Representative Abraham Ellison Garrett

Abraham Ellison Garrett (March 6, 1830 – February 14, 1907) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee. A Democrat, he served one term in Congress during a significant period in American history, participating in the legislative process and representing the interests of his Tennessee constituents in the early 1870s.

Garrett was born near Livingston, Overton County, Tennessee, on March 6, 1830, the son of Stephen Garrett and Sarah Flowers Garrett. He was raised in the rural Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee, where he attended local public schools. Seeking further education, he enrolled at Poplar Springs College in Kentucky, reflecting the limited but growing opportunities for higher learning available to young men in the antebellum South.

After completing his studies, Garrett read law and was admitted to the bar, commencing the practice of law in Livingston, Tennessee. In addition to his legal work, he engaged in agricultural pursuits, a common dual occupation in a largely agrarian state. His personal life was marked by two marriages. He first married Adelicia Taylor Hayes, with whom he had three children: Addison McDonald, Ellison McDonald, and Addie McDonald. Following the death or dissolution of his first marriage, he married Louisa Greer; they had seven children together: Issac Greer, Sarah, Augusta E., Stephen, Clarence, Belle, and Louisa.

During the American Civil War, Garrett aligned with the Union cause, an important and sometimes contentious stance for a Tennessean. He served in the Union Army as an officer in the 1st Tennessee Mounted Infantry Regiment, U.S.A. Recruiting for this regiment began in October 1863, and two companies had been mustered into service by the end of that year, with additional companies added during 1864, the last on November 30, 1864. The companies were organized at Nashville and at Carthage and performed duty in the District of Middle Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland. Garrett was initially a major and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on March 18, 1864. The regiment continued its service in Middle Tennessee until April 1865, when it was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Subdistrict, District of Middle Tennessee.

With the end of the Civil War, Garrett became active in Tennessee’s political reconstruction. In 1865 he served as a delegate to the Tennessee state constitutional convention, which was convened to revise the state’s fundamental law in the aftermath of secession and war. That same year he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, serving in 1865 and 1866. In the state legislature he participated in the complex process of reestablishing civil government, addressing issues of loyalty, suffrage, and the reintegration of Tennessee into the Union.

Garrett’s state-level service led to his election to the national legislature. Elected as a Democrat to the Forty-second Congress, he represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1873. His single term in Congress fell during the Reconstruction era, a time of intense national debate over civil rights, federal authority, and the political status of the former Confederate states. As a member of the Democratic Party representing Tennessee, Abraham Ellison Garrett contributed to the legislative process during his one term in office, participating in the democratic process and advocating for the interests of his district and state. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1872.

After leaving Congress, Garrett resumed the practice of law, relocating his professional base to Carthage, Tennessee. He continued his legal career there while maintaining his agricultural interests, remaining a figure of local prominence in Smith County and the surrounding region. His post-congressional years were spent in private life, engaged in his profession and family affairs.

Abraham Ellison Garrett died on February 14, 1907, at the age of 76 years and 345 days. He was interred in Carthage Cemetery in Carthage, Tennessee. His life spanned the antebellum, Civil War, Reconstruction, and post-Reconstruction eras, and his career reflected the shifting political and social landscape of Tennessee and the nation during the nineteenth century.