Jere Baxter (February 11, 1852 – February 29, 1904) was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. He was the founder of the Tennessee Central Railroad.
Early life Jere Baxter was born on February 11, 1852, in Nashville, Tennessee.Col. Jere Baxter Dead, The New York Times, March 1, 1904, page 9 His father, Nathaniel Baxter, was a politician and judge. After graduating from Montgomery Bell Academy, he studied law.
Career Baxter went into legal publishing, issuing The Legal Reporter, the nine-volume bound compilation of which came to be commonly known as Baxter's Reports.
Baxter founded the Tennessee Central Railroad and helped found the communities of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, and Sheffield, Alabama. He served in the Tennessee State Senate, and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for governor of Tennessee in 1890.Buchanan Leads the Vote; Tennessee Democrats Meet at Nashville, The New York Times, July 16, 1890, page 1Buchanan for Governor; Tennessee Democrats Choose Him on the Twenty-fifth Ballot, The New York Times, July 19, 1890
Baxter had a very public argument with Whitefoord Russell Cole over the Tennessee Central Railroad in the early 1900s.
Death and legacy Baxter died on February 29, 1904. Baxter, Tennessee, is named for him.Jere Baxter in the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
References