The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-04-30
MAJ. RHITTHORAE SURREGIl-
Frs AFTER GALLANT STRUGGtE
Continued from First Page,

nessee, never missing a duty for fou
years, with the exception of the ninet,
: days when he was wounded and
} prisoner.
No more gallant soldier was IN tn,
Confederate service. He was at tn,
battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville
Murfreesboro, Chickamauga. Mission
airy Ridge, Atlanta, Franklin, Nash
vile and did his duty everywhere. He
carried through these campaigns and
battles a minnie bali that wounded
him at Perryville and lies imbedded
in his breast even to the day of his
death.
After the war Mr.. Whitthorne en-
tered the Law School at Lebanon,
where he was graduated and began
the practice Of law in Columbia. In
1869, shortly after he opened his office,
he was made Clerk of the Circuit
Court, which position he held for two
terms, but declined to give the use
of his name for the third term. He
protected Congressman Arnell from
the fury of mob in Columbia and
was rewarded for this gallant act by
being made a legal voter and was
probably the first Confederate soldier
in the State to be clothed with this
privilege.
Twice he was elected a member or
the lower branch of the Legislature,
the first time in 1886, and then again
in 1888. In 1892 he was made State
Senator for the counties of Maury,
Perry and Lewis, having no opponent
in this race. In the season of 1893,
he was probably the most active mem
Der of the Legislature He served on
more committees than any other Sen
ator and for honest, brave diligent
and faithful work he had no superior,
if an equal. BY his investigations he |
exposed many corrupt practices and |
purified the atmosphere of his party. |
He is entitled to much credit for re-
forms and economies in the manage
ment of the charitable institutions OF
The State, for aiding in the abolish
ment of the use of mechanical appli-
ance" in our insane asylum, for the
by the State of its best
the Industrial School,"
donated by Col. E. W. Cole.
At the death of his brother, General
William Curren Whitthorne, who had
erved the Seventh District of Ten
lessee in Congress for many years,
Iajor Whitthorne aspired to the posi-
ion, but met defeat, twice at the
lands of Hon. n. n. Cox and once in i
race against Congressman Padgett. !
At the outbreak of the Spanish {
american war Major Whitthorne, I
hough advanced in years, volunteered {
is services, and went out as Captain /
f Company B, First Tennessee Infan- q
~ and went with his regiment to the I
For bravery in the face G
f the enemy and for loyal service he b
as promoted to Major and retired at t
le close of his three years service S
aloved by every man under him. n
But while the political and military
areer of Maj. Whitthorne has made s
Is name familiar to every intelli- D
mt man in Tennessee, his work as N
citizen directed toward
e development of the material re-
'urces of the State is of far more nj
value. He has been in in
since 1882, in bringing e.
UGH capital for investment to Ten fe
ssee. He may be said to have been dc
e discoverer of the phosphate de- of
sits of Tennessee that now give en- tie
Oyment to thousands of persons and w,
ings to the State millions of dollars. or
! collected and organized the Rock SD
lie properties. He was interested in al;
great lTOH DdllhS OIL FIuhHey anu re
ought about their development, He We
lsolidated the properties that an
Ised the building of the furnaces at of
nnie, and was the chief promoter up
the Tennessee Valley Iron G. Rail- so
d Company He was instrumental
having the Nashville & Tuscaloosa the
Ilroad NOW the Chattanooga & st. Jal
lis Railway extended through Lew boz
ounty into Wayne, and also brought
nut the building of the West Point /
nch Railroad, over which many ma
usands of tons of iron ore are 800
)ped every week. Tu
[ajor Whitthorne was one of the
lers in the movement to bring the
email to Columbia. and thereby
nod 10 cppurp tho COIum bia Mill 7,