Meredith Poindexter Gentry
Encyclopedia
Meredith Poindexter Gentry (September 15, 1809 – November 2, 1866) was an American politician who represented Tennessee
's eighth and seventh districts in the United States House of Representatives
. He also served in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War
.
. He moved with his parents to Williamson County, Tennessee
, in 1813. He completed preparatory studies, studied law, was admitted to the bar
, and commenced practice in Franklin, Tennessee
. He was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from 1835 to 1839.
He was elected as a Whig
to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses by eighth district of Tennessee. He served from March 4, 1839 to March 3, 1843. Because of the death of his wife, he refused to be a candidate for renomination in 1842. He was again elected to the Twenty-ninth and the three succeeding Congresses by the seventh district, after the electoral district
s Tennessee held had been reduced and reapportioned. He served from March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1853. During the Thirtieth Congress, he was the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Indian Affairs. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1852.
In 1855 Meredith Poindexter Gentry was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Tennessee. He lost to future U.S. President Andrew Johnson
, who received 67,499 votes in the gubernatorial election. Gentry received 65,342 votes, leaving Johnson with a majority of 2,157. He retired to his plantation
in Tennessee, where he remained until 1861.
Though the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
lists him as a member of the Confederate House of Representatives during the First
and Second Confederate Congress
es, other sources list him as merely as a member of the First Confederate Congress during its first two sessions. The Journal of the Confederate Congress supports this view, listing him as having taken his seat on March 17, 1862, with his last appearance being near the day the second session ended, October 13, 1862. According to the Biographical Directory of the Tennessee General Assembly, he "may not have attended the 3rd and 4th sessions of the congress; was not a member of the 2nd Confederate Congress. He was captured in Middle Tennessee
in 1864 and requested that President Abraham Lincoln
send him south because of ill health; the request was granted."
He died in Nashville, Tennessee
, and was interred
at Mount Olivet Cemetery
.
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...
's eighth and seventh districts in the United States House of Representatives
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...
. He also served in the Confederate States Congress during the American 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...
.
Biography
Gentry was born in Rockingham County, North CarolinaRockingham County, North Carolina
Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 93,643. Its county seat is Wentworth.- History :The county was formed in 1785 from Guilford County...
. He moved with his parents to Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County, Tennessee
Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...
, in 1813. He completed preparatory studies, studied law, was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
, and commenced practice in Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
. He was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
from 1835 to 1839.
He was elected as a 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...
to the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses by eighth district of Tennessee. He served from March 4, 1839 to March 3, 1843. Because of the death of his wife, he refused to be a candidate for renomination in 1842. He was again elected to the Twenty-ninth and the three succeeding Congresses by the seventh district, after the electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
s Tennessee held had been reduced and reapportioned. He served from March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1853. During the Thirtieth Congress, he was the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Indian Affairs. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1852.
In 1855 Meredith Poindexter Gentry was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Tennessee. He lost to future U.S. President 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...
, who received 67,499 votes in the gubernatorial election. Gentry received 65,342 votes, leaving Johnson with a majority of 2,157. He retired to his plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in Tennessee, where he remained until 1861.
Though the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress as well as its predecessor, the Continental Congress...
lists him as a member of the Confederate House of Representatives during the First
First Confederate Congress
The First Confederate Congress was the first regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections mostly held on 6 November 1861.-Sessions:...
and Second Confederate Congress
Second Confederate Congress
The Second Confederate Congress was the second and last regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the Second Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held at various dates in 1863 and 1864...
es, other sources list him as merely as a member of the First Confederate Congress during its first two sessions. The Journal of the Confederate Congress supports this view, listing him as having taken his seat on March 17, 1862, with his last appearance being near the day the second session ended, October 13, 1862. According to the Biographical Directory of the Tennessee General Assembly, he "may not have attended the 3rd and 4th sessions of the congress; was not a member of the 2nd Confederate Congress. He was captured in Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
in 1864 and requested that President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham 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...
send him south because of ill health; the request was granted."
He died 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...
, and was interred
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
at Mount Olivet Cemetery
Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)
Mount Olivet Cemetery is a 250-acre cemetery located in Nashville, Tennessee.Mount Olivet has been continuously operated since its establishment in 1856. It serves as the final resting place for many of Middle Tennessee's political and business leaders, including several former governors of...
.
External links
- Meredith Poindexter Gentry's entry at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Brownglow, William G. (1856) Americanism Contrasted with Foreignism, Romanism, and Bogus Democracy, in the Light of Reason, History, and Scripture. p.173
- csawardept.com List of members of the First Confederate Congress
- www.memory.loc.gov The Journal of the Confederate Congress - March 17, 1862
- www.memory.loc.gov The Journal of the Confederate Congress - October 10, 1862