On this day, 111 years ago, the distinguished William R. “Sawney” Webb was elected to the United States Senate. The pivotal election was to fill the void left by the untimely passing of Robert L. Taylor in 1912 during his tenure in office.
Initially appointed by Tennessee Governor Ben W. Hooper, Newell Sanders held the iterim position following Taylor’s death. In 1913, the Tennessee General Assembly held an election in which Webb ran as a candidate. He defeated M. T. Bryan of Nashville 73 votes to 53. He was 70 years old when elected.
Webb served 40 days as a United States Senator before hanging up his politician’s hat in Washington and coming home to the cherished halls of his beloved school.
W. R. Webb was the founder of The Webb School here in Bell Buckle. An important topic that I will certainly cover in the future.
Leave a Reply