David Alexander Nunn (July 26, 1833 – September 11, 1918) was an American politician and a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

's 8th congressional district.

Biography

Nunn was born near

Brownsville, Tennessee Brownsville is a city in and the county seat of Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. Its population as of the 2020 census was 9,788. The city is named after General Jacob Jennings Brown, an American officer of the War of 1812. History Brow ...

, in Haywood County, son of David and Alice Koonce Nunn. He attended

private schools A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their financial endowme ...

and

West Tennessee College Union University is a private Baptist university in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown and Hendersonville. The university is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). It was establi ...

(now

Union University Union University is a private Baptist university in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown and Hendersonville. The university is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). It was estab ...

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

. He studied law and graduated from

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842. The oldest campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842–1861 The university was founded by the Cumberl ...

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon ( ) is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metro ...

, in 1853. He was admitted to the

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, and he commenced practice in Brownsville. He married Mary E Thompson in that same year. They had five children, Willie T., David S., Alice Isabella, Charlie, and Cordie L. After Mary's death in 1873, he married Tennessee Whitehead in 1875.

Career

Nunn was a presidential elector on the Constitutional Union ticket in 1860 and, then he was presidential elector on the Republican Ticket in 1864. Elected as a Republican to the

Fortieth Congress The 40th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1867, ...

, Nunn was an unsuccessful Independent Republican candidate for re-election in 1868 to the Forty-first Congress. He served from March 4, 1867 to March 4, 1869. Appointed

Minister Resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of ind ...

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

on April 21, 1869, by President Grant, Nunn resigned on November 2, 1869. He was again elected to represent Tennessee in the Forty-third Congress, and served from March 4, 1873 to March 3, 1875. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election to the

Forty-fourth Congress The 44th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1875, ...

in 1874. Nunn was the secretary of state of Tennessee from 1881 to 1885. When he was appointed by President

McKinley McKinley may refer to: People *McKinley (name), a page for people with the surname and given name "McKinley" **William McKinley, 25th president of the United States. Places Philippines * Fort William McKinley (now Fort Bonifacio) in Metro Ma ...

as collector of

internal revenue The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

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 ...

on July 20, 1897, he served until his resignation on November 7, 1902. At that point he returned to private life.

Death

Nunn died in Brownsville on September 11, 1918 (age 85 years, 47 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at Oakwood Cemetery, Brownsville, Tennessee.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nunn, David Alexander 1833 births 1918 deaths Republican Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Secretaries of state of Tennessee Tennessee Constitutional Unionists Union University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Ambassadors of the United States to Ecuador People from Brownsville, Tennessee 19th-century Tennessee politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives