Oliver Perry Temple was born on January 27, 1820 to James and Mary Craig Temple near Greeneville (Greene County) Tennessee. He graduated from Washington College in 1844 and studied law under Judge Robert McKinney before being admitted to the Bar in 1846. After an unsuccessful run for Congress in 1847, Temple moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. In 1850, President Millard Fillmore appointed him to serve on a commission to conciliate Native American tribes in New Mexico, Arizona, and California. After his return to Knoxville in about 1851, Temple married Scotia Caledonia Hume (1832-1889). The couple had one daughter, Mary Boyce Temple.

When the Civil War broke out, Temple remained loyal to the Union and worked tirelessly in aid of East Tennessee Unionists and the East Tennessee Relief Association. In later years, he organized the East Tennessee Farmer's Convention, was appointed Chancellor of Tennessee's 8th district (1866-1878), and served as a trustee for East Tennessee University. He was convinced of East Tennessee's economic potential and advocated regional development in addition to supporting higher education.

Temple retired from law in 1881 and served as Knoxville's postmaster from 1881 to 1885. After his full retirement, he wrote and published a number of books, including The Covenanter, the Cavalier and the Puritan (1897), East Tennessee and the Civil War (1899), and Union Leaders of East Tennessee (1903). He died in Knoxville on November 2, 1907.