Dewitt Clinton Senter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 18th Governor of Tennessee | |
| In office February 25, 1869 – October 10, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | William G. Brownlow |
| Succeeded by | John C. Brown |
| Speaker of the Tennessee Senate | |
| In office 1867–1869[1] | |
| Preceded by | Joshua B. Frierson |
| Succeeded by | Philip P.C. Nelson |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives | |
| In office 1855–1861 | |
| Member of the Tennessee Senate | |
| In office 1865–1869 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 26, 1830 McMinn County, Tennessee |
| Died | June 14, 1898 (aged 68) Morristown, Tennessee[2] |
| Resting place | Emma Jarnagin Cemetery, Morristown, Tennessee |
| Political party | Whig, Republican |
| Spouse | Harriet T. Senter (1859) |
| Profession | Farmer |
Dewitt Clinton Senter (March 26, 1830 – June 14, 1898) was an American politician who served as the 18th Governor of Tennessee from 1869 to 1871. He had previously served in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1855–1861), where he opposed secession on the eve of the Civil War. He was elected to the Tennessee Senate following the war, and was chosen as Speaker of the Senate in 1867. As speaker, he became governor upon the resignation of William G. Brownlow in 1869.[2]
Senter is perhaps best remembered for undoing many of Brownlow's radical initiatives, most notably the restoring of the right to vote to former Confederates. The current Tennessee State Constitution was written and enacted during Senter's tenure.[2]
- ^ Historical Constitutional Officers of Tennessee, 1796 - Present, Territory South of the River Ohio, 1790 - 1796. Retrieved: 30 October 2012.
- ^ a b c John Thweatt, Dewitt Clinton Senter, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: 30 October 2012.