Powhatan Gordon
Powhatan Gordon | |
---|---|
Born | November 15, 1802 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Died | January 29, 1879 Bryan, Texas, U.S. | (aged 76)
Occupation | Politician |
Political party | Democratic Party Know Nothing |
Spouse | 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
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Fifth Generation". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
- ^ OCLC 2561350 – via Internet Archive.
- 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.