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Today’s newsletter is sponsored by the Scott County Chamber of Commerce. Since 1954, the Scott County Chamber of Commerce has advocated for a strong community by supporting stronger infrastructure and leadership.
He was the first man elected county judge on two separate occasions
There have been several different men who have served as Scott County’s chief executive on more than one occasion — most recently Jeff Tibbals, the current Oneida alderman who served as county mayor from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. Prior to 1910, however, no one had ever served two separate tenures in office. The first to do so was William Henry “W.H.” Potter.
The title of Scott County’s chief executive has changed a number of times through the years, following state law. Prior to 1869, Tennessee counties did not elect a county leader. Instead, the county quarterly court — a forerunner of today’s county commission — appointed a chairman from among themselves. Beginning in 1869, counties elected a county judge. Scott County’s first county judge was Joshua J. Duncan, of Buffalo. In the late 1970s, a state statute changed the title to county executive. And in the early 2000s, the title changed again, to county mayor.
W.H. Potter was born July 22, 1851, the son of John Potter (1821-1914) and Jane Buttram (1831-1916). He married Charnatty Chambers in 1874. Following her death in 1914, he married Bettie Ross. He had five children.
Potter was a farmer, businessman, teacher, justice of the peace (which we know as county commissioner today) and a lawyer. His first elected office was county court clerk. Late in life he was elected to the Tennessee Senate and represented Scott County in Nashville.
Before politics, however, Potter served as a school teacher for three years, then owned a general store in Huntsville. He served on the building committee for both the Scott County Courthouse and the Scott County Jail, the stone structures that were built in Huntsville in the early 1900s. He was also instrumental in the establishment of Huntsville High School.
Potter was first elected Scott County Judge in 1894, replacing Bransford L. Riseden. He was re-elected in 1898, then lost the 1902 election to Beaty Cecil of New River. The two men were fierce political rivals, and delivered fiery stump speeches against each other throughout Scott County. Those contests attracted large audiences.
After Cecil won re-election in 1906, Potter was elected again in 1910, and won re-election in 1914. He left office in 1918 as the only judge at the time to serve on two separate occasions. No one else would serve two different stints until Dwight Murphy did it from 1982 to 1990 and again from 1998 to 2006.
Potter’s last bid for county judge came in 1926. He narrowly lost a three-way race to Mitt J. Robbins, 1,065 to 1,001. He contested the results of the election in court, but the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled against him.
Potter fell sick in the spring of 1935 and died at his home in Huntsville on May 30, 1935, at the age of 83. He was buried at Potter Cemetery in Huntsville.
Judge Potter’s five children included four daughters and a son. His only son was Benjamin Potter (1888-1956).
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◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes in Time (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)