15 Facts About Peter Turney

Peter Turney was an American politician, soldier, and jurist, who served as the 26th governor of Tennessee from 1893 to 1897.

Peter Turney was a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1870 to 1893, and served as the court's Chief Justice from 1886 to 1893.

When Tennessee voters rejected this convention and upheld the state's ties to the Union, Peter Turney spearheaded a movement that called for Franklin County to secede from Tennessee and join Alabama.

At the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, Peter Turney was shot in the mouth, and never returned to active fighting.

Peter Turney was given an administrative command in Florida in 1864, and remained there until the end of the war.

Peter Turney was reelected in 1878 and 1886, and was elevated to Chief Justice following the latter race.

In October 1891, the Peter Turney-led court ruled on two cases related to a labor-related uprising in Anderson County, Tennessee, known as the Coal Creek War.

Peter Turney ruled against the state, arguing that while the law prevented mine owners from directly firing checkweighmen, it did not prevent mine owners from closing mines should miners refuse their demands to fire checkweighmen.

Peter Turney overruled the lower court, arguing that the TCMC stockade was essentially a "branch prison" of the state, and that a convict in a state prison could not file for habeas corpus.

In 1892, Peter Turney sought the Democratic Party's nomination for governor, hoping to replace incumbent Governor Buchanan.

Peter Turney quickly gained the support of the party's Bourbon and pro-business factions, who had grown frustrated with Buchanan's handling of the Coal Creek War.

Buchanan, lacking the support to win renomination, withdrew from the party to run as an independent, and Peter Turney coasted to the party's nomination.

Peter Turney never recovered from the fallout from the "stolen" election of 1894.

Peter Turney did not seek reelection in 1896, and did not seek public office again afterward.

Peter Turney died in Winchester, Tennessee, in 1903, and was buried in the Winchester City Cemetery.