Representative James Calvin McDearmon

James Calvin McDearmon (June 13, 1844 – July 19, 1902) was an American politician, lawyer, and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 9th congressional district of Tennessee. A Democrat, he served two consecutive terms in Congress from 1893 to 1897, during a significant period in American political and economic history, and represented the interests of his Tennessee constituents in the national legislature.

McDearmon was born on June 13, 1844, in New Canton, Buckingham County, Virginia. In 1846 he moved with his parents to Gibson County, Tennessee, where he was raised. He pursued his early education locally and later attended Andrew College in Trenton, Tennessee, from 1858 to 1861. His formal education was interrupted by the outbreak of the American Civil War, which drew him into military service at a young age.

In April 1862, McDearmon entered the Confederate Army and served throughout the Civil War in Cheatham’s Division of the Army of Tennessee. He saw extensive combat and was wounded twice, first at the Battle of Murfreesboro and later at the Battle of Franklin, two of the major engagements in the Western Theater. He remained with the Confederate forces until the end of the conflict, surrendering with General Joseph E. Johnston’s army at Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1865.

After the war, McDearmon returned to Tennessee and turned to the study of law. He read law in the traditional manner of the period and was admitted to the bar in 1867. That same year, on December 4, 1867, he married Theodora McCulloch, the daughter of M. T. McCulloch of Haywood County, Tennessee. McDearmon commenced the practice of law in Trenton, Tennessee, in Gibson County, where he established himself as a practicing attorney and became an active figure in local legal and civic affairs.

Building on his legal career and standing in the community, McDearmon entered politics as a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth Congresses, representing Tennessee’s 9th congressional district. His service in the United States House of Representatives extended from March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1897. During these two terms in office, he participated in the legislative process at a time marked by the economic turmoil of the Panic of 1893 and intense national debates over monetary policy, tariffs, and agricultural interests. As a member of the House of Representatives, James Calvin McDearmon contributed to the democratic process and represented the interests of his constituents from western Tennessee.

McDearmon sought to continue his congressional career but was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1896. Following his departure from Congress in March 1897, he returned to Trenton and resumed the practice of law. He continued his professional work there, remaining engaged in the legal community and in the civic life of Gibson County.

James Calvin McDearmon died in Trenton, Gibson County, Tennessee, on July 19, 1902, at the age of 58 years and 36 days. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Trenton. His career reflected the trajectory of many Southern politicians of his generation, moving from Confederate military service through Reconstruction-era legal practice to participation in national politics during the late nineteenth century.