J. Washington Moore

J. Washington Moore (March 16, 1866 – January 2, 1965) was an American fraternity president, lawyer and politician. He served as the Eminent Supreme Archon (President) of Sigma Alpha Epsilon from 1891 to 1894. He was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1903. He served as the City Attorney for Nashville, Tennessee in the 1930s. He served as United States Commissioner from 1942 to 1963.

J. Washington Moore
BornMarch 16, 1866
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedJanuary 2, 1965(1965-01-02) (aged 98)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma materVanderbilt University
Occupation(s)Lawyer, politician
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMary Robina Armistead
Children4
RelativesEdgar E. Rand (son-in-law)

Early life

Moore was born on March 16, 1866, in Collierville, Tennessee near Memphis.[1][2][3]

Moore graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in 1890 and a bachelor of laws degree 1891.[1] At Vanderbilt, he joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity and the Dialectic Society.[4][5] In an 1888 contest, he argument against the right to vote for women, suggesting they did not want to vote.[4] He served as the Eminent Supreme Archon of SAE from 1891 to 1894.[5]

Career

Moore started his career as an attorney in Nashville in the late 1890s.[6]

Moore joined the Democratic Party.[2] He served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1903.[5] He nominated Austin Peay to become Speaker of the House.[7] Moore was a proponent of labor unions, arguing, "What is called the labor movement is only a part of the larger movement toward human freedom."[8]

Moore was appointed as Assistant Attorney General of the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Tennessee in 1910.[5] He served as the Nashville City Attorney in the 1930s.[9] When a black physician was elected to the city council and a ballot box was stolen, Moore suggested he was "unfamiliar with the law and procedure regarding such a theft," even though this had happened before.[10] Meanwhile, Moore was elected as a member of the Nashville Bar Association in 1942.[11] He served as United States Commissioner from 1942 to 1963.[12] In this capacity, he arrested William L. Brown, a marijuana dealer with connections in Columbus, Ohio and Chicago who sold the drug to black musicians; Moore called him "the king of Nashville reefer dealers."[13]

Moore was a member of the Tribe of Ben-Hur, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Royal Arcanum and the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan of the Knights of Pythias.[5]

Personal life

Moore married Mary Robina Armistead in 1892.[1] They resided on South Avenue in East Nashville.[14] They had two sons (J. Washington Moore, Jr. and William Armistead Moore) and two daughters (Mary and Sarah).[1] One of their daughters, Sarah Frances, who married Edgar E. Rand, the President of the International Shoe Company; the couple divorced in 1951.[15]

Moore smoked a cigar a day.[12] He attended the West End United Methodist Church in Nashville.[1]

Death

Moore died on January 2, 1965, in Nashville, at the age of ninety-seven.[3] By the time of his death, he was "the oldest member" of SAE.[3]

References
  1. Reynolds, J. L.; Elledge, Fred, Jr.; Minick, Norman; Denney, W. Raymond. "J. Washington Moore" (PDF). Nashville Bar Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "J. Washington Moore Receives Appointment. Well-Known Lawyer Named by Attorney-Elect A. B. Anderson as His Assistant". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. September 1, 1910. p. 6. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. "Ex-U.S. Commissioner Dies". Kingsport Times-News. Kingsport, Tennessee. January 3, 1965. p. 5. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "Should Women Vote? Young Lords of Creation Earnestly Debate the Question. A Big Audience Hears the Discussion at Vanderbilt. The Gallant Judge in Solemn Conclave Declare in Favor of the Fair Sex". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. November 30, 1888. p. 5. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. J. Washington Moore, of Tennessee, followed Mr. Moss and contended that women did not want to vote; that the franchise was a political, not a political right; their ballot, a symbol of weakness rather than strength, would not bring about legislation; women would be suggested to corrupt influences in order to control their votes; women would look at questions from narrow and prejudiced standpoints, and morality would not be furthered open access
  5. Maxwell, W. J. (1918). General catalogue of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. p. 565. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Internet Archive.
  6. "Nashville Business Directory". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. March 7, 1898. p. 3. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. "Speakership of the House Hangs in the Balance". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. January 6, 1963. p. 7. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  8. "City's Toilers Take a Day Off. Several Thousands of Them Gather at Glendale. Picnic on the Grounds. Hear Addresses by Washington Moore and Jere Baxter. Former Speaks on "Tyranny" and Latter on "Unequal Distribution of Wealth." Negroes Celebrate At Watkins Park. Day One of Great Enjoyment". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. September 8, 1963. p. 9. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  9. "4 Metropolitan Mayors To Seek 'Phone Rate Cut. Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville Agree to File Petition Against Southern Bell". Kingsport Times. Kingsport, Tennessee. October 11, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  10. "Ballot Box Is Stolen After Negro Elected. Nashville Poll a Riot as Lights Are Turned Out and Place Stampeded". The Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama. March 30, 1934. p. 3. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Political people of the ward said this wasn't the first time a box had been stolen in the turbulent vicinity where in past years three negroes have been elected to the council. J. Washington Moore, city attorney, said however that he was unfamiliar with the law and procedure regarding such a theft and would have some research work to do before making an opinion. open access
  11. Stephens, Charles B.; Clark, Robert M. (July 1942). "Bar Association News". American Bar Association Journal. 28 (7): 511. JSTOR 25714332.
  12. "J. W. Moore Resigns". Kingsport Times-News. Kingsport, Tennessee. January 4, 1963. p. 2. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  13. "Big Narcotics Ring Smashed By Nashville Police. Authorities Believe Tie-in Extends to Chicago Operators". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. February 14, 1948. p. 11. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Much of his business came from local Negro orchestras and from visiting orchestras and bands. [...] He is the king of Nashville reefer dealers. open access
  14. "Society". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. October 14, 1903. p. 5. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  15. "Lady Indignant on Indignities". Kingsport News. Kingsport, Tennessee. June 21, 1951. p. 7. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
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