Richard Cheatham

Richard Cheatham (February 20, 1799 – September 9, 1845) was an American politician and businessman in Middle Tennessee who served in both the Tennessee House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Whig Party, he was elected in 1836 from Tennessee’s 11th congressional district to the Twenty-fifth Congress, serving one term in the national legislature during a significant period in American political history.

Cheatham was born in Springfield, Robertson County, Tennessee, on February 20, 1799. He completed preparatory studies in his youth and then entered working life rather than pursuing formal higher education. Settling in his native region of Middle Tennessee, he engaged in a variety of commercial and agricultural enterprises, including mercantile pursuits, stock raising, and the operation of a cotton gin. He married Susan Saunders, with whom he established a family whose members would remain active in Tennessee’s public and economic life.

Cheatham soon became politically active in state affairs. He was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1824, at the age of twenty-five, and served several terms from 1825 to 1833. During this period he represented the interests of his Middle Tennessee constituents in the state legislature and participated in the development of Tennessee’s legal and political framework. In addition to his legislative service, he held a commission in the state militia, in which he attained the rank of general, reflecting his prominence in local civic and military affairs.

In 1834 Cheatham was chosen as a delegate to the Tennessee constitutional convention, which met in Nashville from May 19 to August 30 of that year. The convention revised the state constitution and addressed issues of representation, suffrage, and governmental structure at a time when Tennessee was experiencing population growth and political change. His role in the convention placed him among the leading political figures of the state. In 1836 he further demonstrated his standing within the Whig Party and Tennessee politics by serving as a Presidential Elector for Tennessee in the national election.

Cheatham sought a seat in the United States House of Representatives on three successive occasions before achieving election in 1836. Running as a Whig, he was elected from Tennessee’s 11th congressional district to the Twenty-fifth Congress, serving from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1839. As a member of the Whig Party representing Tennessee, Richard Cheatham contributed to the legislative process during his one term in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a period marked by national debates over economic policy, banking, and the powers of the federal government. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to both the Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses and, after leaving Congress, resumed his former business pursuits in mercantile activity, agriculture, and related enterprises.

In his later years, Cheatham continued to reside in Middle Tennessee and to manage his business interests. While visiting at White’s Creek Springs near Springfield, Tennessee, he died on September 9, 1845, at the age of forty-six years and 201 days. He was initially interred at Old City Cemetery in Springfield. His widow, Susan Saunders Cheatham, and their eldest son, Edward Saunders Cheatham, continued the family’s businesses following his death, maintaining the Cheatham presence in regional commerce and public life. In 1952 his remains were reinterred at Elmwood Cemetery. Reflecting the continued influence of the family in Tennessee, Cheatham County was later named in honor of his son, Edward Saunders Cheatham.