The Western Military Institute was a preparatory school and college located first in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, then in

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 ...

. It was founded in 1847 in

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the 6th-largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was original ...

, and it later moved to

Nashville, Tennessee 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 ...

, where it merged with

Montgomery Bell Academy Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) is a preparatory day school for boys in grades 7 through 12 in Nashville, Tennessee. History MBA was established in 1867 in the aftermath of the American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861&nb ...

in 1867. The former campus is now

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

's Peabody College. Alumni include prominent Confederate veterans and Southern politicians.

History

The Western Military Institute was founded by Thornton Fitzhugh Johnson in 1847, and initially located in

. Future Republican politician, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and Presidential Candidate

James Blaine James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative ...

was an instructor there in 1850 and 1851. In 1851, future Confederate General

Bushrod Johnson Bushrod Rust Johnson (October 7, 1817 – September 12, 1880) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War and an officer in the United States Army. As a university professor he had been active in the state militias of Kentucky and Tennes ...

became a professor, and later served as headmaster until the beginning of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. In 1855, the Western Military Institute merged with the University of Nashville, and the campus was moved to that city. The combined school offered university and high school instruction to young men, the latter continuing to operate under the name Western Military Institute, though the controlling organization in the merger was the University of Nashville.

Sam Davis Sam Davis (October 6, 1842 – November 27, 1863) was a Confederate soldier executed by Union forces in Pulaski, Tennessee, during the American Civil War. He is popularly known as the ''Boy Hero of the Confederacy'', although he was 21 when he ...

, "Boy Hero of the Confederacy", attended the Western Military Institute from 1860 to 1861. The campus was located from 1855 to 1861 at 724 Second Avenue South, which serves today as Metropolitan Nashville City Government's Planning Building, home to the Nashville Planning Commission. It closed in 1862, during the

. In 1867 the high school instruction of the University of Nashville, previously offered through the Western Military Institute was offered in the newly constituted

, which was housed in new facilities that are now the campus of the George Peabody College of Teachers at

Notable alumni

* William Behan, Confederate veteran and Mayor of New Orleans. * Hampton J. Cheney, Confederate veteran and Tennessee State Senator. *

, "Boy Hero of the Confederacy". * Charles Erasmus Fenner, Confederate veteran and Louisiana Supreme Court Justice * Thomas J. Latham, bankruptcy judge and businessman in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. * John W. Morton, Tennessee Secretary of State from 1901 to 1909. * Robert C. Newton, Confederate veteran, Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and

Treasurer of Arkansas The Treasurer of Arkansas acts as the head banker for the State of Arkansas, handling deposits, withdrawals, redemptions of state warrants, and investments of state funds. The position was created in 1819 when Arkansas became a territory. When Ar ...

Joseph Toole Joseph Kemp Toole (May 12, 1851 – March 11, 1929) was a Democratic politician from Montana. He served as the first and fourth Governor of Montana. Biography Toole was born in Savannah, Missouri and attended public school in St. Joseph, Mis ...

– first and fourth

Governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of MontanaMontana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or veto ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Western Military Institute Educational institutions established in 1847 Defunct private universities and colleges in Kentucky Defunct private universities and colleges in Tennessee Georgetown, Kentucky 1847 establishments in Kentucky Vanderbilt University