Vernon Stevenson
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Vernon K. Stevenson (January 22, 1812 - October 16, 1884) was an American businessman. He served as the president of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railway for 25 years, and as the president of the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
. He was a real estate investor in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, New York City.


Early life

Stevenson was born on January 22, 1812, in
Russellville, Kentucky Russellville is a home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,960 at the time of the 2010 census. History Local historian Alex C. Finley has claimed the area was fi ...
. He had three brothers, Maxwell, Volney and Leander Douglas. His sisters were Eleanor(m. Godfrey M. Fogg) Julia Emily(m. Dr. John Arnold Crowdus, Lemuel Swearengin),and Harriet J.(m. Patrick Boisseau) He moved to
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
in 1831. Stevenson's mother Eleanor Sharp was the sister of Congressman and Kentucky Attorney General and State Legislator Solomon Porcius Sharp was assassinated in 1835 in what became known as The Kentucky Tragedy.


Career

Stevenson began his career as a clerk in a dry goods store in Nashville. He later became head manager, and he invested in a store with his brother Volney. Stevenson was the founder of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railway in 1848. To fundraise for its construction, Stevenson sold stocks to investors in Nashville and
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
. Stevenson built the railroad with iron-rails from London thanks to
George Peabody George Peabody (; February 18, 1795 – November 4, 1869) was an American financier and philanthropist. He is often considered the father of modern philanthropy. Born into a poor family in Massachusetts, Peabody went into business in dry goods ...
. It was completed in 1854, and Stevenson served as its president. He hired
Edmund William Cole Colonel Edmund William "King" Cole (July 19, 1827 – May 25, 1899) was an American Confederate veteran and businessman. He was the president of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway, and the founder of the American National Bank. Ea ...
as superintendent in 1857, and Stevenson became "a kind of co-president, or president ex officio." Stevenson was elected as the "president" of the board of directors of the Winchester and Alabama Railroad in
Winchester, Tennessee Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Winchester micropolitan area. The population of Winchester as of the 2020 census was 9,375. History Winchester was created as the seat o ...
in 1857. In 1861, at the outset of the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
of 1861–1865, Stevenson was appointed as the
quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...
for the
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...
by General
Albert Sidney Johnston General officer, General Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) was an American military officer who served as a general officer in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States ...
. Shortly after the evacuation of Nashville in February 1862, he moved to
Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...
, where he managed a portion of the tracks. However, the vast majority of the railroad was taken over by the Union Army. Stevenson sold the railroad to
August Belmont August Belmont Sr. (born Aron Belmont; December 8, 1813November 24, 1890) was a German-American financier, diplomat, and politician. He served as Chair of the Democratic National Committee from 1860 to 1872. He was also a thoroughbred racehors ...
in 1880, and it merged with the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of ...
. After the war, Stevenson moved to New York City and invested in real estate in uptown
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. He was the owner of 44 Broadway, rented by the
Standard Oil Company Standard Oil Company was a corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller. The ...
.


Personal life, death and legacy

Stevenson's first wife was Maria L. Bass and they had one son Hugh Stevenson. His second wife was Elizabeth (Bessie) they had one son, Vernon King Stevenson Jr. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Childress who owned a farm near the modern-day campus of
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
. His third wife was the daughter of surgeon Paul F. Eve. Stevenson had two sons and one daughter with her, Paul Eve Stevenson, Maxwell Stevenson, and Eloise Stevenson. Actress Annie Potts
Annie Potts Anne Hampton Potts (born October 28, 1952) is an American actress. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for '' Corvette Summer'' (1978) and won a Genie Award for '' Heartaches'' (1981), before appearing in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), ''Pretty ...
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Potts
of ''Designing Women'', ''Young Sheldon'', ''Pretty in Pink'', and ''Ghostbusters'' fame is a 4th great niece (or 3rd great-grandniece) of V.K. Stevenson through his sister Julia Emily Stevenson and her first husband, Dr. John Arnold Crowdus of Franklin, Simpson County, Kentucky. Stevenson resided at 59th Street and 10th Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, and he was a member of the Manhattan Club. He was worth $5 million by 1884. Stevenson was a donor to the Democratic Party. He supported
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
and
Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...
, and he was friends with
James K. Polk James Knox Polk (; November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. A protégé of Andrew Jackson and a member of the Democratic Party, he was an advocate of Jacksonian democracy and ...
and
John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist who served as the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. Born in South Carolina, he adamantly defended American s ...
. Stevenson died on October 16, 1884, in New York City. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. His tomb was designed as "an exact replica of Napoleon's tomb in Paris."
Stevenson, Alabama Stevenson is a city in Jackson County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Chattanooga-Cleveland-Dalton, TN-GA-AL Combined Statistical Area. Sources listed either 1866 or 1867 as the year of incorporation, but that seems to conflict ...
was named in his honor.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Vernon K. 1812 births 1884 deaths People from Russellville, Kentucky Businesspeople from Nashville, Tennessee Businesspeople from Manhattan 19th-century American railroad executives Confederate States Army officers Quartermasters Tennessee Democrats Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)