Powhatan Gordon

Powhatan Gordon
Powhatan Gordon
Born	November 15, 1802; Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	January 29, 1879 (aged 76); Bryan, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Politician
Political party	Democratic Party; Know Nothing
Spouse(s)	Caroline Mary Coleman
Children	11
Parent(s)	John Gordon; Dorothea Cross

Major Powhatan Gordon (1802-1879) was an American farmer and politician. He served in the Tennessee Senate in 1842 and 1845. During his tenure, he proposed a bill for the creation of Lewis County, Tennessee. By 1854, his bid for Congress as a member of the Know Nothing party was unsuccessful.

Early life

Powhatan Gordon was born on November 15, 1802 in Nashville, Tennessee.[1][2] His father, John Gordon, built John Gordon House in Williamsport, Tennessee.[2]

Career

Gordon was a corn farmer in Williamsport, Tennessee.[1] He sold his corn in Louisiana.[2]

During the Second Seminole War of 1835–1842, he served as a Major in the First Tennessee Mounted Militia.[1] He subsequently served in the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848.[1] When Veracruz was occupied by the United States, he sold goods in the city.[2]

Gordon joined the Democratic Party.[2] He served in the Tennessee Senate in 1842 and 1845.[1] It was Gordon who proposed a bill for the creation of Lewis County, Tennessee out of parts of Hickman County, Lawrence County, Wayne County, and Maury County, naming it after explorer Meriwether Lewis.[3]

Gordon joined the Know Nothing party and ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1854, but he lost the race.[1]

Personal life and death

Gordon married Caroline Mary Coleman on June 26, 1828.[1] They had eleven children, including Judge William Osceola Gordon and state representative R. H. Gordon.[1][2] He died on January 29, 1879 in Bryan, Texas.[1]

References

"Fifth Generation". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
Allison, John (1905). Notable Men of Tennessee: Personal and Genealogical, with portraits. Atlanta, Georgia: Southern historical Association. pp. 153–155. OCLC 2561350 – via Internet Archive.
White, John A. (June 26, 1910). "Lewis. Awful Tragedy Connected With Name of the County". The Tennessean. p. 30. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. The bill creating the County of Lewis was introduced by the Hon. Powhatan Gordon, of Maury County, the main purpose of the bill being to perpetuate the name of Lewis.

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[fifthgen-1] "Fifth Generation". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved September 28, 2016.

[allison153-2] Allison, John (1905). Notable Men of Tennessee: Personal and Genealogical, with portraits. Atlanta, Georgia: Southern historical Association. pp. 153–155. OCLC 2561350 – via Internet Archive.

[lewiswhitetennessean-3] White, John A. (June 26, 1910). "Lewis. Awful Tragedy Connected With Name of the County". The Tennessean. p. 30. Retrieved September 28, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. The bill creating the County of Lewis was introduced by the Hon. Powhatan Gordon, of Maury County, the main purpose of the bill being to perpetuate the name of Lewis.