John McCormick Lea
John McCormick Lea (1818–1903) was an American Whig politician. He served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1849 to 1850.
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Early life
Lea was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on December 25, 1818.[1] He graduated from the University of Nashville.[1] His father was Luke Lea (1783–1851), a United States Representative from Tennessee, and his mother, Susan Wells McCormick.[1]
Career
Lea was a lawyer and a circuit judge.[1] He served as vice-president of First American National Bank.[1] He served as President of the Board of Trustees of the University of Nashville.[1] From 1842 to 1845, he served as Assistant U.S. District Attorney.[2] From 1849 to 1850, he served as Mayor of Nashville.[1][3] He was part of the commission to surrender Nashville to the Union Army in February 1862.[2] From 1888 to 1903, he served as President of the Tennessee Historical Society.[1][2]
Personal life and death
Lea married Elizabeth Overton in 1843.[1] They had three sons, Overton, Robert B. and Luke Lea.[1] He attended the First Presbyterian Church.[1] He died in Monteagle, Tennessee on September 21, 1903, and he is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery.[1]
References
- Robert Ambrose Halley, John McCormick Lea, the ideal citizen: A biographical sketch (Cumberland Press, 1904).
- "Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN". Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
- Tennessee Portrait Project
- Nashville Library
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Alexander Allison |
Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee 1849-1850 |
Succeeded by John Hugh Smith |