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WILLIE BLOUNT was born in Bertie County, North Carolina, around 1767. Although little is known about his early life, sources suggest that he attended Columbia and Princeton Universities. In 1790 he settled in Montgomery County (now in Tennessee), where he farmed and practiced law. He was also private secretary to his half-brother, William Blount, governor of the Southwest Territory, which ultimately became Tennessee. He was elected a judge of the Superior Court of Law and Equity by the Tennessee legislature. He was then elected Governor of Tennessee three times-the latter two times unopposed. During his years as governor, Blount assisted Andrew Jackson in his campaign against the Creek Indians and in his New Orleans campaign during the War of 1812. He authorized calls for volunteers and raised funds to meet the needs of troops. After retiring, he resumed his farming interests in Montgomery County. He ran for governor once again in 1827 but was soundly defeated by Sam Houston. He later represented Montgomery County in the State Constitutional Convention of 1834. He was also a trustee of Blount College, Cumberland College, and Rural Academy. He died near Nashville and was buried in Clarksville.

Sources:

The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. 7. New York: James T. White & Company.

McBride, Robert M. and Dan M. Robison. Biographical Directory of the Tennessee General Assembly, Volume 1, 1796-1861.

Past Governors of Tennessee

Philips, Margaret I. The Governors of Tennessee. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 2001.

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 4. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

West, Carroll V. The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, Nashville: Tennessee Historical Society, 1998.

White, Robert H. Messages of the Governors of Tennessee, 1796-1821. Nashville: The Tennessee Historical Commission, Vol. 1, 1952.