Jere Baxter
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jere Baxter
| image = Jere-baxter.jpg
| caption = Jere Baxter, c. 1900
| birth_name =
| birth_date = February 11, 1852
| birth_place = Nashville, Tennessee
| death_date = February 29, 1904
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| resting_place = Mount Olivet Cemetery
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| education = Montgomery Bell Academy
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| occupation = Businessman
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}}
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.[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/03/01/120265888.pdf 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.[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1890/07/16/103252991.pdf Buchanan Leads the Vote; Tennessee Democrats Meet at Nashville], The New York Times, July 16, 1890, page 1[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1890/07/19/106039903.pdf Buchanan 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.{{cite journal|last1=Burt|first1=Jesse C. Jr|title=Whitefoord Russell Cole: A Study in Character|journal=The Filson Club History Quarterly|date=January 1954|volume=28|pages=28–48}}
Death and legacy
Baxter died on February 29, 1904. Baxter, Tennessee, is named for him.[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=65 Jere Baxter] in the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.{{cite news|title=Imposing Funeral. Vast Concourse Pays Respect to Hon. Jere Baxter. Services at the Tabernacle. Between 4,000 and 5,000 Persons Gather in Large Auditorium--Many Beautiful Floral Designs Contributed--Laid to Rest at Mt. Olivet.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/119013865/?terms=%22Jere%2BBaxter%22|access-date=May 25, 2018|work=The Nashville American|date=March 2, 1904|page=5|via=Newspapers.com|url-access=registration }}
References
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Category:19th-century American businesspeople
Category:Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee
Category:Businesspeople from Tennessee
Category:Democratic Party Tennessee state senators
Category:Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)
Category:19th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly
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