| Mayor | Party | Notes |
Joseph Coleman
Elected 1806, 1807 and 1808 | Jeffersonian Republican | Joseph Coleman was elected the first mayor of Nashville in 1806 and served until 1809. Mayor Coleman died at Huntsville AL on Feb. 8, 1819. His widow was Mrs. Ann Coleman. |
Benjamin J. Bradford
Elected 1809 and 1810 | Jeffersonian Republican | Benjamin Bradford was born in Ky about 1772, son of John and Polly Bradford. He served as Mayor, 1809-1811. |
William Tait
1811-1813 | Jeffersonian Republican | According to his will William Tait was a native of North Britain. His wife was named Margaret. He served as Mayor, 1811-1814. William Tait died on February 3, 1816 of the “cold plague”, probably a form of influenza. His obit appeared in The Nashville Whig Feb. 7, 1816. |
Joseph Thorpe Elliston
Elected 1814, 1815 and 1816
| Jeffersonian Republican | Joseph Thorpe Elliston was born Dec. 15, 1779, in Culpeper Co., VA, son of Robert and Elizabeth Thorpe Elliston. In August of 1800 he was married to Louisa Mullen who died in 1815. In 1817 he married Mrs. Elizabeth Odom Blackman of Sumner Co., TN. He and his first wife Louisa were the parents of six children. the youngest being William Robert Elliston born in 1815. He served as Mayor, 1814-1817. Mayor Elliston died Nov. 10, 1856. He was originally buried in Nashville City Cemetery next to his first wife Louisa. They were both later re-interred at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
Stephen Cantrell, Jr.
Elected 1817 | Jeffersonian Republican | Stephen Cantrell, Jr. was born in Sumner Co., TN, on March 10, 1783, son of Stephen Cantrell, Sr. and his wife, Mary Blakemore. He was married to Juliet Ann Deadrick Wendel in Nashville on Jan. 15, 1807. He served as Mayor, 1817-1818. Mayor Cantrell died at his plantation on the Arkansas River on Sept. 5, 1854. |
Felix Robertson
Elected 1818 | Jeffersonian Republican | Felix Robertson was born January 11, 1781, the first white male child to be born in what is now the city of Nashville. He was the sixth child of James and Charlotte (Reeves) Robertson. He was married to Lydia Waters on October 9, 1808. They were parents of James Waters, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Elnora Reeves, John E. Beck, Felix (died as infant), and Felix Randolph. He served as Mayor, 1818-1819. In the fall of 1825, as president of the Texas Association, a colonization project, Felix Robertson led a party of thirty men to Texas to explore Robert Leftwich’sqv grant. The party established a permanent camp at the mouth of Little River, and on February 1, 1826, began surveying along Cow Bayou and the Brazos River. They returned to Tennessee in April of that year. Although surveys made by this group were never recognized officially, the detailed knowledge of the country that theyacquired led eventually to the founding of Robertson’s colony. Mayor Robertson died on July 10, 1865. He is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
Thomas Crutcher
Elected 1819 | Jeffersonian Republican | Thomas Crutcher was born in Va. February 18, 1760. He served as Mayor, 1819-1820. He died March 8, 1844. His obituary did not mention any survivors. Mayor Crutcher is buried in Nashville City Cemetery |
James Condon
Elected 1820 | Jeffersonian Republican | James Condon was born about 1767. He was married Nov. 8, 1811 to Barbara Rains, daughter of Capt. John and Christiana Rains. Children Elizabeth Adams Condon, James Jr., Francis, Mary, and Christine. He served as Mayor, 1820-1821. James Condon died August 30, 1837 in his 70th year. His place of burial is unknown. |
John Patton Erwin
Elected 1821 | Whig | John Patton Erwin was born Jan. 8, 1795 in Wilkes Co., NC, a son of Col. Andrew and Jane Patton Erwin. He was married to Fanny L. Williams. He served as Mayor, 1821-1822. Mayor Erwin died Aug. 27, 1857 and is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
Robert Brownlee Currey
Elected 1822 and 1823 | Jeffersonian Republican | Robert Brownlee Currey was born about 1774. He was married Feb. 4, 1792 to Jane Gray Owen. Children: Richard O., Algernon B. (d. 1815, 7 months old), Robert B. (b. 1817, d. 1860), William Hume (b. 1818, d. 1831), Algernon S., Washington J., John, and Elizabeth Jane. He served as Mayor, 1822-1824. Mayor Currey died on December 8, 1848 at his residence near Nashville. |
Randal McGavock
Elected 1824 | Jeffersonian Republican | Randal McGavock was born June 20, 1766 in Rockbridge Co., Va., a son of James McGavock, Sr. and Mary (Cloyd) McGavock. He was married to Sarah Dougherty Rodgers, in Nashvile in February of 1811. A daughter, Elizabeth was married in 1840 to Gen. William G. Harding. Other children were James R., William, John, unnamed infant son, Mary Cloyd and an unnamed infant daughter.He served as Mayor, 1824-1825. Mayor McGavock died in Sept. of 1843. |
Wilkins F. Tannehill
Elected 1825 and 1826 | Whig | Wilkins Tannehill was born on March 2, 1787 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, son of Josiah and Margaret (Wilkins) Tannehill. He was married in Lexington, Ky. to Eliza Dewees in 1810. He served as Mayor, 1825-1827. He died June 2, 1858 and is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
Felix Robertson
Elected 1827 and 1828 | not given | Felix Robertson was born January 11, 1781, the first white male child to be born in what is now the city of Nashville. He was the sixth child of James and Charlotte (Reeves) Robertson. He was married to Lydia Waters on October 9, 1808. They were parents of James Waters, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Elnora Reeves, John E. Beck, Felix (died as infant), and Felix Randolph. He served as Mayor, 1818-1819 and 1826-1828. In the fall of 1825, as president of the Texas Association, a colonization project, Felix Robertson led a party of thirty men to Texas to explore Robert Leftwich’s grant. The party established a permanent camp at the mouth of Little River, and on February 1, 1826, began surveying along Cow Bayou and the Brazos River. They returned to Tennessee in April of that year. Although surveys made by this group were never recognized officially, the detailed knowledge of the country that they acquired led eventually to the founding of Robertson’s colony. Mayor Robertson died on July 10, 1865. He is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
William Armstrong
Elected 1829, 1830, 1831 and 1832 | Jeffersonian Republican | William Armstrong was born about 1795, son of Col. James Armstrong and Susan (Wells) Armstrong. He was married in Davidson Co. on July 1, 1823 to Nancy Irwin. Children were Mary Elizabeth, James Trooper, David Irwin, Margaret, Susan Wells, Nancy Irwin, and Francis Armstrong. Mayor Armstrong was in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. He served as Mayor, 1829-1833. He died June 12, 1847 at his plantation in the Choctaw Nation and was buried at Fort Coffee. |
John Meredith Bass
Elected 1833 | Whig-Unionist | John Meredith Bass was born January 19, 1804, son of Peter Bass. He was married in Davidson Co. on January 7, 1829 to Malvinia C. Grundy, daughter of the the Honorable Felix Grundy. They were parents of Dr. M. J. Bass, Margaret, Sallie, Malvina Grundy, Mary, Felicia, John. He served as Mayor, 1833-1834. John M. Bass died in 1878. He and his wife are buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
John Patton Erwin
Elected 1834 | Whig | John Patton Erwin was born Jan. 8, 1795 in Wilkes Co., NC, a son of Col. Andrew and Jane Patton Erwin. He was married to Fanny L. Williams. They were parents of Ellen, Mary Caroline, Rebecca and Amelia. He served as Mayor, 1834-1835. Mayor Erwin died Aug. 27, 1857 and is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
William Nichol
Elected 1835 and 1836 | Whig Democrat | William Nichol was born Feb. 12, 1800 in Abingdon, Va., son of Josiah and Eleanor (Ryburn) Nichol. He came with his parents, to live in Nashville when he was a small boy. Mr. Nichol was a respected business man and was president of the Bank of Tennessee. He was married on Sept. 17, 1809 to Julia Margaret Lytle of Rutherford Co., Tn. They were parents of Josiah II, William Lytle, Eleanor Ryburn, Margaret, Ann Lytle, Charles Alexander, Julia, James Edgar, Jane F., Harry D. and Lizzie B. Nichol. He lived with his family at Belair on Lebanon Rd. from 1835 until his death. He served as Mayor, 1835-1837. Mayor Nichol died November 23, 1878 and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
Henry Hollingsworth
Elected 1837 and 1838 | Democrat | Henry Hollingsworth was born in Nelson County, VA on August 18, 1808, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Hollingsworth. He moved to Nashville as young boy with his parents. He served on year in the Seminole campaigns in Florida after enlisting in the Army. In 1837 he was married to Eliza O’Brien. She died in 1839. He was married a second time to a widow, Mrs. Anna Bell Dozier Stump. He served as Mayor, 1837-1839. Mayor Hollingsworth died January 24, 1855. |
Charles Clay Trabue
Elected 1839 and 1840 | Whig | Charles Clay Trabue was born in Woodford Ky., August 27, 1798, son of Edward and Jane Clay Trabue. He came to Nashville in 1818. He was married to Agnes Green Woods on July 5, 1820. They were parents of 9 children, the first being James Walker Woods who died as a child. He served as Mayor, 1839-1841. Mayor Trabue died on November 24, 1851. |
Samuel Van Dyke Stout
Elected 1841 | Whig-Democrat | Samuel Van Dyke Stout was born on April 18, 1786, at Red Stone Fort, Pennsylvania, son of Abraham Stout and Jane (Pettit) Stout. He lived throughout his childhood in Ky. and came to Nashville in 1811. He was married to Catherine Tannehill on October 12, 1813 in Nashville. They were parents of Margaret Jane, Ira Abraham, Josiah W., Charles C., Samuel H., and Catherine. He served as Mayor, 1841-1842. Mayor Stout died in 1850 and is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
Thomas B. Coleman
Elected 1842 | – | Thomas B. Coleman was born about 1795, son of Joseph and Ann M. Coleman. He was married to Margaret Stewart. They were parents of Thomas, Leroy, James and Mary J. Coleman. He served as Mayor, 1842-1843. Mayor Coleman died in December of 1848 and is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
Powhaten Woolridge Maxey
Elected 1843 and 1844 | Whig-Unionist | Powhaten Woolridge Maxey was born May 7, 1810. He was married on October 18, 1832 to Julia Hobbs. They were parents of six children. He served as Mayor, 1843-1845. Mayor Maxey died on August 8, 1876 and is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
John Hugh Smith
Elected 1845 | Whig-Unionist | John Hugh Smith was born in 1819, in Nashville. He was a son of John H. and Maria (Combs) Smith. There has been no evidence found that Mayor Smith ever married. He served as Mayor, 1844-1846. Mayor Smith died on July 7, 1870 in Nashville, TN. He is buried at Mt. Olivet. |
John A. Goodlett
Elected 1846 | – | John A. Goodlett was a son of Dr. Adam G. Goodlett and his wife Charlotte. His siblings were Michael C. Goodlett, George W. Goodlett, James Goodlett and William Goodlett. No record has been found of Mayor Goodlett having been married.
He served as Mayor, 1846-1847. |
Alexander Allison
Elected 1847 and 1848 | – | Alexander Allison was born about 1799. He was married in Wilson Co., to Madeline T. Alcorn. He served as Mayor, 1847-1849. He died on November 3, 1862 and is buried in the Nashville City Cemetery. |
John McCormick Lea
Elected 1849 | Whig-Unionist | John McCormack Lea was born in Knoxville, TN, December 25, 1818, son of Luke and Susan Wells (McCormack)Lea. He was a graduate of the University of Nashville. Lea was lawyer, a circuit judge and a served as vice-president of American National Bank. He served as president of the Board of Trustees of the University of Nashville and he also served as President of the Tennessee Historical Society. He was married in Memphis, Tn, in 1843 to Elizabeth Overton. They were parents of Overton, Robert B. and Luke Lea. Mayor Lea was a member of First Presbyterian Church. He served as Mayor, 1849-1850. He died in Monteagle, Grundy Co., Tn., on September 21, 1903 and is buried at Mt. Olivet |
John Hugh Smith
Elected 1850, 1851 and 1852 | Whig-Unionist | John Hugh Smith was born in 1819, in Nashville. He was a son of John H. and Maria (Combs) Smith. There has been no evidence found that Mayor Smith was married. He served as Mayor, 1850-1853. Mayor Smith died on July 7, 1870 in Nashville, TN. He is buried at Mt. Olivet. |
Williamson Hartley Horn
Elected 1853 | Whig | Williamson Hartley Horn was born in Lynchburg, VA on July 15, 1799, son of Frederick Horn and Clarisa (Hartley) Horn. He was married on February 2, 1817 to Nancy Carpenter in Davidson Co., TN. Children were Caroline (Dascum), Ed. H., Richard H., Fletcher. W., Charles. F. and Nancy C. Horn (Price). He served as Mayor, 1853-1854. Mayor Horn died March 8, 1870 and is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
William B. Shapard
Elected 1854 | – | William Booker Shapard was born on November 5, 1797 in Caswell Co., Va. He was married in Nashville to Margery Childress on December 8, 1825. They were parents of Maggie, Ellen, Mary Eliza, Henry C., and W. B. Jr. He was elected as Mayor in 1854 Shapard served only 3 days. He was declared ineligible because he was not a qualified voter. Robert Bell Castleman was appointed to serve the remainder of his term. Mayor Shapard died on January 19, 1870 and is buried in Nashville City Cemtery. |
Robert Bell Castleman
Elected 1855 | Whig | Robert Bell Castleman was born in Davidson Co., December 9, 1808. He was a son of Andrew and Margaret (Ewing) Castleman. He was married Dec. 18, 1845 to Annie Elizabeth Wood. Children: Betty Kay, Sue and James W. Castleman. He served as Mayor, 1854-1856. Mayor Castleman died July 29, 1886 and was buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
Andrew Anderson
Elected 1856 | – | Andrew Anderson was born about 1796 in New Jersey. He was married first to Eliza Woodruff, August 30, 1828 in Lexington KY. Three children, Frances E. Rachel A. and Andrew O. He married second in Nashville to Mrs. Mary Ann (Todd) Morgan, widow of John N. Morgan, January 24, 1855. He served as Mayor, 1856-1857. Mayor Anderson died April 15, 1867 and was buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
John Alexander McEwen
Elected 1857 | – | John Alexander McEwen was born in 1822, probably in Fayetteville, Lincoln Co., TN, son of Robert Houston McEwen and Hetty Montgomery (Kennedy) McEwen. He was married on October 19, 1848 to Elina J. Frierson, in Maury Co., TN. He served as Mayor, 1857-1858. Mayor McEwen died in 1859. |
Randal William McGavock
Elected 1858 | Democrat | Randal William Mc Gavock was born August 10, 1826, son of Jacob and Louisa Caroline (Grundy) McGavock. He was married on August 23, 1855 to Seraphina Deery. He served as Mayor, 1858-1859. Mayor McGavock was killed in battle near Raymond, Mississippi, on May 12, 1863 while serving as Lt. Colonel of the 10th Tennessee C.S.A. He is buried in the family vault at Mt Olivet. |
Samuel Newton Hollingsworth
Elected 1859 | Opposition | Samuel Newton Hollingsworth was born February 9, 1825, in KY. He was married to Martha Gray in Montgomery County, TN on October 3, 1849. He served as Mayor, 1859-1860. Mayor Hollingsworth died in 1861 a few weeks after his oldest child, son Gray Hollingsworth was accidentally killed. |
Richard Boone Cheatham
Served 1860, to April 1862 | Democrat | Richard Boone Cheatham was born December 8, 1824 in Robertson Co., TN, son of Richard and Susan (Saunders) Cheatham. He was married to Frances Ann Bugg and they were parents of Lizzie, Mary Ready, Foster Lee, Katherine, Anna Lou, Hillman and Frances Bugg Cheatham. He served as Mayor, 1860-1862. Mayor Cheatham died in Nashville, May 7, 1877 and is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
John Hugh Smith
Served April 1862, to October 1, 1865 | Whig-Unionist | John Hugh Smith was born in 1819, in Nashville. He was a son of John H. and Maria (Combs) Smith. There has been no evidence found that Mayor Smith ever married. He served as Mayor, 1862-1865. Mayor Smith died on July 7, 1870 in Nashville, TN. He is buried at Mt. Olivet. |
William Matt Brown
Elected 1865-1867 | Whig-Democrat | -William Matt Brown was born September 15, 1815 in Franklin Co., Ky. In 1844, he married Miss Mary Jane Morton. They were parents of 8 children, 4 of whom died infancy. The surviving 4 were: William Matt, Jr., Mrs. Carrie Rather, Mary Ellis Brown and Jeannie Brown. He served as Mayor, 1865-1867. He died September 12, 1885 at his residence on South Summer Street in Nashville. Believing that the election in 1867 was fraudulent, Mayor Brown left office under protest, being literally forced from the courthouse by armed federal soldiers, declaring “I want it understood, gentlemen, that I yield to the bayonet and that alone.” |
Augustus E. Alden
1867-1869 | Radical – Republican | Augustus E. Alden was born in Augustus, Maine, in 1837, son of Col. Darius Alden and his first wife, Caroline Nickerson. He was married to Amanda Sparling of Washington, D. C. on October 19, 1871. They had no children. He served as Mayor, 1867-1869. Augustus Alden died april 23, 1886 in Seattle, Washington. |
John Meredith Bass
1869 | Whig-Unionist | John Meredith Bass was born January 19, 1804, son of Peter Bass. He was married in Davidson Co. on January 7, 1829 to Malvinia C. Grundy, daughter of the the Honorable Felix Grundy. John M. Bass died in 1878. children were Dr. M. J. Bass, Margaret, Sallie, M. L.(female), Mary, Felicia, John. Bass, who was elected mayor of Nashville in 1833 and served until 1834, was appointed Receiver of Nashville on June 26 1869, with full power over financial interests of the city by Chancellor Charles Smith of Gallatin. He served until the regular municipal election on Sept. 25, 1869. |
Kindred Jenkins Morris
1869-1871 | Democrat | Kindred Jenkins Morris was born in December 1819 in Davidson Co. He served for thirty-three years as a senior member of the firm of Morris and Stratton. He was married to Jane. They were parents of Walter M. Morris. He served as Mayor, 1869-1871. Mayor Morris died in 1884. |
Thomas A. Kercheval
1871-1874 | Republican | Thomas A. Kercheval was born in Maury Co., TN, on January 16, 1837, son of Thomas and Mary M. (Kennedy) Kercheval. He was married to Alice Gardner Bryan on October 11, 1874 in Davidson Co., TN. They were parent of three sons, two of whom died in infancy. The surviving son was Thomas A. Kercheval, Jr. Mayor Kercheval was a member of the Episcopal Church. He served as Mayor, 1871-1874. Mayor Kercheval died March 22, 1915, and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
Morton Boyte Howell
1874-1875 | Democrat | Morton Boyte Howell was born in 1834, son of Robert Crawford and Mary Ann Morton (Toy) Howell. He was married in Virginia to Isabelle Elliott. They were parents of four children, Sue, Alfred, Morton and a boy who died young. He married second on June 10, 1869, Pattie A. Curd who died soon after. He married third, on November 3, 1870 to Betty C. Curd, sister to Pattie. He had ten children from his third marriage, eight of whom lived to adulthood: Pattie Curd, Mary Toy, Elizabeth, Robert Boyte, Annie Haiden, Margaret, Joseph Toy and Rachel Howell. He served as Mayor, 1874-1875. |
Thomas A. Kercheval
1875-1883 | Republican | Thomas A. Kercheval was born in Maury Co., TN, on January 16, 1837, son of Thomas and Mary M. (Kennedy) Kercheval. He was married to Alice Gardner Bryan on October 11, 1874 in Davidson Co., TN. They were parent of three sons, two of whom died in infancy. The surviving son was Thomas A. Kercheval, Jr. Mayor Kercheval was a member of the Episcopal Church. He served as Mayor, first from 1872-1873 and later 1875-1883. Mayor Kercheval died March 22, 1915, and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
Claiborne Hooper Phillips
1883-1886 | Democrat | Claiborne Hooper Phillips was born in 1847, son of William and Sarah (Hooper) Phillips. He was married on July 8, 1869 to Mary C. Gentry. They were parents of William Walter, Ida Gentry and C. H. Phillips, Jr. He served as Mayor, 1883-1886. In 1884 the term for Mayor changed from 1 to 2 years. Mayor Phillips died on September 10, 1886 near Britton, Dakota, while on a hunting trip. He was accidently shot by his friend James K. Rains, a Nashville businessman. |
Thomas A. Kercheval
1886-1888 | Republican | Thomas A. Kercheval was born in Maury Co., TN, on January 16, 1837, son of Thomas and Mary M. (Kennedy)Kercheval. He was married to Alice Gardner Bryan on October 11, 1874 in Davidson Co., TN. They were parent sof three sons, two of whom died in infancy. The surviving son was Thomas A. Kercheval, Jr. Mayor Kercheval was a member of the Episcopal Church. After serving as Mayor 1872-1873 and 1875-1883, Kercheval was elected again in 1886 and resigned as mayor in 1888 to join the Board of Public Works. The remainder of his term was filled by Charles Pickney McCarver. Mayor Kercheval died March 22, 1915, and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
Charles Pickney McCarver
1888-1890 | Democrat | Charles Pickney McCarver was born in 1851 in Jackson Co, Tn, son of L. A. McCarver. He was married to Narcissa Hickman in April of 1878 in Davidson County. They were parents of Charles Pickney McCarver and Jennie McCarver Puryear. He served as Mayor, 1888-1890. On October 24, 1890, Mayor McCarver resigned from the Mayor’s office. Mayor McCarver died September 28, 1892. |
William Litterer
1890-1891 | Democrat | William Litterer was born in Germany on August 24, 1834, son of Professor Charles A. Litterer, an instructor at the University of Heidelberg. Mayor Litterer’s brother was Charles A. Litterer of Nashville. Mayor Litterer came to the United States in 1847 with his parents and settled in Nashville in 1855. Litterer became Mayor pro tem on the resignation of Mayor McCarver in October of 1890. On Feb. 10 1891 he was elected Mayor, to complete the unexpired term of McCarver. He served as Mayor, 1890-1891. Mayor Litterer died in December of 1917 and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. |
George Blackmore Guild
1891-1895 | Democrat | George Blackmore Guild was born April 8, 1834 in Sumner Co., TN, son of Judge Josephus Conn Guild and Catherine (Blackmore) Guild. He was married March 5, 1861 to Georgia Thompson. They were of five children: George M., Maria (Westbrook), Jo Conn, William and one other name not known. George Guild was elected Mayor on October 8, 1891 and again on October 12, 1893. Mayor Guild died in Virginia, April 21, 1917 and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. |
William Marshall McCarthey
1895-1897 | Amercian Protective Association | William Marshall McCarthy was born about 1841 in Georgia. On the 1880 census he is listed with his wife Hettie and daughters, Mollie, Madeline, Hettie, Lillie, Ordalia and Maggie and sons Willie and Henry. McCarthy was elected Mayor on October 3, 1895. Mayor McCarthy died 0n September 13, 1899 and is buried at Mt Olivet. |
Richard Houston Dudley
1897-1900 | Democrat | Richard Houston Dudley was born in Bedford Co., TN in July of 1836. He was married to Mattie Rose of Rutherford Co., TN in Sept., 1865. She died soon after and he married second Mary E. Beasley of Rutherford Co., on April 4, 1868, who died in 1907. He had no children. He served in the Army of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. He elected Mayor on October 4, 1897. |
James Marshall Head
1900-1904 | Democrat | James Marshall Head, Jr. was born in Sumner County, TN on July 25, 1855, son of James Marshall and Berthenia P. (Branham) Head. He was married to Mary C. Cherry of Nashville, on June 30, 1885. They were parents of James Marshall Head III, Mrs. Ned Conway, and Mrs. Charles Brooks. James M. Head was an attorney, a graduate of the Law Department of Harvard University. He was elected Mayor in October 1899. Mayor Head died in Boston, Mass. on March 31, 1930. |
Albert Smiley Williams
1904-1906 | Democrat | Albert Smiley Williams was born in Davidson Co., Tn., on November 15, 1849, son of William and Patience (Turner) Williams. He was married to Amanda Rear on December 3, 1879. They were parents of four children, Albert, Beryl (Mrs. Stanley Horn), and two children who died in childhood. He served as Mayor of Nashville, 1904-1906. He also served as Mayor of Edgefield 1876-77. Mayor Williams died in 1924. |
Thomas Owen Morris
1906-1908 | Democrat | Thomas Owen Morris was born in Sumner Co., TN on August 2, 1845. He was a son of Henry B. and Cornelia (Willis) Morris. He was married in Nashville on May 27, 1866 to Mary Snow. They were parents of Henry Snow, Edwin Lanier, Thomas Owen, Jr., Kitty and Kendrick J. Morris. He served as Mayor, 1906-1908. Mayor Morris died in Nashville on November 8, 1924 and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
James Stephens Brown
1908-1909 | Democrat | James Stephens Brown was married to Madeline Pattie McComb on November 6, 1895. Children: James S. Brown Jr., Worthington Brown, Mrs. C. K. Radford. James Brown was a Naval Officer in the Spanish American War. He served as Mayor, 1908-1909. Mayor Brown died in 1947 at his home in Memphis. He is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
Hilary Ewing Howse
1909-1915 | Democrat | Hilary Ewing House was born in Rutherford County, on January 25, 1866, son of Lycurgus and Mary Lousie (Bell) Howse. He was married in June of 1914 to Jennie May Wheeler. They had no children. Hilary Howse was mayor from 1909-1915 and again from 1924-1938. In 1915 he and several of the city commissioners were removed from office and the city was placed in Receivership. Mayor Howse died on January 2, 1938. |
Robert Vaughan, Reciever
1915 Park Marshall, Commissioner
1915 | – | On July 27, 1915 the City of Nashville was placed in Receivership by Chancellor John Allison. Mayor Howse and several commissioners were suspended. Chancellor Allison appointed Robert Vaughn as Receiver. The remaining Commissioners were Marshall, Stainback and Alexander. As senior commissioner Park Marshall was selected to preside over the Commission in the absence of a Mayor. Vaughan and Marshall shared mayoral duties until Robert Ewing was elected Mayor later in the year. |
Robert Ewing
1915-1917 | Democrat | Robert Ewing was born on Aug. 10, 1849 in Nashville, TN. He was married on March 28, 1876 to Miss Harriet Hoyt. they were parents of thirteen children: Mary, Alice, Robert, Jr., Thomas Hoyt, Andrew, William Cooper, Harold, Lillian, Louise, Norris, Esmond, Harriet Hoyt and Rebecca Ewing. He served as Mayor, 1915-1917. Mayor Ewing died Oct. 23, 1932 in Nashville and is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
William Gupton
1917-1921 | Democrat | William Gupton was born at Bowling Green, KY, September 17, 1870, son of Alexander and Florence Drucilla Gupton. He was married on February 12, 1890 to Daisy Dean Mason. They were parents of four children: Will Ed, Henry, Pearl Dean (Loser) and Annie Lee (Ansley). The term of office of Mayor was changed to 4 years in 1917. He served as Mayor, 1917-1921. |
Felix Zollicoffer Wilson
1921-1922 | Democrat | Felix Zollicoffer Wilson was born in Davidson Co., Tn., on December 27, 1866, son of James Hazzard and Virginia (Zollicoffer) Wilson. He was married to Mary Pendergast in 1888. They were parents of Felix Mizell Wilson , Evelyn Wilson and two other daughters. He served on the City Council in 1902 and again in 1943. He became County Register in 1945. Mayor Wilson was elected as Mayor in May of 1921 by the sity council, after the council had voted to suspend Mayor William Gupton. Mayor Wilson was voted out of office by the city council in Nov. of 1922. Mayor Wilson died on February 12, 1950. |
William Percy Sharpe
1922-1924 | Democrat | William Percy Sharpe was born in Anderson, SC in 1871, son of. He was married to Julia Margaret Nichol. They were parents of William Percy Sharpe, Jr. and a daughter. Percy Sharpe was elected by the city council to replace ousted Mayor Felix Wilson. He served as Mayor, 1922-1924. Mayor Sharpe died in Madison, Davidson Co., TN on November 13, 1942. He is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. |
Hilary Ewing Howse
1924-1938 | Democrat | Hilary Ewing House was born in Rutherford County, on January 25, 1866, son of Lycurgus and Mary Lousie (Bell) Howse. He was married in June of 1914 to Jennie May Wheeler. They had no children. Hilary Howse was mayor from 1909-1915 and again from 1924-1938. Mayor Howse was still in the office as mayor when he died on January 2, 1938. |
Thomas Leon Cummings
1938-1951 | Democrat | Thomas Leon Cummings was born May 1, 1891 in Centertown, Warren County, TN. He was a son of William Martin and Mary Josephine (Brewer) Cummings. He was married on Nov. 17, 1915 to Ella Lee Connell of White House, TN. Their children were: Thomas Leon Cummings, Jr. and Mrs. Clem Schonoff. He served as Mayor, 1938-1951. Mayor Cummings died March 29, 1968 and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. |
Raphael Benjamin West
1951-1963 | Democrat | Raphael Benjamin West was born in Columbia, Maury Co., Tn., on March 31, 1911, son of James Watt and Martha Melissa (Wilson) West. When Ben West was 3 years old his parents moved to Flat Rock, now known as the Woodbine community of Davidson Co. He was married on August 31, 1935 to Mary Humes Meadors. They were parents of two sons, Jay and Ben. Mayor Ben West died November 20, 1974. He served as Mayor, 1951-1963. He is buried in Nashville City Cemetery. |
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