Background
Cheatham was born in Springfield, Tennessee. His father, Richard Cheatham, was a Whig politician who was elected to the United States. House of Representatives in 1836.
Cheatham was born in Springfield, Tennessee. His father, Richard Cheatham, was a Whig politician who was elected to the United States. House of Representatives in 1836.
Politics
He was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1859 and resigned the following year to become Mayor of Nashville. Less than a year after the outbreak of the Civil War and Tennessee secession from the Union, the Union army, under General Ulysses South. Grant captured Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River on February 16, 1862. This left Nashville almost indefensible.
As the Union troops approached Nashville, panic erupted in the city.
Cheatham urged the citizens to be calm and not to burn the city. On February 25, Union troops marched into Nashville and Cheatham along with ten other prominent citizens officially surrendered Nashville to Union General Don Carlos Buell.
Later, military governor (and future president of the United States) Andrew Johnson had Cheatham arrested for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to the United States. Constitution. Johnson had Unionist John Hugh Smith replace Cheatham as mayor.
After the war, Cheatham was elected back to the Tennessee House of Representatives and served one term from 1869 until 1871.
Personal life
He died six years later and was buried at Mountain. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.