Richard Merrill Atkinson
Encyclopedia
Richard Merrill Atkinson (February 6, 1894 – April 29, 1947) was a U.S. Representative
from Tennessee
.
, Atkinson attended the public schools.
He was graduated from Wallace University School, Nashville, Tennessee
, in 1912, from Vanderbilt University
, Nashville, Tennessee
, in 1916, and from Cumberland School of Law
at Cumberland University
, Lebanon, Tennessee
, in 1917.
He was admitted to the bar
in 1917 and commenced the practice of law in Nashville, Tennessee
, in 1920.
During the First World War served from June 30, 1917, until honorably discharged on August 29, 1919, as a member of the Forty-seventh Company, United States Marine Corps
, Second Division, serving in France with the American Expeditionary Forces.
Attorney general
of the tenth judicial circuit of Tennessee from September 1, 1926, to September 1, 1934.
State commissioner of Smoky Mountain National Park 1931-1933.
Atkinson was elected as a Democrat
to the Seventy-fifth
Congress (January 3, 1937-January 3, 1939).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1938.
He engaged in the practice of law in Nashville, Tennessee
, until his death there on April 29, 1947.
He was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Biography
Born in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Atkinson attended the public schools.
He was graduated from Wallace University School, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, in 1912, from Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, in 1916, and from Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law is an ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. The 11th oldest law school in the United States, it is 160 years old and has more than 11,000 graduates. Its alumni include two United States Supreme Court Justices; Nobel Peace Prize recipient...
at Cumberland University
Cumberland University
Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...
, Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
, in 1917.
He was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
in 1917 and commenced the practice of law in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, in 1920.
During the First World War served from June 30, 1917, until honorably discharged on August 29, 1919, as a member of the Forty-seventh Company, United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, Second Division, serving in France with the American Expeditionary Forces.
Attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of the tenth judicial circuit of Tennessee from September 1, 1926, to September 1, 1934.
State commissioner of Smoky Mountain National Park 1931-1933.
Atkinson was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Seventy-fifth
75th United States Congress
The Seventy-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1937 to January 3, 1939, during the first two years...
Congress (January 3, 1937-January 3, 1939).
He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1938.
He engaged in the practice of law in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, until his death there on April 29, 1947.
He was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery.