Campbell Wallace Papers
This collection houses personal and professional correspondence documenting Campbell Wallace's involvement with insurance and property, requests for financial aid, references, verification of character, financial backing, railroads, private businesses, and stock companies. The bulk of the letters discuss Wallace's work as the President of the State National Bank (Atlanta, Georgia), President of the Merchant's Bank (Atlanta, Georgia), Superintendent of the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, Chairman of the Georgia Railroad Commission, President of the Georgia Western Railroad, President of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company, Superintendent of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, and Stockholder in the Elyton Land Company, the East Tennessee Iron and Coal Company, and the New River Mining Company.
With the exception of receipts and cancelled checks, all of the materials have been filed chronologically. The bulk of the papers date from 1840 to 1895. The later correspondence was likely addressed to Wallace's son (Charles B. Wallace Sr.) and grandson (Campbell Wallace). All undated materials whose dates can reasonably be inferred have been housed at the front of the folder for the corresponding year.
Dates
- 1840-1946
- Majority of material found within 1840-1895
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
3.5 Linear Feet (7 half boxes)
Abstract
This collection houses personal and professional correspondence documenting Campbell Wallace's involvement with insurance and property, requests for financial aid, references, verification of character, financial backing, railroads, private businesses, and stock companies.
Biographical/Historical Note
Campbell Wallace was born to Jesse and Martha (George) Wallace in Sevier County, Tennessee, on December 7, 1806. He grew up in Maryville and attended the Anderson Seminary until 1820, when his father sent him to work with Knoxville merchants C. McClung & Son. Wallace returned home in 1823 to care for his aging parents and married Susan Lyon on May 31, 1831. The couple had at least six children: Alice D. (Wallace) Mynatt, Fannie E. (Wallace) Green, Susan Lyon, Charles B., Thomas Lyon, and Campbell Edward. Wallace returned to business in 1834 when he, Matthew McClung, and Hugh L. McClung founded Knoxville's first wholesale business, McClung, Wallace, & Co. He bought out the McClung brothers in 1837 and the resulting firm, Campbell Wallace Co., proved very successful. Wallace went on to become President of the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad in 1853 and during the Civil War helped to move 60,000 Confederate soldiers from Knoxville to Bridgeport, Alabama during Bragg's retreat. He refused a commission in the Confederate Army at the rank of Brigadier General because he believed his railroad work was more valuable to the Confederate cause. After the war, his personal friend President Johnson pardoned him and he moved to Bartow County, Georgia to farm. In 1866, Governor Jenkins called Wallace into service as Superintendent of the newly rebuilt Western and Alabama Railroad. Wallace resigned his position in 1868 and was contracted to build the South and North Alabama Railroad (running from Decatur to Montgomery) in 1869. He was also appointed to the Georgia Railroad Commission (which was the first of its kind and served as a model for the later Union) in 1879 and 1883 but resigned in 1893 when the State refused to allocate a clerical staff sufficient to complete the work properly.
In addition to his work with railroads, Wallace was involved with banking and land concerns. He served as the President of the Atlanta State National Bank (later the Merchants' Bank) and worked with the Elyton Land Company (called the most successful land corporation in America). He is also credited with lifting the debts of the Tennessee Deaf and Dumb Asylum (now the Tennessee School for the Deaf). Wallace died in Atlanta, Georgia on May 3, 1895.
Arrangement
This collection is in seven half boxes. The material is organized into four series based on format:
- Series I: Correspondence, 1840-1946 (Bulk 1840-1895)
- Series II: Writings and Speeches, undated
- Series III: Publications and Ephemera, undated
- Series IV: Financial Materials, 1854-1923
Acquisition Note
This collection was donated to the Special Collections Library on October 13, 1956. It was sorted and filed in August of 1959.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository