Colonel Robert Selph Henry (October 20, 1889 – August 19, 1970) was an American lawyer, railroad executive and historian. He was an executive of the

Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a Rail transport company, railway company that operated in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, ...

from 1921 to 1934, and the vice president of the

Association of American Railroads The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is an industry trade group representing primarily the major freight Rail transport, railroads of North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States). Amtrak and some regional Commuter rail in North Am ...

from 1934 to 1958. He was the author of several books about the

history of the Southern United States The history of the Southern United States spans back thousands of years to the first evidence of human occupation. The Paleo-Indians were the first peoples to inhabit the Americas and what would become the Southern United States. By the time E ...

, including 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 ...

and the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, as well as railroads. He was the 1957 president of the

Southern Historical Association The Southern Historical Association is a professional academic organization of historians focusing on the history of the Southern United States. It was organized on November 2, 1934. Its objectives are the promotion of interest and research in Sou ...

. A veteran of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was a reservist until his 1952 retirement as a colonel.

Early life

Robert Selph Henry was born on October 20, 1889, in

Clifton, Tennessee Clifton is a city in Wayne County, Tennessee, Wayne County, Tennessee, on the state's south central border with Alabama. It developed as a river port along the Tennessee River in the 19th century. Its historic districts listed on the National Reg ...

. He graduated from

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 ...

, where he earned an L.L.B. in 1910 and a BA in 1911. During

, he served as a Captain of Field Artillery in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Career

Henry started his career as a journalist in Nashville from 1907 to 1913. He was a secretary to Tennessee Governor Ben W. Hooper from 1913 to 1915. He practised the law in Nashville from 1915 to 1921. Henry was Director of Public Relations for the

from 1921 to 1928; Assistant to the Vice President of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railrway from 1928 to 1934; and vice president of the

from 1934 to 1958. Henry was the author of several books about the

, the

and the railroad industry. He was the president of the

in 1957. Henry served on the board of trust of his alma mater, Vanderbilt University. He was also the president of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association. Henry served in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed ...

until his retirement as Colonel in 1952.

Personal life and death

With his wife Lura Temple, Henry had two daughters. He died on August 19, 1970, in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, and he was buried in Nashville. Henry's brother, Douglas "Duck" Henry, was a member of the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee , Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any ...

Works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Robert Selph 1889 births 1970 deaths People from Wayne County, Tennessee People from Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Tennessee lawyers Businesspeople from Tennessee 20th-century American railroad executives 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers United States Army reservists United States Army colonels 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American male writers