Samuel Watkins Overton Jr. (June 5, 1894 – December 2, 1958) was an American politician and the longest-serving mayor in the history of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

Early life

Samuel Watkins Overton Jr. was born in Memphis on June 5, 1894, to Samuel Watkins Overton Sr. and Mary Hill Overton. Watkins Overton Jr. was also the great-great-grandson of Judge John Overton, the founder of Memphis; his grandfather John Overton III also served as Mayor of Memphis from 1881 to 1883. Watkins Overton Jr. graduated with his AB degree from

Carroll College Carroll College is a private Catholic college in Helena, Montana. The college has 21 buildings on a 63-acre campus, has over 35 academic majors, participates in 15 NAIA athletic sports, and is home to All Saints Chapel. The college motto, in L ...

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. During

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 served with the Ambulance Corps of AEF. He earned his LLB from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1921. He was a member of

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Phi Delta Phi Phi Delta Phi (), commonly known as Phid or PDP, is an international legal honor society and the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States. Founded in 1869 at the University of Michigan as a professional fraternity, ...

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, and

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. After completing law school, Overton entered the practice of law in Memphis.

Political career

When Watkins Overton ran for Mayor of Memphis in 1927, aided by the E. H. Crump political machine,. construction of an airport was a major focus of his mayoral campaign. Overton quickly appointed an airport planning commission after his election, and on June 15, 1929, the Memphis Municipal Airport opened for business. The city was also in debt to the amount of $900,000 when he took control of the city in 1928. During the depression, Overton managed to erase the debt and accumulate a $1 million surplus. He also successfully lobbied for federally funded projects through the WPA and PWA. His second term ended in acrimony: disgusted by the City Commission, he resigned on March 1, 1953. Watkins Overton died on December 2, 1958, in Memphis.

References

1894 births 1958 deaths Carroll University alumni University of Chicago Law School alumni Mayors of Memphis, Tennessee 20th-century mayors of places in Tennessee {{Tennessee-mayor-stub