Nathan Thomas Hopkins (October 27, 1852 – February 11, 1927) was an American religious leader and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

from 1895 to 1897.

Early life and career

Born in

Ashe County, North Carolina Ashe County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 26,577 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its county seat is Jefferson, North Carolina, Jefferson. History Histo ...

, Hopkins moved to

Pike County, Kentucky Pike County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 58,669. Its county seat is Pikeville, Kentucky, Pikeville. The county was founded in 1821. It is ...

where he was a standout pupil in the common schooling system and, eventually, rose to become a prominent agriculturist in the region. Also, ordained to the ministry in 1876, he was an active leader of the Baptist Church in Yeager, Kentucky, for over half a century. Thereafter becoming noteworthy across the county for his leadership and oratorical skills, Hopkins was voted in as County tax assessor for Floyd County from 1878 to 1890. He married Nancy Jane Johnson. (February 26, 1850 – February 16, 1937)

Political career

He later moved back to his home state of North Carolina where he was elected to the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

from 1893 to 1894 and 1923 to 1924. Nonetheless, he returned to Pike County, KY where he, then, a year later successfully contested the incumbent Representative of Kentucky's 10 District, Joseph M. Kendall to the Fifty-fourth Congress (February 18, 1897 – March 3, 1897) as a Republican.

Congress

Hopkins served as the Representative to Kentucky's 10th District in the United States Congress for one term, from 1895 to 1897. Afterwards, he retired to his home in Yeager, KY in Pike County where he was a merchant, timber harvester, lumberman and farmer. Later on, he was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Fifty-seventh Congress in 1900.

Retirement and death

For the rest of his life he was committed to only agriculture and the Church near

Yeager, Kentucky Yeager is an unincorporated community and coal town in Pike County, Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United ...

. He died in

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 7,754 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. Pikeville serves as a regional eco ...

, February 11, 1927, where he is interred at Potter Cemetery,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Nathan Thomas 1852 births 1927 deaths People from Ashe County, North Carolina Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly