Urban Legends

URBAN LEGENDS By: Sarah M. Booher

Garza Law Firm, PLLC

Allison Cyrus-Walker

3L at LMU Duncan School of Law

NEW YEAR, OLD HISTORY: REVISITING THE LEGACY OF KNOXVILLE’S FOUNDING FATHER, JAMES WHITE

January, the beginning of the new year, certainly seems a fitting time to engage in reflection—reflections on the past that has been, along with thoughts of the future yet to come. It always seems that cold, overcast days in January spent in a room with a city view lend to a sharp increase in reflective thoughts. Looking out across downtown Knoxville, the rich, prolific history of the region is readily evident in the numerous historic sites and buildings. Among these sites across the scenic cityscape of Knoxville, the First Presbyterian Church stands out, stately and serene. There, within the church’s graveyard, the founder of Knoxville, James White, is buried alongside his wife, Mary Lawson White.1 As most native East Tennesseans are well aware, James White and his progeny were immensely impactful, both politically and economically, in the development of the region and the state as a whole.2

White was born in Rowan County, North Carolina in 1747.3 After serving as a militia captain during the Revolutionary War, he purchased numerous land tracts in the territory that would later become East Tennessee through North Carolina’s Land Grab Act of 1783. By 1786, White and his wife had built their home and surrounding fort in the area that he would soon come to establish as the city of Knoxville.4 Land for the town common, the Presbyterian church, and Blount College—which would later become the University of Tennessee—came from tracts originally purchased by White. Indeed, White’s skillful land management had made his fort the capitol of the Southwest Territory prior to the establishment of Knoxville.5

A number of historians have noted White’s propensities for tactfulness and diplomacy, both in the public service offices he served in, as well as through his military service.6 He was responsible for negotiating a number of peace treaties with Native American tribes in the region, particularly the Cherokee.7 White was recognized honorably by the Cherokee for his diplomatic relationship and peaceful disposition.8 This distinguished White from most of the Appalachian settlers of the time.9 Although his military service put him on the opposition at times (particularly while serving under Andrew Jackson), White was credited with quashing would-be skirmishes between angry white settlers and Native Americans in favor of more peaceful, diplomatic resolutions.10

White served in the legislative bodies of both the State of Franklin and the State of Tennessee.11 In 1797, the senate of the First General Assembly of Tennessee elected him as Speaker of the Senate. During Tennessee’s early years of statehood, White would go on to serve in a variety of public offices, including the state’s Indian Commissioner and as justice of the peace.12 Even after resigning from his state senate seat to allow William Blount to run for the office, White was elected to Tennessee’s senate for two more terms following Blount’s death in 1800.13

The political and economic prowess White possessed carried on through his descendants, many of whom continued to be driving forces in the growth of Tennessee, both in the Eastern region and beyond.14 White’s eldest son, Hugh Lawson White, served in a number of legislative and judicial capacities.15 Hugh began his political career as private secretary to William Blount while Blount served as governor of the Southwest Territory, prior to Tennessee’s statehood. In 1796, Hugh Lawson White was admitted to the bar, and began a successful legal practice.16 His father’s legacy, along with his reputation for dedication and honesty, bolstered his public service career.17 He was appointed as a judge on Tennessee’s Supreme Court of Law and Equity, and later served on the Tennessee Supreme Court of Errors and Appeals.18 For much of the early part of the 19th century, Hugh served as a senator, first for the Tennessee General Assembly and later for the United States Senate. Indeed, he was so well-regarded in public office that by 1836, he had been selected to run for United States President by the Whig Party.19 Though ultimately unsuccessful in his bid, Hugh did manage to secure all the electoral votes for Tennessee and Georgia.20

While influential statesmen came from all parts of our state during its early years, the legacy of James White endowed Knoxville and East Tennessee with a significant share of prominent leaders.21 Fierce loyalty and dedication became the hallmark of political leaders in East Tennessee, particularly in the mid-19th century when East Tennessee became the state’s bastion for unionists.22 Inevitably, our historical reflections evoke both points of pride and sorrow. Still, we reflect on our past knowing that it is a critical component in ensuring a far better and brighter future for all.

1 Charles F. Faulkner, James White, Tennessee encyclopedia, http:// tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/james-white/ (last visited Jan. 9, 2022). ² Id. 3 Id. 4 Id. 5 Id. 6 Mary U. Rothrock, the French-broad Holston country: a history of knox county, tennessee 503-505 (East Tennessee Historical Society 1972). 7 Id. 8 Id. 9 Id. 10 Faulkner, supra note 1. 11 Id. 12 Id. 13 Id. 14 Rothrock, supra note 6; Faulkner, supra note 1. 15 Jonathan M. Atkins, Hugh Lawson White, Tennessee encyclopedia, http:// tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/hugh-lawson-white/ (last visited Jan. 9, 2022). 16 Id. 17 Rothrock, supra note 6, at 501-502. 18 Faulkner, supra note 1. 19 Id. 20 Walter T. Durham, A Rocky Road for Tennesseans: Vote Counts, the Electoral College, and Tennessee Candidates, 60(2) Tennessee Historical Quarterly, 108, 110–111, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42627632. 21 Id.; Faulkner, supra note 1. 22 Martha L. Turner, The Cause of the Union in East Tennessee, 40(4) Tennessee Historical Quarterly, 366, 367–369, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42626233.