State of Tennessee Department of State Tennessee State Library and Archives 403 Seventh Avenue North Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0312 GOVERNOR BENTON MCMILLIN (1845-1933) PAPERS 1899-1903 GP 32 Processed by: Elbert Watson Archival Technical Services Completed: 1965 Updated by: Lori D. Lockhart Completed: October 15, 2020 MICROFILMED With the exception of the Edward J. Gay booklet in Box 5, folder 25. INTRODUCTION This finding aid covers the gubernatorial papers of Tennessee Governor Benton McMillin (1845-1933), who served consecutive, two-year terms as governor, from 1899- 1903. It consists of seventy-seven manuscript boxes of materials that contain correspondence, special subject files, proclamations, resolutions, miscellaneous materials, bills, election materials, reports, position applications, requests for requisitions, and petitions for pardons. There are no restrictions on the use of the materials, and researchers may make copies of individual items for individual or scholarly use. SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE This finding aid covers the gubernatorial papers of Tennessee Governor Benton McMillin, who served from 1899-1903. The collection consists of seventy-seven manuscript boxes of materials arranged by record type as follows: correspondence, special subject files, proclamations, resolutions, miscellaneous materials, bills, election materials, reports, position applications, request for requisitions, and petitions for pardons. The bulk of the collection consists of Petitions for Pardons (26 boxes, numbers 53-77); Correspondence (21 boxes, numbers 1-22); and Applications/Petitions (17 boxes, numbers 33-49). McMillin’s efforts to balance Tennessee’s financial situation, improve public education, and reform child labor characterized his tenure as governor. McMillin created a sinking fund that successfully reduced the state debt. He signed legislation establishing uniform textbooks for public schools, provided for factory inspection, and changed the minimum factory employment age from 12 to 14 years. However, because the collection is arranged by record type, it is not certain whether information on these issues can be found within the papers. Researchers looking for information on these issues might look in the Correspondence (boxes 1-22), in the Special Files (box 23), and in the Reports (boxes 29-32). Included in the printed materials (Box 25, folder 5) is the “Memorial Addresses on the Life and Character of Edward J. Gay A Representative from Louisiana Delivered in the House of Representatives and in the Senate Fifty-First Congress, First Session.” The Government Printing Office in Washington, D.C., printed the book in 1891. Governor McMillin served in Congress with Gay and delivered one of the commemorative speeches. McMillin’s oration begins on page 21 of the booklet. Note: This pamphlet is not included on the microfilm. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Benton McMillin (Democrat) Benton McMillin, the son of John and Elizabeth Black McMillin, was born in Monroe County, Kentucky, on September 11, 1845. He was educated at Philomath Academy in Tennessee, and at the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical College (later the University of Kentucky at Lexington). Sometime after the end of the Civil War, McMillin read law under Judge E. L. Gardenshire in Carthage (Smith County), Tennessee. Before moving to Carthage, he set up his law practice in Celina (Clay County), Tennessee. He was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1871. His political career began in 1874 when he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives where he served until 1877. He was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1878 and served continuously until 1899. After failing to be elected to the U. S. Senate in 1897, McMillin quit congress to run for governor of Tennessee. During his two, two-year terms as governor, McMillin improved Tennessee’s financial situation, improved public education, and reformed child labor. When his second term as governor ended, he entered the insurance business in Nashville. McMillin never held elective office after 1903, although he ran for a Senate seat in 1910 and 1930, and again for governor in 1912 and 1922. President Wilson appointed McMillin as Minister to Peru in 1913, where he served until 1919, when he was transferred to Guatemala, serving there until 1922. McMillin wed his first wife Birdie Brown (the daughter of Tennessee Governor John C. Brown) in 1869, and they had one son. Birdie died several years later and, in 1887, McMillin married Lucille Foster, with whom he had a daughter. McMillin died in Nashville on January 8, 1933, and is interred in Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Sources: Secretary of State. Tennessee Blue Book, 1999-2000, p. 479. Tennessee Historical Society/Rutledge Hill Press. Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture, 1998, p. 591. CONTAINER LIST Microfilm Roll #1_____________________________________________________ Box 1 1. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (January-March) 1899 2. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (April-June) 1899 3. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (July-September) 1899 4. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (Oct.-December) 1899 5. Correspondence – Secretary to Governor McMillin 1899 Microfilm Roll #2_____________________________________________________ Box 2 1. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (January-April) 1900 2. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (May-December) 1900 3. Correspondence – Secretary to Governor McMillin 1900 Box 3 1. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (January-June) 1901 2. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (July-December) 1901 Microfilm Roll #3_____________________________________________________ 3. Correspondence – Secretary to Governor McMillin 1901 Box 4 1. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (January-June) 1902 2. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (July-December) 1902 3. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (Jan.-Dec.) 1902 4. Correspondence – Governor Benton McMillin (January) 1903 5. Correspondence – Secretary to Governor McMillin (January) 1903 Microfilm Roll #4_____________________________________________________ Box 5 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Abernathy-Lockert 1898 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Major-Woodson 1898 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Abel-Avant 1899 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Babb-Bohonan 1899 5. Correspondence – Incoming – Boley-Brownloe 1899 6. Correspondence – Incoming – Bryan-Byrn 1899 Box 6 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Cade-Chiles 1899 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Clark-Cooney 1899 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Cooper-Curtin 1899 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Dabney-Dunsmore 1899 5. Correspondence – Incoming – Earles-Fyffe 1899 6. Correspondence – Incoming – Gaines-Guthrie 1899 Box 7 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Hackworth-Heiskell 1899 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Henderson-Hutton 1899 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Ingersoll-Kuhn 1899 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Ladd-Maynard 1899 5. Correspondence – Incoming – Malone-Morris 1899 6. Correspondence – Incoming – Morrison-Myhr 1899 Box 8 1. Correspondence – Incoming – McAden-McWhirter 1899 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Nancy-Oyden 1899 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Padgett-Rementor 1899 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Rhea-Ryua 1899 Microfilm Roll #5_____________________________________________________ 5. Correspondence – Incoming – Safford-Sims 1899 6. Correspondence – Mr. Swager Sherley to Governor McMillin 1899 Box 9 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Slack-Sykes 1899 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Talbott-Tyler 1899 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Underhill-Watts 1899 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Weakley-Williams 1899 5. Correspondence – Incoming – Wills-Zarecor 1899 Box 10 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Abernathy-Avant 1900 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Baber-Byrns 1900 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Cade-Curtis 1900 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Dabney-Grooms 1900 Box 11 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Hacker-Irvins 1900 2. Correspondence – Incoming – James-Little 1900 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Mackey-Mount 1900 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Mulley-Owens 1900 Box 12 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Paine-Rye 1900 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Saborn-Sullivan 1900 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Sutherland-Waddell 1900 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Wade-Yoakley 1900 Box 13 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Abel-Aycocks 1901 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Babb Bostock 1901 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Bowden-Byrum 1901 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Cain-Cates 1901 5. Correspondence – Incoming – Chabert-Cunningham 1901 Box 14 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Dabney-Ezell 1901 Microfilm Roll #6_____________________________________________________ 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Fain-Greer 1901 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Hamlett-Hickey 1901 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Hemphill-Irvins 1901 Box 15 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Jackson-Kyle 1901 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Lamb-Mayberry 1901 3. Correspondence – Incoming – McCallum-McTeer 1901 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Merrell-Myrick 1901 5. Correspondence – Incoming – Nance-Ozier 1901 6. Correspondence – Incoming – Parker-Russir 1901 Box 16 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Sahem-Sitner 1901 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Slater-Stanton 1901 3. Correspondence – Incoming – Steele-Sweeney 1901 4. Correspondence – Incoming – Taylor-Tyson 1901 5. Correspondence – Incoming – Vaigs-West 1901 6. Correspondence – Incoming – Wheless-Young 1901 Box 17 1. Correspondence – Incoming – Adams-Aydelott 1902 2. Correspondence – Incoming – Baker-Bowling