CDV of Tennessee Governor & Confederate Lieutenant Colonel James Davis Porter

CDV of Tennessee Governor & Confederate Lieutenant Colonel James Davis Porter
James Davis Porter (1828–1912) was a prominent Tennessee statesman, Confederate officer, educator, and diplomat.
 
Born in Paris, Tennessee, Porter graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nashville in 1846. He studied law and served in the Tennessee House of Representatives prior to the Civil War. In 1861, Governor Isham Harris appointed him Assistant Adjutant-General in the Provisional Army of Tennessee. When Tennessee joined the Confederacy, Porter continued his service, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
 
After the war, he resumed his law practice and served four years as Judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit. In 1874, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, serving from 1875 to 1879. As governor, he was a strong supporter of education and played a major role in the establishment of the George Peabody College for Teachers. During his administration, Meharry Medical College — the first Black medical school in the South — was founded.
 
Later in his distinguished career, Porter served as President of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad, Assistant Secretary of State under President Grover Cleveland (1885–1887), and U.S. Minister to Chile (1893–1895). He also served as Chancellor of the University of Nashville and President of Peabody Normal College (later George Peabody College for Teachers).
This handsome bust-view CDV captures Governor Porter during his postwar political prominence.