Joseph Alexander Mabry II
Joseph Alexander Mabry II (January 26, 1826 – October 19, 1882) was an American folk figure and businessman active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the mid-nineteenth century. Mabry earned a fortune through land and railroad speculation during the 1850s, and was known throughout the South for his herd of race horses. During the Civil War, Mabry donated a large supply of uniforms and tents to the Confederate Army, and was rewarded with the rank of general. For the remainder of his life, he was thus often referred to by the sobriquet, "General Mabry."
Joseph Alexander Mabry II | |
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| Born | January 26, 1826 Knox County, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 1882 (aged 56) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Occupation(s) | Land and railroad speculator, stock breeder |
| Spouse | Laura Evelyn Churchwell |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Alexander Mabry and Alice Hare Scott |
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In his day, Mabry was one of Knoxville's most influential citizens. In 1853, Mabry and his brother-in-law, William G. Swan, donated the initial acreage for the city's Market Square. As president of the Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad, Mabry raised millions of dollars in funding for railroad construction in the region. After the Civil War, Mabry quickly made amends with the city's pro-Union businessmen, and continued to champion railroad development. By the 1870s, however, his business ventures had mostly failed, leaving him heavily in debt. In 1882, Mabry and his son were killed in a shootout with banker Thomas O'Connor in downtown Knoxville, an incident later chronicled by Mark Twain in his book, Life on the Mississippi.
The Mabry–Hazen House, built by Mabry in 1858, still stands in Knoxville.