Andrew L. Todd Sr.#Legacy

Todd was born in the Rucker community of Rutherford County, Tennessee to a local farmer, Aaron Wilson Todd, and his wife, Elizabeth (Prater) Todd, on July 27, 1872.{{cite web|url=http://janus.mtsu.edu/research/AndrewTodd.shtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130626175921/http://janus.mtsu.edu/research/AndrewTodd.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 26, 2013 |title=Andrew L. Todd Sr. Papers |publisher=Middle Tennessee State University |accessdate=May 19, 2013 }}

He married his wife, Minneola Wilson, on July 3, 1895. They had two sons.

He graduated from Union University (formerly Southwestern Baptist University) in Jackson, Tennessee in 1892, and was selected to become a member of the faculty. He taught at the university until June 1895. After marrying Minneola, he served as the principal of Wartrace high school as well as the Lexington Baptist College.{{Cite book |last1=Moore |first1=John Trotwood |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-y0XAAAAIAAJ&dq=andrew+l+todd+sr&pg=PA396 |title=Tennessee: The Volunteer State, 1769-1923 |last2=Foster |first2=Austin Powers |date=1923 |publisher=S. J. Clarke Publishing Company |pages=396 |language=en}} He took a law course at Sewanee, and later at Cumberland University Law School.{{cite web |author=Greg Tucker |date=August 12, 2012 |title=Developer manipulated Normal school site |url=http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/PeoplePlacesandStories/GregTuckerStories/20120812%20-%20Developer%20manipulated%20Normal%20school%20site/20120812%20-%20Developer%20manipulated%20Normal%20school%20site.htm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708033228/http://rutherfordtnhistory.org/PeoplePlacesandStories/GregTuckerStories/20120812%20-%20Developer%20manipulated%20Normal%20school%20site/20120812%20-%20Developer%20manipulated%20Normal%20school%20site.htm |archivedate=July 8, 2013 |accessdate=May 19, 2013 |publisher=Rutherford County Historical Society}} He graduated from Cumberland in 1901.

In addition to being a charter member of the Murfreesboro Rotary Club in 1919,{{Cite web |title=Rotary History – Rotary Club of Murfreesboro |url=http://murfreesbororotary.org/rotary-history/ |access-date=2023-07-28 |language=en}} Todd held memberships in the Masons, the Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, and Kappa Sigma fraternity, as well as the Baptist church. He served as an alternate delegate for Tennessee at the Democratic National Convention in 1924.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6oczAAAAIAAJ&dq=andrew+l+todd+sr&pg=PA73 |title=Official Proceedings of the Democratic National Convention |date=1924 |publisher=National Document Publishers |pages=73 |language=en}}

He was elected as Rutherford County Superintendent of Schools from 1900 to 1907 and Governor Frazier appointed him to the State Board of Education in 1905 where he continued to serve until 1915. As a member of the Board of Education he lobbied to locate the state's new teacher's college to Murfreesboro.{{cite web|url=http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=914|title=Middle Tennessee State University|author=Carroll Van West|publisher=The University of Tennessee Press|date=December 25, 2009|accessdate=May 19, 2013}} The "Middle Tennessee State Teachers College" evolved into the present day Middle Tennessee State University.

From 1913 to 1923, Todd served in the Tennessee General Assembly, two terms in the House and two terms in the Senate.{{cite web|url=http://www.tnyesterday.com/yesterday_henderson/bf-obit1.html|title=MISCELLANEOUS OBITUARIES AND DEATH NOTICES|author=Brenda Kirk Fiddler|accessdate=May 19, 2013}} As Speaker of the Senate in the 61st General Assembly, and Speaker of the House in the 62nd General Assembly (1921-1923),{{Cite book |title=Tennessee Blue Book, 2013-2014 |publisher=Department of State |editor-link1=Tre Hargett|editor-last1=Hargett|editor-first1=Tre|year=2013 |edition=1st |location=Tennessee |pages=582 |language=en-US |type=Authorization No 305315}} he is the only person in Tennessee history to have served in both capacities.{{cite web |author=Tucker |first=Greg |date=2012-08-26 |title=Lake part of Todd plan to attract VA |url=https://rutherfordtnhistory.org/lake-part-of-todd-plan-to-attract-va/ |archiveurl= |archivedate= |accessdate=2023-07-28 |website=Rutherford County Historical Association |publisher=}}{{Cite news |date=1945-03-25 |title=ANDREW L. TODD.; Was Speaker of Both Houses in Tennessee Legislature |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/03/25/archives/andrew-l-todd-was-speaker-of-both-houses-in-tennessee-legislature.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-07-28}}

Apart from his political career, Todd was also an active businessman. He established the {{convert|800|acre|ha|lk=on}} "Toddington Farms"{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-sk7AQAAMAAJ |title=Farming, the Business Magazine |publisher=Knoxville, TN |year=1920 |pages=350 |language=en}} which specialized in pure-bred Aberdeen-Angus cattle.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=noMfc74DJ4cC |title=The American Aberdeen-Angus Herd-book: Containing a Record of Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Approved and Admitted for Registry Under the By-laws of the American Aberdeen-Angus Breeders' Association |publisher=Rutgers University|year=1886 |pages=658, 661 |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yb4zAQAAMAAJ |title=The Aberdeen-Angus Journal |date=1921 |publisher=Aberdeen-Angus Journal Publishing Company |volume=3-4 |pages=15–16 |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pZeyoNdx6N4C |title=Aberdeen-Angus Journal |date=1920-06-10 |publisher=Aberdeen-Angus Journal Publishing Company |volume=1 |location=Webster City, IA |pages=16 |language=en |issue=21}} He often made large purchases of cattle.{{Cite journal |date=1919-11-06 |title=A Record Cattle Sale in the South {{!}} E.L. Hampton Scores an Average of $1,049 on 54 Aberdeen-Angus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P5Q5AQAAMAAJ |journal=The Breeder's Gazette |volume=76 |pages=981 |via=Google Books}}{{Cite journal |year=1920 |title=Record Angus Sale |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OBz1Qj12tykC |journal=The Field Illustrated |pages=44 |via=Google Books}}

He practiced as an attorney in Murfreesboro for many years and developed many business interests there, including the Murfreesboro Home Journal (owner), the Murfreesboro Bank & Trust Co. (president, 1913-1929), and Murfreesboro Woolen Mills (shareholder). He was a financial correspondent for the Union Central Life Insurance Company and a farm loan correspondent for the New York Life Insurance Company. He purchased another local paper alongside the Murfreesboro Home Journal and merged them into The Daily News Journal.

Todd was Speaker of the Senate in 1920, when women's suffrage came up for the vote for ratification in Tennessee. Todd did vote in favor of the measure to support the amendment for women's suffrage, and the resolution passed the state Senate with a vote of 25 to 4 with 2 abstentions.{{Cite web |date=1920-08-13 |title=Transcript of the Senate journal of the first extra session of the 61st General Assembly on Senate Joint Resolution No 1, relative to ratifying the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States |url=https://teva.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15138coll27/id/1099/rec/9 |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=Tennessee Virtual Archive |language=en}}

Todd is sometimes referred to as the "godfather" of Middle Tennessee State University and he continued to support the school until his death. In 1958, a new library was constructed at a cost of $450,000. It was named the Andrew L Todd Library in his honor.{{cite web |author=Alexander |first1=Sue |last2=Field |first2=Kathy |title=History of the Libraries at Middle Tennessee State University |url=https://www.tnla.org/page/History_MTSU/TL-v58n4-History-of-the-Libraries-at-MTSU.htm?dues |accessdate=2023-07-28 |website=Tennessee Library Association |publisher=}}

During the late 1930s, Todd was involved with the construction of a dam across "Black Fox Camp Spring Creek", the resulting reservoir is now known as "Todd's Lake."

He also attempted to establish the M. Davis Memorial Association August 21, 1920, alongside Eugene Holloway and George H. Armistead, to acquire the homestead of Sam Davis and his place of execution at Pulaski, Tennessee to establish "shrines."{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mdprS66Lt18C |title=Home of Sam Davis, Smyrna, Tennessee: A State Shrine of a Southern Scout. Under Management of The Sam Davis Memorial Association, Smyrna, Tennessee |date=1956 |editor-last=Baird |editor-first=Mary Robertson |pages=19 |language=en}}

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Category:School board members in Tennessee

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Category:Union University alumni

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