idea of starting a fraternal organization based on ''Ben-Hur'' ha ...

, the

Modern Woodmen of America Modern Woodmen of America (MWA) is one of the largest (based on assets) fraternal benefit societies in the United States, with more than 750,000 members. Total assets reached US$15.4 billion in 2016. Though it shares the same founder, it is not ...

, the Royal Arcanum and the

Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan The Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan or Dokeys are a side degree of the Knights of Pythias, somewhat analogous to the Shriners in Freemasonry. The Order was founded in 1894. Organization The Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khora ...

of the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

Personal life

Moore married Mary Robina Armistead in 1892. They resided on South Avenue in East Nashville. They had two sons (J. Washington Moore, Jr. and William Armistead Moore) and two daughters (Mary and Sarah). One of their daughters, Sarah Frances, who married

Edgar E. Rand Edgar E. Rand (c. 1905 – October 26, 1955) was an American heir, business executive and philanthropist. He served as the President of the International Shoe Company from 1950 to 1955. Early life Edgar E. Rand was born circa 1905 in St. Louis, Mi ...

, the President of the International Shoe Company; the couple divorced in 1951. Moore smoked a cigar a day. He attended the

West End United Methodist Church West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

in Nashville.

Death

Moore died on January 2, 1965, in Nashville, at the age of ninety-seven. By the time of his death, he was "the oldest member" of SAE.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, J. Washington 1866 births 1965 deaths People from Collierville, Tennessee Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University alumni Sigma Alpha Epsilon members American lawyers Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives