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 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, serving one term. He had previously served several terms in Tennessee's State House, from 1825 to 1833.

Biography

Cheatham was born 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, ...

, on February 20, 1799. After completing preparatory studies, he went to work. He engaged in mercantile pursuits,

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

raising, and operating a

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

. He married Susan Saunders.

Career

Cheatham soon became politically active and was first elected to 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 1824, at the age of 25. He served several terms, from 1825 to 1833. He was a member of the State constitutional convention which met at

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 ...

from May 19 to August 30, 1834. He was Presidential Elector for Tennessee in 1836. He served in the State militia with the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

. Cheatham ran for Congress three successive times before being elected in 1836 as a Whig to the

Twenty-fifth Congress The 25th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 183 ...

, which lasted from March 4, 1837 to March 3, 1839. He failed to be re-elected to the Twenty-sixth or Twenty-seventh Congresses. He resumed his former business pursuits.

Death

While visiting at White's Creek Springs near Springfield, Tennessee, Cheatham died on September 9, 1845 (age 46 years, 201 days). He was

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Old City Cemetery. His widow and eldest son, Edward, continued his businesses. His remains were reinterred at Elmwood Cemetery in 1952. Cheatham County was named after his son,

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 ...

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheatham, Richard 1799 births 1845 deaths People from Springfield, Tennessee Businesspeople from Tennessee Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee 19th-century American politicians Cheatham family 19th-century American businesspeople