Davidson-Carroll County TN Archives Biographies.....Enloe, Benjamin A. 1848 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com October 26, 2005, 2:58 pm Author: Will T. Hale BENJAMIN A. ENLOE. A member of the bar of his native state for the past forty years, Mr. Enloe attained to high reputation as a versatile and resourceful attorney and counselor at law, and later he gave evidence of his versatility of talent through active association with important newspaper enterprises, in connection with which he gained high reputation as an editor and publisher. He has likewise been a prominent figure in public affairs in Tennessee, where he served as a member of the legislature when but twenty-one years of age, and he also represented the Eighth district in the United States congress for four consecutive terms. He is at the present time a member of the Tennessee Railroad Commission, and in this, as in all other positions of trust of which he has been the incumbent, he has honored his native state by his character and services. As one of the essentially representative men of Tennessee he is entitled to special recognition in this publication. Benjamin A. Enloe was born on the old homestead farm of his father, near Clarksburg, Carroll county, Tennessee, on the 18th of January, 1848, and is a son of Benjamin S. and Nancy O. (Blair) Enloe, the former of whom was born in South Carolina, a scion of a stanch old Scotch-Irish family there, founded in the colonial epoch, and the latter of whom was born in North Carolina. Benjamin S. Enloe became one of the prosperous agriculturists and honored and influential citizens of Carroll county, Tennesee. The mother died in 1870 at Nashville, Arkansas, and father died at Jackson, Tennessee, in 1893. They passed away secure in the high regard of all who knew them. He whose name initiates this review, gained his early education in the country schools and thereafter continued his studies in Bethel college, at McLemoresville, this state, and in Cumberland university, at Lebanon, in the literary or academic department of which institution he was a student in 1869. He was thus prosecuting his studies when, at the age of twenty-one years, he was elected to represent his native county in the lower house of the state legislature. He made an excellent record as an active and effective worker both on the floor of the house and in the committee room, and at the expiration of his first term he was given distinctive mark of popular appreciation, in that he was re-elected, so that he served two consecutive terms, during the first of which he was the youngest member of the house. In 1872 Mr. Enloe returned to Cumberland university and entered its law department, in which he was graduated in the following year, with the degree of bachelor of laws. For a few years thereafter he was engaged in the active and successful practice of his profession at Jackson, the judicial center of Madison county, where he has since continued to maintain his home, but his health became so severely impaired as to render it imperative for him to withdraw from the work of his profession. Under these conditions he turned his attention to the newspaper business, the exactions of which were not so great as those of the law. He became associated with Colonel Robert Gates in founding the Jackson Sun, and they continued as editors and publishers of this paper for twelve years, after which Mr. Enloe individually presided over its destinies for two years. Mr. Enlow served as a delegate to the Baltimore convention in 1872, was a Tilden and Hendricks elector in 1876, served as a member of the State Democratic Executive committee 18807 as chairman of the State Democratic convention 1880, and as delegate to the National Democratic convention 1880. In 1886 he was made the Democratic nominee for representative in congress from the Eighth congressional district and was elected by a gratifying majority. By successive re-election he continued his services in congress for eight consecutive years, from 1887 to 1895, and he gained and sustained high reputation as a zealous and effective worker in the lower house of the national legislature, in which he served on many important committees, introduced various important bills, especially in the interests of his home state, and proved earnest and faithful in his efforts to further wise legislation. After his retirement from congress Mr. Enloe established the Nashville Daily Sun, with the publication of which he was identified for two years and of which he was editor-in-chief. Thereafter he was actively concerned in the publication of the Louisville Daily Dispatch, in the metropolis of Kentucky. He was the founder of this paper also and directed its editorial policies with marked ability. In 1903 Mr. Enloe was elected secretary and director of the commission having in charge the Tennessee exhibits at the Louisiana Purchase exposition, in the city of St. Louis, and in the following year he was elected to his present office of member of the Tennessee State Railroad Commission. He was re-elected in 1910 and his present term will expire in 1916. The duties of this office demand the major part of his time and attention, and his broad experience, professional ability and fine administrative powers render him specially eligible for the handling of the responsible duties devolving upon him. He has ever been a stalwart advocate of the principles and policies of the Democratic party and thus is naturally gratified to see his party in ascendency through the national election of November, 1912, with full confidence in the ability and high purpose of its distinguished standard-bearer, President Wilson. In 1911 and again in 1913 he came within two or three votes of an election to the United States senate. In the Masonic fraternity Mr. Enloe has completed the circle of the York Rite, in which he has received the Knight Templar's degree and his affiliation is with the commandery of Knights Templars at Jackson, where he still resides, though his official duties demand his presence in Nashville. He has long held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. South, of which his wife likewise is a devoted adherent. In the year 1870 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Enloe to Miss Fannie Howard Ashworth, of Lebanon, this state, and they have four children: Benjamin A., Jr., is a representative citizen of South McAllister, Oklahoma, of which city he is serving as mayor at the time of this writing, in 1913; Adele is the wife of George L. Wilkinson, of Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of the city of Chicago; Fantine is the wife of A. M. McClain, of Lebanon, Tennessee; and Marie E. Murray, a widow, resides with her parents. Additional Comments: From: A history of Tennessee and Tennesseans : the leaders and representative men in commerce, industry and modern activities by Will T. Hale Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1913 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/davidson/bios/enloe208nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/tnfiles/ File size: 7.3 Kb