Memphis Gayoso Gas Company Lawsuit
This transcription documents a series of lawsuits between the Memphis Gaslight Company and the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company between 1867 and 1872. On September 18, 1867, Thompson Dean of New York, principal shareholder in the Memphis Gaslight Company, sued the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company for infringing upon their exclusive right to supply gas to the city. In 1870, Special Chancellor Isham G. Harris heard and dismissed the case. In the same year, the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company sued Thompson Dean and five others for $400 in damages. The outcome of this final lawsuit is not recorded.
Dates
- 1867 September 18-1872 June 27
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet (1 folder)
Abstract
This transcription documents a series of lawsuits between the Memphis Gaslight Company and the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company between 1867 and 1872. On September 18, 1867, Thompson Dean of New York, principal shareholder in the Memphis Gaslight Company, sued the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company for infringing upon their exclusive right to supply gas to the city. In 1870, Special Chancellor Isham G. Harris heard and dismissed the case. In the same year, the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company sued Thompson Dean and five others for $400 in damages. The outcome of this final lawsuit is not recorded.
Biographical/Historical Note
The Memphis Gas Light Company began operating in the city in 1852. In 1868, the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company built a competing plant in Fort Pickering. Thompson Dean (1814-1896), a stockholder in the Memphis Gas Light Company, convinced that organization to bring a lawsuit against the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company alleging that by providing gas to the city of Memphis they were infringing upon the 1852 contract between the city and the Memphis Gas Light Company granting it the exclusive right to supply that service. Although the case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which found in favor of the Memphis Gayoso Gas Company, it was eventually absorbed into the Memphis Gas Light Company.
Arrangement Note
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
Special Collections purchased these documents in July of 1987.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository