Samuel Gordon Heiskell (August 7, 1858September 17, 1923) was an American lawyer, politician, and writer. He is best known for having been the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee several times, and for having written about Andrew Jackson and the history of Tennessee.

Biography

Heiskell was born on an East Tennessee farm and educated at the Universities of Tennessee and Virginia, working first as a lawyer In Alabama. He was elected mayor of

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, United States for five terms, in office during the years 1896–98, 1900–02, 1906–08, 1910–15. & He ran twice in

Tennessee's 2nd congressional district The 2nd congressional district of Tennessee is a congressional district in East Tennessee. It has been represented by Republican Tim Burchett since January 2019. Although the district has taken many forms over the years, it has been centered on ...

as a Democrat but lost both elections. Heiskell was perceived as a progressive of the

New South New South, New South Democracy or New South Creed is a slogan in the history of the American South first used after the American Civil War. Reformers used it to call for a modernization of society and attitudes, to integrate more fully with th ...

, who established "a public library, fought to keep liquor legal, banned spanking in city schools and used fines and nuisance laws to corral the city's prostitutes into the red-light district along Central Avenue and keep them out of 'respectable' neighborhoods. The mayor endorsed racial segregation but championed educational improvements for black and white students alike." Heiskell supported the establishment of several segregated social service programs for African-Americans in Knox County including a mental hospital, library, elementary schools, and a YMCA. In later life S. G. Heiskell wrote a biography of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

, his uncle Frederick S. Heiskellhaving been founding editor of the ''Knoxville Register'' in 1816was a longtime correspondent of Jackson.

References

Mayors of Knoxville, Tennessee 1858 births 1923 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers {{Tennessee-mayor-stub