John Overton (April 9, 1766 – April 12, 1833) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

planter, advisor of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, a judge at the

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civi ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, a banker and political leader.

Early life and education

Overton was born on April 9, 1766, in Louisa County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. His parents were James Overton and Mary Waller; his father was a great-grandson of

Robert Overton Major-General Robert Overton 1609 to 1678, was a member of the landed gentry from Yorkshire, who fought for Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and reached the rank of Major General in 1652. A committed republican and religious In ...

, the Parliamentarian military commander during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

(and friend of Marvell and Milton).

Career

In 1787, he began his law career and 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 ...

in 1789, to practice law at the Davidson County court. He was elected to succeed his friend Andrew Jackson as a member of the Superior Court of Tennessee in 1804, where he served as a judge until 1810. His elder brother

Thomas Overton Thomas Overton (1753–1824) was an American military and political leader best known for having been the second to Andrew Jackson in his duel with Charles Dickinson in 1806. Thomas Overton was born in Louisa County, Virginia in 1753. Hi ...

served as Jackson's second in his duel with Charles Dickinson. In 1819, he founded

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-mo ...

on land he owned with Andrew Jackson and James Winchester. He was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

in 1820. Overton engaged in the slave trade and became one of the wealthiest men in Tennessee. Emily Berry was sold by Overton in Memphis. Her children Mary, Martha, Billy and Minerva were looking for her years later.

Personal life

He was married to Mary McConnell White, the daughter of

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

founder, James White. He built

Greenlevel Greenlevel is a historic mansion in Collierville, Tennessee. It was built in 1833 for Judge John Overton, and it was home to a state senator and the mayor of Collierville. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. History The ho ...

Collierville, Tennessee Collierville is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb located in the Memphis metropolitan area. With a population of 51,324 in the 2020 census, Collierville is the third largest municipality in the county after Memphis ...

, although he continued to live at Travellers Rest in Nashville. With

Later life and death

He died April 12, 1833, at Travellers Rest, his Nashville home.

Legacy

The nearby John Overton Comprehensive High School, located just across the railroad tracks that abut the property, is named in his honor.

Overton Park :''Overton Park may also refer to the U.S. Supreme Court case, Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe'' Overton Park is a large, public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Z ...

in midtown of Memphis was named after John Overton. The Overton Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons on the historic courthouse square in

Rogersville, Tennessee Rogersville is a town in, and the county seat of, Hawkins County, Tennessee, Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers (pioneer), Joseph Roger ...

was named after John Overton and is the oldest continuously operating Masonic lodge in the state of Tennessee, and has been operating from the same building since circa 1840, and is a contributing property to the

Rogersville Historic District The Rogersville Historic District is a historic district in Rogersville, Tennessee, the county seat of Hawkins County. It is both a local historic district and a National Register of Historic Places historic district. The local historic distri ...

. Living direct descendants include the Overton family in

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 th ...

, who live very close to Travelers Rest. Perkins Baxter Overton grew up playing on the Travelers Rest grounds and is the great-great-great-grandson of Judge John. His son Thomas Perkins Overton also has a son named John Overton. Overton descendant as well, was American geologist

William R. Dickinson William Richard Dickinson (October 26, 1931July 21, 2015) was a professor emeritus of geoscience at the University of Arizona and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Prior joining the University of Arizona, Dickinson was a profes ...

References

External links

*
John Overton Papers, 1797-1833
Tennessee State Library and Archives.
Claybrooke and Overton Papers, 1747-1894
Tennessee State Library and Archives.
Murdock Collection of John Overton Papers, 1780-1908
Tennessee State Library and Archives. {{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, John 1766 births 1833 deaths People from Louisa County, Virginia American people of English descent Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee American planters American slave owners American slave traders Members of the American Antiquarian Society Virginia colonial people Superior court judges in the United States Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)