Davidson-Bedford County TN Archives Biographies.....Landis, Abb Lowe 1856 - 
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Author: Will T. Hale

   ABB LOWE LANDIS was born in Bedford county, Tennessee, August 9, 1856, and

traces the lines of his descent from the Landis family of North Carolina and

from the Carter connection of Virginia. Next to the efficacy of good brains and

blood in making up a man comes his environment—the circumstances surrounding the

boy and the man--the influences that impell ambitious and worthy endeavors. In

these directions Mr. Landis was well favored. His father was Maj. A. L. Landis,

whose name also has entered worthily into the history of Tennessee as a soldier

and legislator, and his mother was Nancy (Carter) Landis, a most estimable lady

and the daughter of William and Keziah (Tannehill) Carter. The life and services

of Major Landis are more specifically mentioned in his individual sketch

appearing in this work.



   The early years of Abb Lowe Landis leave no special mark for the note of the

biographer. His first step in the march of life was into the University of

Nashville, from which he was graduated in 1875. The following year he completed

a post-graduate course at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, graduating in the

spring of 1876, and he then entered upon the specific training for his

profession by matriculating in the Cumberland University Law School, from which

he was graduated in 1879. In the meantime, from 1876 to 1878, he was engaged in

manufacturing, and in 1876 he also took up journalism, continuing identified

with that profession until 1888. A Democrat in political sentiment, he actively

participated in the "sky blue" political compaign of 1882, and during 1884 and

1885 as owner of the Nashville Banner he waged editorial war on the

convict-lease system of Tennessee, which was followed by a legislature

investigation resulting in the final abandonment of the system by the state.

During his anti-lease system campaign he wrote the editorial. "The Tennessee

Tewksbury," which was widely read, created intense interest in the subject of

his contention, and which was an effective factor in bringing about the results

so much to Tennessee's credit. This good work, however, was accomplished at a

heavy cost to Mr. Landis in a financial way, for he thereby incurred the

opposition of large moneyed interests that hitherto had profited by this system

of cheap labor and he was finally compelled to sell the Nashville Banner, which

he had taken when a losing property and had converted into a paying investment.

From 1885 to 1889 he practiced law in Florida, and from 1889 to 1896 his

attention was given to investments and insurance business. Since 1896 his whole

activity has been in the direction of an actuary and counselor. As an actuary he

has devoted his efforts to aiding provident societies of the United States and

Canada to become established upon a sound financial basis. In this work he has

served as actuary and counselor for more than one hundred of the largest and

oldest beneficial orders in the United States and the Dominion of Canada and

through public readjustment campaigns he has become well known to four millions

of their members. Mr. Landis is the author of several books and pamphlets on

insurance principles and practices.



   On August 18, 1880, Mr. Landis was happily married to Miss Mary Alma Word, to

whom were born Edwin Carter Landis (1884, died 1911) and Abbie Lucile Landis
(1888).



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



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