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James Marshall Head Jr. (1855-1930) was an American Democratic politician.[1][2] He served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee for two successive terms: 1890 to 1904.[2][3] In 1903, Head was mentioned by William Jennings Bryan as a possible Democratic candidate for President of the United States. He was editor of a paper called The Nashville American and served on the Democratic National Committee. He later moved to Boston where he practiced law and became vice-president of Warner Brothers Company.
Biography
[edit]Head was born on July 25, 1855, in Sumner County, Tennessee just north of Nashville, about six miles out of Gallatin on Scottsville Pike.[4] His early education was in Gallatin; he then read law for two years with John J. Vertrees. He attended Harvard Law School and graduated in 1876. At age 21, he returned to Gallatin to begin his law practice.[5] He was was elected to the Tennessee Legislature in 1880 and re-elected in 1882. While there, he was a member of a committee to draft the State debt adjustment. He moved to Nashville in 1880, continuing his law practice , and became editor-in-chief of The Nashville American in which he espoused a policy of advocating the free coinage of silver and a tariff for revenue only.[5] He served as Mayor of Nashville from 1900 to 1904.[1][2][3] Head was a member of the Democratic National Committee from 1896 to 1904. In 1903, Head was mentioned by William Jennings Bryan as a possible Democratic candidate for President of the United States.[4] At age 29 (1904) he move from Nashville to Boston where he resumed the practice of law and became vice-president of Warner Brothers Company.[5] He was married to Mary C. Cherry on June 30, 1885.[1] They had three children: James Marshall Head III, Mrs. Ned Conway, and Mrs. Charles Brooks.[1]
Sudden death
[edit]Head died suddenly at age 74 while attending a dinner for Democratic Mayors at the Hotel Statler in Boston on March 31, 1930. The dinner was sponsored by the Boston Democratic City Committee, the Alfred E. Smith League of Massachusetts and the Democratic Women Voters. The event included about 1500 people and Head was seated near the stage of the main ballroom when he slumped forward in his chair before the program had started.[5] He was assisted to an ante-room by those nearby and was pronounced dead by Dr. John H.F.Connor, who happened to be an attendee.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN
- ^ a b c Nashville Library
- ^ a b Frank Burns, Davidson County, Memphis, Tennessee: Memphis State University Press, 1989, p. 69 [1]
- ^ a b "James M, Head, Twice Mayor of Nashville, Dies". No. Vol. 24, No. 327. The Nashville Tennessean. AP. April 1, 1930. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
{{cite news}}:|issue=has extra text (help) - ^ a b c d e "James M. Head Dies at Mayors' Dinner". The New York Times. AP. April 1, 1930. p. 31. Retrieved March 28, 2018.