Richard Cheatham (February 20, 1799 – September 9, 1845) was an American politician in Middle Tennessee. He was elected as a Whig in 1836 from Tennessee's 11th congressional district 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 ...

, serving one term. He had previously served several terms in Tennessee's State House, from 1825 to 1833.

Biography

Cheatham was born in

Springfield, Tennessee Springfield is the county seat of Robertson County, Tennessee, United States. It is located in Middle Tennessee near the northern border of the state. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 18,782. History US 431 and US 4 ...

, on February 20, 1799. After completing preparatory studies, he went to work. He engaged in mercantile pursuits,

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

raising, and operating a

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...

. He married Susan Saunders.

Career

Cheatham soon became politically active and was first 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 1824, at the age of 25. He served several terms, from 1825 to 1833. He was a member of the State constitutional convention which met at

Nashville 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 ...

from May 19 to August 30, 1834. He was Presidential Elector for Tennessee in 1836. He served in the State militia with the rank of

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

. Cheatham ran for Congress three successive times before being elected in 1836 as a Whig to the

Twenty-fifth Congress The 25th 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, 183 ...

, which lasted from March 4, 1837 to March 3, 1839. He failed to be re-elected to the Twenty-sixth or Twenty-seventh Congresses. He resumed his former business pursuits.

Death

While visiting at White's Creek Springs near Springfield, Tennessee, Cheatham died on September 9, 1845 (age 46 years, 201 days). He was

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 Old City Cemetery. His widow and eldest son, Edward, continued his businesses. His remains were reinterred at Elmwood Cemetery in 1952. Cheatham County was named after his son,

Edward Saunders Cheatham Edward Saunders Cheatham (July 31, 1818 – December 21, 1878) was an American politician and businessman. Early life Edward Saunders Cheatham was born on July 31, 1818, in Robertson County, Tennessee. His father, Richard Cheatham, served as ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheatham, Richard 1799 births 1845 deaths People from Springfield, Tennessee Businesspeople from Tennessee Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Cheatham family 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly