Richard Boone Cheatham (December 8, 1824 – May 7, 1877) was an American politician based in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. He was serving as the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

during the opening years of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. After the war he served as alderman of the city, and later as a representative to the State House, 1869-1871.

Early life

Cheatham was born 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 ...

in 1824. He had two brothers,

Edward Saunders Cheatham 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 ...

and

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 ...

. Their father Richard Cheatham was a Whig politician and was elected in 1836 to the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

. Richard's two brothers,

(1818-1878) and

, both served in the Tennessee state legislature. Cheatham graduated from the

University of Nashville University of Nashville was a private university in Nashville, Tennessee. It was established in 1806 as Cumberland College. It existed as a distinct entity until 1909; operating at various times a medical school, a four-year military college, a ...

Politics

Cheatham entered politics after college, serving as the clerk 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 ...

. At the age of 34, he was elected as an alderman in 1858, and as the Mayor of Nashville in 1860. He was removed from power by military governor

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

when Union forces occupied the city beginning in 1862. After the American Civil War, Cheatham was elected as an alderman of Nashville in 1865, and as the president of the board of aldermen in 1866. Cheatham was elected during the Reconstruction era as a member of the

, serving from 1869 to 1871. His district included Davidson County as well as Robertson, Cheatham and Montgomery counties. He also served on the county court.

Personal life and death

Cheatham married Frances Ann Bugg. They lived at his family residence, the Mansfield Cheatham House in

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

. Cheatham died on May 7, 1877 in Nashville, Tennessee. His funeral was held at the First Presbyterian Church. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. One of his daughters, Katherine "Kitty" Cheatham (born in 1864), became a famous singer of children's songs and "plantation melodies" she remembered her African American "Mammy" singing during her childhood. His cousin was Major General

Benjamin Franklin Cheatham Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Cheatham (October 20, 1820 – September 4, 1886) was a Tennessee planter, California gold miner, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He served in the Army of Tennessee, inflicting ...

Early life

Politics

Personal life and death

References

Further reading