Mercer County KyArchives Biographies.....Gaither, Nathan 1788 - August 12 1862 
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 Sandi Gorin 
 
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 February 1, 2005, 3:07 pm 
 
 Author: Kentucky: A History of the State, Battle, 
 Perrin, & Kniffin 
 
 DR. NATHAN GAITHER was born in Rowan County, N. C. , 
 in 1788, and was the 
 youngest son of Nicholas and Margaret 
 (Watkins) Gaither. Nicholas Gaither was a major of 
 State troops and commanded a 
 battalion at the battle of King's Mountain, and was 
 several times a member of 
 the North Carolina Legislature. Nathan Gaither 
 immigrated to Kentucky about 
 1818, and received a fair English education at 
 Bardstown College. He afterward 
 studied medicine with his cousin, Dr. Edward 
 Gaither, in Springfield, Ky., and 
 attended lectures at the famous Philadelphia School 
 of Medicine when such 
 professors as Dr. Physic and Benjamin Rush were 
 members of the faculty; and with 
 the late Dr. Overton, of Tennessee, was one of the 
 eighteen who volunteered, in 
 the interest of science, to undergo the test of 
 Jenner's discovery of kine-pox 
 vaccination and variola innoculation, to discover 
 the justice of its claim to be 
 an antidote for small-pox. In 1812 he was surgeon to 
 Col. Barbee's regiment of 
 Kentucky volunteers in the war with Great Britain. 
 Upon his return to Kentucky 
 he permanent located in Columbia, Adair County, and 
 was many times elected to 
 the Legislature from that county. In 1817 he married 
 Martha Morrison, of Madison 
 County, the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier. She 
 had three brothers in the 
 war of 1812-15, in the military, and one brother, a 
 surgeon in the navy (who 
 died from the effects of wounds received in the 
 fight between the "Constitution" 
 and "Guerriere"). Dr. Nathan Gaither was, in 1827, 
 elected to Congress, and 
 re-elected in 1829. Andrew Stevenson was speaker, 
 and he was at each session 
 appointed upon the committee of ways and means, of 
 which George McDuffie, of 
 South Carolina, was chairman. During his first term 
 a report from the committee 
 was made by a majority favoring the United States 
 Bank charter. In 1829 James K. 
 Polk, of Tennessee, was elected and added to the 
 committee, which again reported 
 in favor of chartering of the United States Bank, 
 when Polk, Alexander and 
 Gaither made another minority report, and the bill 
 having passed, Jackson's 
 famous veto message placed the seal of his approval 
 upon the course of these old 
 time Democrats. From this time forward Dr. Gaither, 
 burdened with the payment of 
 security debts (the universal misfortune of the 
 gentleman politician), and the 
 cares of a growing family, devoted himself to the 
 practice of his profession. 
 Although always actively engaged, and eminently 
 successful as a practionier 
 (sic), he was always sorely in need of money. When 
 it is known that in a 
 practice of more than fifty years he warranted only 
 two men and sued only three 
 it may be seen how negligent he was of financial 
 affairs. As he facetiously 
 remarked to one of his more discreet business 
 friends who upbraided him for not 
 more closely collecting: "By George, my dear sir, it 
 is bad enough to work a man 
 off with a catharatic without afterward making him 
 disgorge with a law-suit 
 emetic." Apropos of his old-fashioned sayings, a few 
 are reported: In his first 
 race for Congress, in 1825, he was defeated by Judge 
 Richard A. Buckner, of 
 Greene County. He was passing through Crocus, in 
 Cumberland County, notoriously 
 a Whig county, and was hailed by Col. Bob Elliott. 
 What Confederate of Morgan's 
 command lives who does not remember Elliott's 
 distillery, near the "Irish 
 Bottom?" In those times the usual dose for fever and 
 ague was a heavy dose of 
 calomel and work it off with rhubarb and jalap. Col. 
 Elliott was a great Whig, a 
 profound admirer of Judge Buckner, who was one of 
 the profoundest lawyers and 
 one of the most able men Kentucky ever produced. 
 Thinking to humble Dr. Gaither, 
 "Hallo, Doctor," said Elliott, "you don't know me?" 
 "Why, certainly, Col. 
 Elliott," returned the Doctor; "I met you in 
 Burkesville and was introduced to 
 you by my friend, Judge Buckner." This rather 
 mollified Elliott, but who ever 
 heard of a hotel-keeper, a distiller or a barkeeper 
 who, when surrounded by his 
 satellites, would not undertake to down the man who 
 opposed his candidate? 
 Elliott, thinking to abash Dr. Gaither, and at the 
 same time show his power over 
 the crowd of voters who were employed by him as 
 laborers in a very ill-attended 
 tobacco field, sarcastically said: "Well, Doctor, 
 you want to doctor our laws 
 against a judge as you doctor our people in the line 
 of business. Now, what 
 prescription would you make for this sickly tobacco 
 patch?" Dr. Gaither, who was 
 then in the prime of life, and was a splendid 
 specimen of human architecture, 
 responded immediately: "I prescribe a heavy dose of 
 bull-tongue plows, and work 
 it off with weeding-hoes." Elliott was always 
 afterward his warm friend, and, as 
 before stated, he was elected, Judge Buckner, after 
 a short canvass, refusing to 
 stand against him. When upbraided by some of his 
 friends for his strict 
 adherence to the granted powers of the constitution 
 and the non-exercise of 
 doubtful rights, his answer always was: "Progress 
 without honesty is the rogues' 
 march." When urged by some of his friends to 
 advocate some new measure as a 
 matter of policy, his universal answer was in 
 language more forcible than pious: 
 "Policy is a - rascally virtue." These, a few of his 
 sayings, are taught to this 
 day by his old friends to their children in his old 
 district. He never asked a 
 man for his political support, and threatened to 
 cane a man for asking him for 
 money to be used in his election as late as in the 
 year 1847 
 - in which year he was elected to the convention 
 from Adair County as delegate 
 to assist in framing our present constitution. In 
 1855, when out of 1,400 voters 
 there were estimated to be 1,000 sworn 
 Know-nothings, he was elected by nearly 
 500 majority. He was nominated by the Democrats for 
 speaker, but was of course 
 defeated, the Know-nothings being largely in the 
 majority. He was nominated by 
 the Democrats for speaker, but was of course 
 defeated, the Know-nothings being 
 largely in the majority. He died August 12, 1862, 
 from paralysis - his last 
 remark to this old-time friend and medical partner, 
 Dr. Samuel B. Field: "I have 
 outlived the liberties of my country and it is time 
 for me to die." His eldest 
 son, Edgar B. Gaither, was born in 1818. Having 
 often heard his father speak of 
 Col. Richard M. Johnson, with whom his father had 
 served in the late British 
 war, and afterward in Congress, when "Old Tecumseh" 
 was senator, young Gaither, 
 without his father's knowledge, wrote to Col. 
 Johnson, who was then 
 Vice-President, asking to be appointed cadet to West 
 Point. In response to his 
 letter came his commission. He graduated in 1839, 
 and served until 1841 as 
 second lieutenant in the First Dragoons. He then 
 resigned, studied law with Hon. 
 Thos. B. Monroe in Frankfort, and being licensed, 
 practiced his profession in 
 Burkesville until 1846. War against Mexico having 
 been declared, he raised a 
 company of volunteers in Adair County, but this 
 command was not accepted, the 
 regiment being filled. He was subsequently appointed 
 captain, under the Ten 
 Regiment bill, in the Third Dragoons, and 
 participated with his command in all 
 the fights from the Natural Bridge until the City of 
 Mexico was captured, and 
 returned with the army when peace was restored. He 
 was specially complimented in 
 general orders for gallant conduct upon many 
 occasions. Returning from Mexico, 
 he practiced law for a time in Washington City in 
 partnership with Col. Theodore 
 O'Hara. He was connected with Lopez in the inception 
 of the Cuban expedition, 
 and his widow now has a handsome portrait presented 
 by the unfortunate Cuban 
 patriot to Capt. Gaither in 1850.  Capt. Gaither was 
 married to Miss Emily R. 
 Hutchison, of Mercer County. In the same year he was 
 elected to the Legislature 
 from Adair County, and in 1851 was elected 
 commonwealth's attorney. He died 
 while holding this office, September 25, 1855. He 
 was a man of brilliant 
 capacity, thorough accomplishments, strict integrity 
 and dauntless courage. No 
 man of his age ever died in Kentucky more 
 universally mourned. Dr. W. N. 
 Gaither, the second son, was a successful 
 practitioner of medicine in southern 
 Kentucky and Harrodsburg until, within a few years 
 past, his lost of health has 
 compelled him to abandon his chosen calling. He is 
 still vigorous in mind, but 
 never having sought political preferment he is only 
 known and loved by the 
 limited circle of his personal acquaintances. The 
 daughters of Dr. Gaither, 
 Margaret, Kate and Mattie, have been dead many 
 years, and all died unmarried. 
 George B. Gaither, the third son, entered as a 
 private in his brother's company, 
 at the age of sixteen, and died in 1849from disease 
 contracted in Mexico. Dr. 
 Gaither's experience as a soldier, caused him to 
 seriously object to his son's 
 entering the army at his tender age, but the was 
 forced to yield his reluctant 
 consent by reason of the boy's stubborn 
 determination. George was stalwart, 
 finely formed, and physically a well-developed man, 
 being six feet two inches 
 high. Capt. Gaither, like all West Pointers, was 
 something of a martinet, and 
 when his brother was enlisted and sworn in - the 
 last man in the company -he 
 remarked to George in a stern manner: "From this 
 time forth, remember I am no 
 longer your brother. You are private and I am Capt. 
 Gaither." George drew 
 himself proudly to his full height, gave a military 
 salute, and responded: 
 "Capt. Gaither, it will be time enough to refuse 
 when I ask a favor from you." 
 Nat Gaither, the only remaining son, except Dr. W. 
 N. Gaither, is residing at 
 Harrodsburg, practicing law. He has filled several 
 offices, having been common 
 school commissioner, county attorney, member of the 
 Legislature, and secretary 
 of State. Edgar H. Gaither, son of Capt. E. B. 
 Gaither, is also a lawyer at 
 Harrodsburg. He was cadet midshipman at Annapolis 
 and resigned to study law, is 
 master commissioner of the Mercer Circuit Court, and 
 has thrice been elected 
 city attorney in the Republican town of Harrodsburg, 
 and is chairman of the 
 Democratic County Committee of Mercer. Nat. Gaither, 
 son of Dr. W. N. Gaither, 
 lives at Hopkinsville, and is a prosperous business 
 man. He served with Morgan 
 in the Confederate Army, and was for twelve years 
 circuit court clerk of 
 Christian County. 
 
 
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