William Allen Montgomery (November 16, 1829 – December 5, 1905) was an American lawyer, planter and Baptist minister. Trained as a lawyer in Tennessee, he was a cotton planter in Texas in the 1850s and served as a Confederate chaplain in the American Civil War. He served as the President of

Carson–Newman University Carson–Newman University is a private Baptist university in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Carson-Newman is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1851, the university enrolls about 2,500 studen ...

from 1888 to 1892.

Early life

William Allen Montgomery was born on November 16, 1829, in

Jefferson County, Tennessee Jefferson County is an exurban County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 54,683. Its county seat is Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge. Jefferson Coun ...

. His father was William H. Montgomery and his mother, Sarah Jarnagin. His paternal grandfather, William Montgomery, was of English descent while his paternal grandmother was of Irish descent. His maternal grandfather, Chesley Jarnagin, was of Welsh descent while his maternal grandmother, the daughter of Baptist minister Isaac Barton, was of Huguenot and Dutch descent. Montgomery was baptized in 1843. He went to the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

in 1845, graduating in 1850. After serving as a legal aide to E. Alexander, a judge on the Knoxville Circuit Court, Montgomery was admitted to the bar in 1851. Later, Montgomery received a Doctor in Divinity from Carson–Newman University in 1870, and a Legum Doctor from the University of Tennessee in 1876.

Career

Montgomery became a cotton planter in Texas in 1855. In 1861, at the outset 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 th ...

, Montgomery voted in favor of secession, representing

Washington County, Texas Washington County is a county in Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,805. Its county seat is Brenham, which is located along U.S. Highway 290, 72 miles northwest of Houston. The county was created in 1835 as a municipality of ...

. By 1962, he became a Baptist chaplain in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. At the end of the war, he had lost his wealth, but he was able to return to his life as a planter by working on his father-in-law's plantations in Tennessee. Montgomery was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1868. He was a Baptist minister in Leadvale and Dandridge from 1868 to 1872. He then served as minister in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...

, from 1872 to 1878. Subsequently, he was a minister 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 ...

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, ...

Greensboro, Georgia Greensboro is a town in and the county seat of Greene County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 3,648 as of the 2020 census. The city is located approximately halfway between Atlanta and Augusta on Interstate 20. History Greensboro was ...

Thomaston, Georgia Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,170 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is includ ...

Rogersville, Tennessee Rogersville is a town in, and the county seat of, Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers. Tennessee's second oldest courthouse, the Hawk ...

Hot Springs, North Carolina Hot Springs is a town in Madison County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 560 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is a resort town, reliant on the tourist economy of its namesake spri ...

, and

Jefferson City, Tennessee Jefferson City (originally named Mossy Creek) is a city in Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census the population was 8,419. History Heading southwest along ...

. At the same time, Montgomery was an evangelist in West Tennessee and Mississippi. Over the course of his service, at least 1,000 people were baptized in the Baptist Church. Montgomery served as corresponding secretary of the board of missions of the

Tennessee Baptist Convention The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (formerly Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention) is the Tennessee mission board that serves the statewide network of churches that comprise the Tennessee Baptist Convention. It maintains offices in ...

from 1877 to 1880. He subsequently served as the President of the Tennessee Baptist Convention in 1881. Montgomery served as the President of

from 1888 to 1892. During his tenure, he oversaw the unification of Carson College, an all-male college, with Newman College, a women's college, in 1889. Meanwhile, the Administration Building, where classes were taught, was completed in 1892. (The building burnt down in the 1910s.) At the same time, Montgomery was also Professor of Metaphysics and Theology. Montgomery served as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in

Decatur, Georgia Decatur is a city in, and the county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, which is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in ...

, from 1897 to 1903. At the same time, he served as the President of the Pastors' Conference in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, from 1897 to 1903. Montgomery was associate editor of the ''Tennessee Baptist'' with Dr. J. R. Graves. He was subsequently associate editor of the ''Religious Herald'' with Drs Jeter and Dickinson. He was also a correspondent for the ''Baptist and Reflector'', another Baptist publication.

Personal life

Montgomery married Catherine Smith Franklin, the daughter of

Lawson D. Franklin Lawson D. Franklin (January 19, 1804 – April 8, 1861) was an American planter, slave trader and businessman in the plantation era, antebellum Southern United States, South. He was the first millionaire in Tennessee. Early life Lawson D. Franklin ...

, a large planter who became Tennessee's first millionaire. The wedding took place on May 9, 1854. They had four sons and three daughters.

Death

Montgomery died on December 16, 1905.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, William Allen 1829 births 1905 deaths American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of Irish descent American people of Welsh descent People from Jefferson County, Tennessee People from Washington County, Texas People from Decatur, Georgia University of Tennessee alumni American lawyers 19th-century American planters Southern Baptist ministers Confederate States Army chaplains Carson–Newman University faculty American magazine editors Journalists from Texas Baptists from Tennessee 19th-century American clergy Military personnel from Texas American cotton plantation owners