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

, 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 civ ...

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 ...

, 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 East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

. His parents were James Overton and Mary Waller; his father was a great-grandson of Robert Overton, 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 Kingdom of England, England's governanc ...

(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 t ...

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 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 County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, 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 Uni ...

on land he owned with Andrew Jackson and

James Winchester James Winchester may refer to: * James Winchester (general) (1752–1826), an American Revolutionary War officer and brigadier general during the War of 1812 * James Winchester (Maryland judge) (1772–1806), Maryland politician and judge * James ...

. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society 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 hou ...

in Collierville, Tennessee, 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 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 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 distr ...

. 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 t ...

, 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.

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)