Peter Turney

Peter Turney
Portrait of Turney by Lloyd Branson
26th Governor of Tennessee
In office
January 16, 1893 – January 21, 1897
Preceded byJohn P. Buchanan
Succeeded byRobert Love Taylor
Chief Justice of the
Tennessee Supreme Court
In office
1886–1893
Preceded byJames W. Deaderick
Succeeded byHorace H. Lurton[1]
Personal details
Born(1827-09-22)September 22, 1827
Jasper, Tennessee
DiedOctober 19, 1903(1903-10-19) (aged 76)
Winchester, Tennessee
Resting placeWinchester City Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Cassandra Garner (1851–1857, her death)
Hannah Graham (m. 1858)
RelationsHopkins L. Turney (father)
ProfessionAttorney
Military service
Allegiance Confederate States of America
Branch/service Confederate States Army
Years of service1861–1865
Rank Colonel
Commands 1st Tennessee Infantry (Provisional)
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
 • Bull Run (1861)
 • Shenandoah Campaign (1862)
 • Seven Days (1862)
 • Peninsula Campaign (1862)
 • Fredericksburg (1862)

Peter Turney (September 22, 1827 – October 19, 1903) was an American politician, soldier, and jurist, who served as the 26th governor of Tennessee from 1893 to 1897. He was also a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1870 to 1893, and served as the court's Chief Justice from 1886 to 1893. During the Civil War, Turney was colonel of the First Tennessee Regiment, one of the first Tennessee units to join the Confederate Army.[2][3]

As governor, Turney ended the state's controversial convict lease system and enacted other prison reform measures. His second term was marred by the 1894 gubernatorial election, which he won only after the state's Democratic-controlled legislature threw out thousands of votes for his opponent, Henry Clay Evans.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference greenbag was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Leonard Schlup, "Peter Turney," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: 15 November 2012.
  3. ^ Tim Stowell, "Tennessee Confederate Regimental Sketches," TNGenWeb.org. Retrieved: 15 November 2012.