William Ballard Lenoir (1775–1852; also given as 1781-1855) was known as a businessman and politician in what is now known as

Lenoir City, Tennessee Lenoir City is a suburban city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,117 at the 2020 Census. It is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area in the state's eastern region, along the Tennessee River southwest of K ...

, where he moved in the early nineteenth century. He had served in the militia and reached the rank of major. Lenoir founded mills along the Tennessee River, including one to process and weave cotton produced in the region. He and his father General William Lenoir, who had originally been granted the land tract, were both namesakes of the town.

Biography

William Ballard Lenoir was the eldest son of General William Lenoir and his wife, Ann Ballard. Born and raised in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, the younger Lenoir married Elizabeth Avery (daughter of

Waightstill Avery Waightstill Avery (10 May 1741 – 15 March 1821) was an early American lawyer and officer in the North Carolina militia during the American Revolution. He is noted for fighting a duel with future U.S. president Andrew Jackson in 1788. Famil ...

and his wife.)) In 1810 they moved to a tract of land in Tennessee on the Tennessee River. Modern-day Lenoir City developed here, named both the father and son. His father, General Lenoir, had been granted the land by the state of North Carolina (which then claimed it under its colonial charter) for service in the Revolutionary War. William B. Lenoir became active in business and in Tennessee politics. He was elected and served one term in the state House of Representatives from 1815 to 1817. He established the Lenoir Manufacturing Company in 1817, and built several mills on the Tennessee River in what is now Lenoir City, including the Lenoir Cotton Mill. His son, Isaac, followed him into politics, and was elected to serve terms in each house of the Tennessee legislature.Political Graveyard
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenoir, William Ballard 1775 births 1852 deaths Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives People from Loudon County, Tennessee Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain