Oliver Perry Temple
Encyclopedia
Oliver Perry Temple was an American attorney, author, judge, and economic promoter active primarily in East Tennessee
in the latter half of the 19th century. During the months leading up to the Civil War
, Temple played a pivotal role in organizing East Tennessee's Unionists
. In June 1861, he drafted the final resolutions of the East Tennessee Union Convention
, and spent much of the first half of the war providing legal defense for Unionists who had been charged with treason by Confederate
authorities. After the war, he promoted agricultural and industrial development in East Tennessee, most notably by assisting in the development of the Rugby Colony
, and in later years wrote several books on the history of East Tennessee.
, to farmer James Temple and wife, Mary Craig Temple. He attended Tusculum College
from 1838 to 1841, and attended Washington College
from 1841 to 1844. After graduating from Washington College, he studied law under Knoxville judge Robert McKinney, and was admitted to the bar in 1846. In 1847, he ran for Congress on the Whig
ticket, but lost to Andrew Johnson
.
In 1850, Temple was appointed by President Millard Fillmore
commissioner to help conciliate Indian tribes in territories captured during the Mexican-American War to the United States government. After returning to Knoxville, he formed a law partnership with William H. Sneed
, and began promoting railroad construction. He helped establish the Knoxville and Ohio Railroad in 1854, and briefly served as a director of the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad. In 1858, he built a large mansion, Melrose, named after Melrose, Scotland
, the home of his wife's parents, on what is now the campus of the University of Tennessee
. Temple served as an elector on the Constitutional Union Party
ticket during the presidential election of 1860.
in November 1860, Temple organized a meeting for the city's Unionists at his house to plot a course of action. They agreed to counter the secessionists at a November 26 citywide assembly at the Knox County Courthouse called to discuss a possible statewide secession convention. This assembly and a subsequent assembly on December 8, at which Temple delivered two speeches, were both particularly contentious, and provided a rallying point for the region's Unionists. Inspired by these efforts, counties across East Tennessee held similar meetings and declared their loyalty to the Union.
Temple and other Unionists canvassed East Tennessee throughout the first half of 1861. At a speech in front of a hostile crowd near what is now Concord
, Temple argued that while the Constitution protected slavery, he would prefer slavery "perish" if it meant preserving the Union. Temple's Gay Street
office provided a popular meeting place for the city's Unionists during this period. Temple later recalled defusing a confrontation at his office between former Constitutional Union Party candidate John Bell
, who had recently switched sides and supported secession, and radical Unionist newspaper editor William G. Brownlow
, in May 1861.
At the East Tennessee Union Convention's Greeneville
session in June 1861, Temple drafted a set of resolutions that would eventually be approved by the convention and presented to the state legislature. Temple's resolutions, which he drew up as an alternative to a set of resolutions earlier that day that were deemed too provocative, essentially asked the legislature to allow the counties of East Tennessee to withdraw from Tennessee and form a separate, Union-aligned state. The legislature rejected the convention's requests, and Confederate
forces occupied Knoxville shortly thereafter.
authorities were planning to arrest Knoxville's Unionists. Within a few weeks, he returned, however, after promising the city's Confederate leaders he would remain neutral during the conflict. He spent much of the first half of the war providing legal defense for Unionists accused of conspiring to burn bridges
and other acts of treason.
When the Union Army entered Knoxville in September 1863, Temple joyously ran the length of Gay Street behind a regiment of soldiers. Shortly after the army's arrival, General Ulysses S. Grant
met with Temple at Melrose, and inquired about the feasibility of marching up the French Broad River
into North Carolina, and then north to Virginia in an attempt to outflank Robert E. Lee
. Temple advised against this, warning that the terrain of the Blue Ridge Mountains
made such a trek nearly impossible.
.
Throughout the 1870s, Temple, as the "spirit" behind the Knoxville Industrial Association and as the president of the East Tennessee Farmers' Convention, championed economic development in East Tennessee. Temple believed in a diversified economy that was based on both agriculture and industry, and gave numerous lectures extolling East Tennessee's climate and natural resources. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, Temple provided legal, agricultural, and promotional assistance to the Rugby Colony
, then being developed on the Cumberland Plateau. On September 16, 1880, Temple hosted a large dinner in Knoxville for the colony's founder, Thomas Hughes
, and spoke at the "opening" of the colony several days later.
Temple retired from the legal profession in 1880, and with the help of Congressman Leonidas C. Houk
, was appointed Knox County's postmaster the following year. In 1897, Temple published The Covenanter, The Cavalier, and The Puritan, which discusses the origins and contributions of the Scotch-Irish (Temple uses the broader term "Covenanter
") in American history. Two years later, he published East Tennessee and the Civil War, which detailed the roots and development of Unionism in East Tennessee, and recounted numerous key events which he had personally witnessed.
(1856–1929), his only child, compiled and published Notable Men of Tennessee, a collection of biographies her father had written about various Civil War-era figures. She was also a founding member of Knoxville's Ossoli Circle
, and campaigned for women's suffrage in the early 20th century.
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
in the latter half of the 19th century. During the months leading up to the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Temple played a pivotal role in organizing East Tennessee's Unionists
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
. In June 1861, he drafted the final resolutions of the East Tennessee Union Convention
East Tennessee Convention of 1861
The East Tennessee Convention consisted of a series of meetings held in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War in which 29 counties in East Tennessee and one county in Middle Tennessee denounced secessionist activities within the state of Tennessee and resolved to break away and form an...
, and spent much of the first half of the war providing legal defense for Unionists who had been charged with treason by Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
authorities. After the war, he promoted agricultural and industrial development in East Tennessee, most notably by assisting in the development of the Rugby Colony
Rugby, Tennessee
Rugby is an unincorporated community in Morgan and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Founded in 1880 by English author Thomas Hughes, Rugby was built as an experimental utopian colony. While Hughes's experiment largely failed, a small community lingered at Rugby throughout the 20th...
, and in later years wrote several books on the history of East Tennessee.
Early life
Temple was born near Greeneville, TennesseeGreeneville, Tennessee
Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there...
, to farmer James Temple and wife, Mary Craig Temple. He attended Tusculum College
Tusculum College
Tusculum College is a coeducational private college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church , with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee, United States, a suburb of Greeneville...
from 1838 to 1841, and attended Washington College
Washington College Academy
Washington College Academy is a private Presbyterian-affiliated educational institution located in Limestone, Tennessee. Founded in 1780 by Doctor of Divinity Samuel Doak, the Academy for many years offered accredited college, junior college and college preparatory instruction to day and boarding...
from 1841 to 1844. After graduating from Washington College, he studied law under Knoxville judge Robert McKinney, and was admitted to the bar in 1846. In 1847, he ran for Congress on the Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
ticket, but lost to Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
.
In 1850, Temple was appointed by President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
commissioner to help conciliate Indian tribes in territories captured during the Mexican-American War to the United States government. After returning to Knoxville, he formed a law partnership with William H. Sneed
William Henry Sneed
William Henry Sneed was an American attorney and politician, active initially in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and later in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the mid-19th century. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee's 2nd congressional district during the...
, and began promoting railroad construction. He helped establish the Knoxville and Ohio Railroad in 1854, and briefly served as a director of the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad. In 1858, he built a large mansion, Melrose, named after Melrose, Scotland
Melrose, Scotland
Melrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
, the home of his wife's parents, on what is now the campus of the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. Temple served as an elector on the Constitutional Union Party
Constitutional Union Party (United States)
The Constitutional Union Party was a political party in the United States created in 1860. It was made up of conservative former Whigs who wanted to avoid disunion over the slavery issue...
ticket during the presidential election of 1860.
Secession crisis
As secession fervor swept into Knoxville in the wake of the election of Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in November 1860, Temple organized a meeting for the city's Unionists at his house to plot a course of action. They agreed to counter the secessionists at a November 26 citywide assembly at the Knox County Courthouse called to discuss a possible statewide secession convention. This assembly and a subsequent assembly on December 8, at which Temple delivered two speeches, were both particularly contentious, and provided a rallying point for the region's Unionists. Inspired by these efforts, counties across East Tennessee held similar meetings and declared their loyalty to the Union.
Temple and other Unionists canvassed East Tennessee throughout the first half of 1861. At a speech in front of a hostile crowd near what is now Concord
Concord, Knox County, Tennessee
Concord is an unincorporated community in Knox County, Tennessee, United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an historic district. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Concord as a populated place...
, Temple argued that while the Constitution protected slavery, he would prefer slavery "perish" if it meant preserving the Union. Temple's Gay Street
Gay Street (Knoxville)
Gay Street is a street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that traverses the heart of the city's downtown area. Since its development in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare, and has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural...
office provided a popular meeting place for the city's Unionists during this period. Temple later recalled defusing a confrontation at his office between former Constitutional Union Party candidate John Bell
John Bell (Tennessee politician)
John Bell was a U.S. politician, attorney, and plantation owner. A wealthy slaveholder from Tennessee, Bell served in the United States Congress in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He began his career as a Democrat, he eventually fell out with Andrew Jackson and became a Whig...
, who had recently switched sides and supported secession, and radical Unionist newspaper editor William G. Brownlow
William Gannaway Brownlow
William Gannaway "Parson" Brownlow was an American newspaper editor, minister, and politician who served as Governor of the state of Tennessee from 1865 to 1869 and as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1869 to 1875...
, in May 1861.
At the East Tennessee Union Convention's Greeneville
Greeneville, Tennessee
Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 15,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greene County. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene. It is the only town with this spelling in the United States, although there...
session in June 1861, Temple drafted a set of resolutions that would eventually be approved by the convention and presented to the state legislature. Temple's resolutions, which he drew up as an alternative to a set of resolutions earlier that day that were deemed too provocative, essentially asked the legislature to allow the counties of East Tennessee to withdraw from Tennessee and form a separate, Union-aligned state. The legislature rejected the convention's requests, and Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
forces occupied Knoxville shortly thereafter.
Civil War
Temple fled to the North in August 1861 after Brownlow warned that ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
authorities were planning to arrest Knoxville's Unionists. Within a few weeks, he returned, however, after promising the city's Confederate leaders he would remain neutral during the conflict. He spent much of the first half of the war providing legal defense for Unionists accused of conspiring to burn bridges
East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy
The East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy was a Civil War-era guerrilla warfare operation carried out by Union sympathizers in Confederate-occupied East Tennessee in 1861. The operation, which was planned by Carter County minister William B...
and other acts of treason.
When the Union Army entered Knoxville in September 1863, Temple joyously ran the length of Gay Street behind a regiment of soldiers. Shortly after the army's arrival, General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
met with Temple at Melrose, and inquired about the feasibility of marching up the French Broad River
French Broad River
The French Broad River flows from near the village of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into the state of Tennessee. Its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville is the beginning of the Tennessee River....
into North Carolina, and then north to Virginia in an attempt to outflank Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
. Temple advised against this, warning that the terrain of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
made such a trek nearly impossible.
Later life
After the war, Temple quickly formed a new law firm with Samuel A. Rogers and James Deaderick. He served as chancellor of Tennessee's Eighth Chancery District from 1866 until 1870, and chancellor of the Second District from 1870 until 1878. In 1870, Temple's annual income of more than $13,000 was the highest in Knox County, edging out the partners of the wholesaling giant, Cowan, McClung and CompanyFidelity Building (Knoxville)
The Fidelity Building is an office building in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Initially constructed in 1871 for the wholesale firm Cowan, McClung and Company, the building was home to Fidelity-Bankers Trust Company during the mid-twentieth century, and has since been renovated for use as office space...
.
Throughout the 1870s, Temple, as the "spirit" behind the Knoxville Industrial Association and as the president of the East Tennessee Farmers' Convention, championed economic development in East Tennessee. Temple believed in a diversified economy that was based on both agriculture and industry, and gave numerous lectures extolling East Tennessee's climate and natural resources. In the late 1870s and early 1880s, Temple provided legal, agricultural, and promotional assistance to the Rugby Colony
Rugby, Tennessee
Rugby is an unincorporated community in Morgan and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Founded in 1880 by English author Thomas Hughes, Rugby was built as an experimental utopian colony. While Hughes's experiment largely failed, a small community lingered at Rugby throughout the 20th...
, then being developed on the Cumberland Plateau. On September 16, 1880, Temple hosted a large dinner in Knoxville for the colony's founder, Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes was an English lawyer and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. It had a lesser-known sequel, Tom Brown at Oxford .- Biography :Hughes was the second son of John Hughes, editor of...
, and spoke at the "opening" of the colony several days later.
Temple retired from the legal profession in 1880, and with the help of Congressman Leonidas C. Houk
Leonidas C. Houk
Leonidas Campbell Houk was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee...
, was appointed Knox County's postmaster the following year. In 1897, Temple published The Covenanter, The Cavalier, and The Puritan, which discusses the origins and contributions of the Scotch-Irish (Temple uses the broader term "Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
") in American history. Two years later, he published East Tennessee and the Civil War, which detailed the roots and development of Unionism in East Tennessee, and recounted numerous key events which he had personally witnessed.
Legacy
Temple was a trustee of the University of Tennessee for over a half-century, from 1854 until his death in 1907, and helped establish the school's College of Agriculture. Hess Hall, on the university's campus, now stands where his Melrose mansion once stood. Mary Boyce TempleMary Boyce Temple
Mary Boyce Temple was an American philanthropist and socialite, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the first president of the Ossoli Circle, the oldest federated women's club in the South, and published a biography of the club's namesake,...
(1856–1929), his only child, compiled and published Notable Men of Tennessee, a collection of biographies her father had written about various Civil War-era figures. She was also a founding member of Knoxville's Ossoli Circle
Ossoli Circle
The Ossoli Circle is a women's club located in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1885 as a literary society, the club is a charter member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, and the first federated women's club in the South...
, and campaigned for women's suffrage in the early 20th century.
Books
- The Covenanter, The Cavalier, and The Puritan (1897)
- East Tennessee and the Civil War (1899)
- Notable Men of Tennessee (1912)
External links
- Finding Aid for the O. P. Temple Papers — University of Tennessee Special Collections