William Pleasant Smith (Nashville, TN)
William Pleasant Smith (May 7, 1886 – May 23, 1971)
Biography
- Name: William Pleasant Smith
- Birth: May 7, 1886 Nashville, TN
- Death: May 23, 1971 Nashville, TN
- Spouse 1: Elizabeth Lee (Hopkins) Smith (1891-1944) (Married 1909)
- Spouse 2: Dorothy Mae (Bowen) Denis Smith (1911-2005) (Married 1946)
William Pleasant Smith was born May 7, 1886 in Nashville, Tennessee, to William Warren Smith and Julia Francis (Griffin) Smith. William was raised and educated in Nashville, and graduated from the Hume-Fogg High School in 1904. In November of 1904, he was hired as a runner for the Fourth National Bank of Nashville, charter 1669. He was then promoted to receiving teller, paying teller, and head teller. On October 21, 1909, he married Elizabeth (Bessie) Lee Hopkins in Pulaski, Tennessee.
The Fourth National Bank merged with the First National Bank of Nashville, charter 150, in 1912 and became known as the Fourth & First National Bank of Nashville, charter 1669. In December, 1919, William was elected Assistant Cashier of Fourth & First, and on January 14, 1927, he was elected Cashier of the bank, at age 41. On July 12, 1927, Fourth & First National Bank retook charter 150, which was the original charter of the First National Bank. During the summer of 1930 he was involved with the planning and financing of a new airport, but by the fall of 1930, operations at his bank ground to a halt. Fourth & First National Bank was forced into a merger with the American National Bank of Nashville, charter 3032, in November, 1930. William was kept on in the new bank as Cashier of the Union Branch of American National. In 1933, he was promoted to Vice-President of American National.
On January 14, 1935 he abruptly resigned from American National and on January 17, 1935 it was announced that he had been hired as a Vice-President of Commerce Union Bank of Nashville, a state chartered bank. William would state at Commerce Union Bank for the rest of his banking career. His wife, Bessie, passed away after a long illness on June 13, 1944, when William was 58 years old. It probably raised a few eyebrows when he married a much younger secretary that worked at Commerce Union on July 6, 1946. Dorothy Mae (Bowen) Denis became the second Mrs. William Smith at the age of 35. They lived happily together and there are many mentions of her in the society pages of the local newspapers. William finally resigned from the Commerce Union Bank of Nashville on March 1, 1963, at the age of 76.
Williams' son, William P. Smith, Jr., was convicted in 1964 of accepting bribes in lieu of payment of sales tax while he was supervisor of the Knoxville, Tennessee State Sales Tax office. Several tax officials were charged in the scheme, and William Jr. was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in the state penitentiary. He was paroled after serving 3 years of his sentence due to good behavior.
William Sr. was an active member and leader of the Al Menah Temple of the Shrine in Nashville, and was the Exalted Ruler of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge 72. He also served as the treasurer of the Nashville chapter of the American Cancer Society, and was President of the Nashville Booster Club from 1938-1939. William suffered a stroke and died in a Nashville hospital on May 23, 1971. He is buried in Mt. Olivet cemetery, in Nashville.
Bank Officer Summary
During his banking career, W. P. Smith was involved with the following bank(s):
- Fourth National Bank/Fourth and First NB, Nashville, TN (Charter 150): Cashier 1927-1930, Assistant Cashier 1919-1927
Sources
- Bio written by Greg Culpepper April 20, 2021.
- Sources: Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com.
- Findagrave.com: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/177190667/william-pleasant-smith
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://bbdata.banknotehistory.com