James Erwin Caldwell
James Erwin Caldwell | |
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Born | September 18, 1854 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
Died | September 26, 1944 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 90)
Resting place | Mount Olivet Cemetery |
Occupation(s) | Businessman, banker |
Spouse | May Winston |
Children | Rogers Caldwell |
James Erwin Caldwell (September 18, 1854 – September 26, 1944) was an American businessman and banker from Tennessee. He served as the President of the Cumberland Telephone & Telegraph Company, later taken over by Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company (now part of AT&T), which installed telephones across the Southern United States.
Early life
James Erwin Caldwell was born on September 18, 1854, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Career
Caldwell acquired a controlling interested in the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1890.[1] The firm installed telephones in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, as well as Southern Illinois and Indiana.[1] By 1912, its capitalization was US$20,000,000.[1] Caldwell served as its President until 1912,[1] when he became its Chairman.[2] That same year, it merged with the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, and Caldwell served as its President.[1]
Caldwell was a large shareholder of the Fourth National Bank.[3] When it merged with the Third National Bank of St. Louis in 1912, he became President of the First and Fourth National Bank of Nashville.[3] The new bank was headquartered in The Stahlman in Downtown Nashville.[3] The bank merged with the American National Bank in 1930.[1] He retired shortly after.[1] However, by 1932, Caldwell was sued for fraud regarding the sale of shares during the merger.[4]
Caldwell was a major shareholder of the Rodessa Oil and Land Co.[5] In 1937, he was ordered by the chancery court to surrender his stock to cover some of his son Rogers's debt to the State of Tennessee.[5]
Caldwell recommended John Trotwood Moore for State Librarian and Archivist of Tennessee to Governor Albert H. Roberts in 1919.[6]
Personal life
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/LONGVIEW%2C_NASHVILLE%2C_DAVIDSON_COUNTY.jpg/220px-LONGVIEW%2C_NASHVILLE%2C_DAVIDSON_COUNTY.jpg)
Caldwell married May Winston. They resided at
Death
Caldwell died on September 26, 1944, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery.
References
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- JSTOR 42627447.