Nathaniel Baxter, Jr. (Nashville, TN)
Nathaniel Baxter, Jr. (November 4, 1844 – September 29, 1913)
Biography
- Name: Nathaniel Baxter, Jr.
- Birth: November 4, 1844
- Death: September 29, 1913
- Spouse: Laura Sharp (Lavender) Baxter (1850-1935) (Married 1868)
Nathaniel Baxter, Jr. was born November 4, 1844, in Columbia, Tennessee to Nathaniel Baxter (1812-1895) and Mary Louise (Jones) Baxter (1825-1902). His father had completed a course of law at Jackson College, in Columbia, Tennessee, and in 1849 moved his family to Nashville to establish his practice. Nataniel Baxter Jr. was educated there by a Mr. Campbell in his local school. In October 1861, at the age of 16 years, Nathaniel volunteered to fight for the Confederacy.
Nathaniel initially served with Company B, Captain Freeman's Battery, in Captain George H. Monserrat's artillery battalion. Nathaniel's older brother, Edmund Dillahunty Baxter, was a 1st Lieutenant and was later Captain of this unit. This battalion was later assigned to General Nathan Bedford Forrest and stayed with him until after the Battle of Chickamauga. Nathaniel was a sergeant on a 12-pound howitzer and served Forrest mostly in the middle Tennessee area of operations. In April 1863, he was taken prisoner and spent 6 months as a prisoner of war in Fort Dearborn, near Chicago, until exchanged in October 1863. He then returned to his unit and was promoted to First Lieutenant. Nathaniel took command of the battery late in 1864, and it was used to delay Sherman's march to Savannah. The battery was eventually attached to General Joseph E. Johnston's army and was surrendered May 1, 1865, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Nathaniel was wounded twice during the Civil War. After his parole, he returned to Nashville.
No doubt he was influenced by his father, and Nathaniel decided to read for the law. He studied under his father and his brother, Jeremiah Baxter, and after admittance to the bar in 1868 he formed a law practice with his brother Jere. On December 23, 1868, he married Laura Sharp Lavender in Memphis. In 1871 he was appointed Clerk and Master of the Chancery Court of Nashville, perhaps due to the influence of his father, who was a judge. He held this position until 1877, when he was appointed Clerk of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
On October 31, 1874, The Mechanics National Bank of Nashville, charter 2200, had its charter approved by the Comptroller of the Currency, and it opened for business on November 2, 1874. Nathaniel Baxter Jr. was not initially affiliated with this bank, but in June 1877, he was elected Vice-President and also Director. Upon the resignation of Dr. William Morrow, President of Mechanics National Bank, on April 3, 1878, Nathaniel was elected President. He was 33 years old.
On July 24, 1878, there was a shootout in downtown Nashville, at the corner of Union and Cherry streets (now 4th Avenue North and Union). A man named Samuel Hicks had, on July 23, made a public speech denigrating Judge Baxter, Nathaniel's father, and accusing him of sexual impropriety with Hick's mother-in-law. Hicks stated in the speech that he could be found at 37 1/2 Union Street the following day. The brothers agreed to meet at the law office of Jere Baxter to discuss this problem on July 24. The brothers were on the way to Jere's law office about 10:00 the morning of the 24th, when they ran into Samuel Hicks on Union Street. Samuel went to draw his revolver and when the smoke cleared 18 shots had been fired. Samuel was shot and ran across the street to a millinery store and expired, and one of the Baxter brothers, Jones Fletcher Baxter, was shot and died where most of the shooting had taken place, Wiggers jewelry store. Nathaniel and his two remaining brothers were charged with murder by the cousin of Samuel Hicks, warrants were filed, and the brothers were arrested. Imagine the directors of the Mechanics National Bank finding out that their President had been in a gun fight and was arrested for murder! The case was the talk of the town! The trial for the brothers began early in 1879, and on February 13, 1879, they were found not guilty. Nathaniel Baxter Jr. had defended the honor of his father and was still President of the bank.
On January 13, 1880, the Mechanics National Banks' directors voted to merge with the First National Bank of Nashville, charter 150. Nathaniel was elected President of this now larger bank and served as President until November 25, 1885, when he resigned to become President of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company. Nathaniel resigned from this position on December 1, 1901, to become President of the Cumberland Coal and Coke Company. In 1906, Nathaniel was vice-president of the Tennessee State Fair Association.
In the fall of 1910, Nathaniel, a life-long Democrat, ran for the state senate. On November 8, 1910, he was elected State Senator for Davidson County and upon the organization of the 57th State Assembly, he was elected Speaker of the Senate. Today, that position is known as Lieutenant Governor. Nathaniel was re-elected in 1912.
Nathaniel had suffered from gallbladder disease during his life, and in September 1913, he was again afflicted. This time, he would develop lobar pneumonia and on September 29, 1913, he died at his home at 117 8th Avenue North at age 68. Nathaniel was the last living Baxter brother, and was buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, in Nashville. He was survived by his wife, and two daughters. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Board of Trustees at Vanderbilt University.
Bank Officer Summary
During his banking career, Nathaniel Baxter, Jr. was involved with the following bank(s):
- Mechanics National Bank, Nashville, TN (Charter 2200): President 1878-1879
- FNB/Fourth and First NB, Nashville, TN (Charter 150): President 1880-1885
Sources
- Bio written by Greg Culpepper 1/14/2022
- Sources: Ancestry.com & Newspapers.com
- Freemans Battery Forrests Artillery Parkers Crossroads Tennessee
- https://freemansbattery.com/captain-freeman
- The Daily American, Nashville, TN July 25, 1878 page 4
- Findagrave.com: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180360182/nathaniel-baxter
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://bbdata.banknotehistory.com