Edward Ward Carmack (November 5, 1858November 9, 1908) was an attorney,

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

man, and

political figure A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...

who served as a

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

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 ...

from 1901 to 1907. Following his political service, and after an unsuccessful run for

Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...

, he became editor of the one-year-old ''

Nashville Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...

''. He was fatally shot on November 9, 1908, over a feud precipitated by

Duncan Brown Cooper Duncan Brown Cooper (April 21, 1844 – November 4, 1922) was an American journalist, publisher and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician. He served in both the Tennessee House of Representatives and in the Tennessee Senate. ...

for his editorial comments in the paper.

Early life

Carmack was born in

Sumner County, Tennessee Sumner County is a county located on the central northern border of Tennessee in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 196,281. Its county seat is Gallatin, and its most populous city is Hendersonville. T ...

. He attended The Webb School, then at

Culleoka, Tennessee Culleoka is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in the southeastern corner of Maury County, Tennessee, United States. located southeast of Columbia, Tennessee, Columbia. The population was 4,964 in 2010 and in 2016, the ...

. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1878 and began practicing in

Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colu ...

. He served as Columbia city attorney in 1881, and was elected to the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

in 1884. Carmack joined the staff of the ''Nashville Democrat'' in 1889, later becoming

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the ''Nashville American'' when the two papers merged. He later (1892) served as

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of the ''Memphis Commercial'', now ''

The Commercial Appeal ''The Commercial Appeal'' (also known as the ''Memphis Commercial Appeal'') is a daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by the Gannett Company; its former owner, the E. W. Scripps Company, also ...

''.

Relationship with Ida B. Wells

Throughout his career, Carmack was known to use his newspapers to attack rivals. During Carmack's tenure with the ''Appeal'', his editorials began an interesting dialogue with another famous Tennessee journalist,

Ida B. Wells Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist, sociologist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advance ...

. Wells, known as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement", was also not one to withhold her opinions and spoke out about the plight of African Americans in the post-Reconstruction era in the South. Memphis in the 1890s was a hotbed of racial tension, and

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of i ...

crimes were commonplace. Wells launched an anti-lynching campaign in her newspaper, ''

Memphis Free Speech and Headlight The ''Memphis Free Speech'' was an African American newspaper founded in 1881 in Memphis, Tennessee, by the Reverend Taylor Nightingale, based at the Beale Street Baptist Church. In 1888 the publication's name was changed to the ''Memphis Free S ...

''. The ''Free Speech and Headlight'' received national attention in 1892 for its coverage of the so-called Curve Riot in Memphis. The Curve Riot was not in fact a riot, it was an attack on the People's Grocery Store by a group of undercover white police serving a warrant on the black-owned business. Will Barret, the store's white competitor, had convinced a local court that the People's Grocery was a nuisance. The court ordered the owners arrested. Fearing an attack, supporters of the People's Grocery armed themselves to defend the store. In the ensuing melee, three deputies were wounded. Crying "race riot," other armed whites joined the police and captured over thirty African Americans, including three of the store's owners: Tom Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Will Stewart. A mob later seized the three from the jail and lynched them. Wells wrote passionately of the atrocity and advised her readers to abandon Memphis and move to the western territories. Many followed her advice. Carmack demanded retaliation against "the black wench" for her denunciation of the lynchings. As a result, the offices of the ''Free Speech'' were demolished. Fortunately, Wells was out of town when the attack occurred. She did not return to the South for another thirty years.

Political career

Carmack was elected to 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 ...

in 1896, and served two terms in that body, March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1901. He was then elected to the U.S. Senate by the

Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Tennessee Senate, Senate and a Tennessee House of Representa ...

, serving one term in that body, March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1907. Carmack served on the Lodge Committee investigating

war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...

s in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. Carmack failed to secure reelection to a second Senate term, being succeeded by former

governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...

Robert Love Taylor Robert Love Taylor (July 31, 1850March 31, 1912) was an American politician, writer, and lecturer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three terms as the 24th governor of Tennessee, from 1887 to 1891, and again from 1897 to 1899, and su ...

, and returned to the practice of law. He then contended for the 1908 Democratic nomination for

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, running against the incumbent, Malcolm Patterson. Carmack ran as a Prohibitionist, while Patterson had the support of the "wet" lobby. Narrowly defeated by Patterson, Carmack returned to journalism, becoming the editor of the ''Nashville Tennessean'', then a prohibitionist daily.

Death and legacy

On November 9, 1908, Carmack attempted to shoot his publishing and political rival,

, attempting to act preemptively after Cooper threatened him over the content of anti-Cooper editorials Carmack had published. Carmack missed Cooper but wounded Cooper's son Robin, who returned fire and killed Carmack. Carmack's remains were returned to Columbia, and he was buried in its Rose Hill Cemetery. Perhaps in large measure because of the spectacular and violent nature of his death, Carmack was memorialized by the

Tennessee state legislature The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Tennessee Senate, Senate and a Tennessee House of Representa ...

. They commissioned a large bronze statue of Carmack, which was erected on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol building and stood there until May 2020. The bronze statue was designed by

Nancy Cox-McCormack Nancy Cox-McCormack, later Cushman (August 15, 1885 – February 17, 1967), was an American sculptor, writer and socialite. Between 1910 and 1953 she sculpted bronze and terra cotta busts and bas reliefs of more than seventy sitters, including s ...

in 1924 (dedicated in 1927), and engraved with several quotes from Carmack on its surroundings and pedestal. Edward Ward Carmack statue Tennessee Capitol

Edward Ward Carmack statue Tennessee Capitol

Because of Carmack's support for lynching, the statue has long caused tension in Nashville. A commission suggested replacing Carmack's statue with one of Davy Crockett. The Carmack statue was torn down by

George Floyd protest The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as reactions to the ...

ers on May 30, 2020. For many years the public library on Hartsville Pike ( Hwy 25E) in

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Named for United States Secre ...

, was named in his honor. When a new public library was opened in 2008 in downtown Gallatin, local authorities decided against naming it for him. There still remains a street in Columbia, Tennessee, named in his honor.

References

External links