Luke Lea (1879–1945)
| Luke Lea | |
|---|---|
 |
|
|
United States Senator from Tennessee |
|
|
In office March 4, 1911 – March 4, 1917 |
|
| Preceded by | James B. Frazier |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth D. McKellar |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 12, 1879 Nashville, Tennessee |
| Died | November 18, 1945 (aged 66) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Louise Warner Lea |
Luke Lea (April 12, 1879 – November 18, 1945) was a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1911 to 1917.
Lea was the great-grandson of an earlier Luke Lea who was a two-term Congressman from Tennessee in the 1830s. Initially an ardent supporter of Democrat Andrew Jackson, the elder Lea later became a member of the Whig Party.
The younger Lea attended public schools and then the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, graduating from that institution in 1899. Lea was the manager of the famed "Iron Men" of the 1899 Sewanee Tigers football team, who won 5 road games in 6 days all by shutout and outscored opponents 322 to 10. Lea is credited with putting together its schedule. He then attended the Columbia Law School in New York City, completing his studies at that prestigious institution in 1903 and being admitted to the bar the same year, beginning practice in Nashville.
Lea was the founder of the Nashville Tennessean and its first editor and publisher. He was elected to the Senate by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1911. He was an enthusiastic supporter of most of the progressive policies of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson, a fellow native of the South and to that point only the second member of the Democratic Party elected President (in 1912) since the end of the Civil War. During the 63rd Congress, Lea was chairman of the Senate Committee on the Library (of Congress).
...
Wikipedia