John Q. Tilson a man of many accomplishments

Editor's Note: Some updates have been made to this story. While Unicoi County has produced many notable and outstanding citizens, none has reached the level of national prominence attained by John Quillin Tilson. Born April 5, 1866, he was the son of William Erwin and Katherine Sams Tilson and served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 23 years. Six years of his tenure in the House was as Majority Leader. He was also a serious contender for the Republican nomination for vice president of the United States on the ticket with Herbert Hoover. Tilson is one of four individuals from Unicoi County ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Considering the small size of Unicoi County's population, it is incredible to think that four county natives have served in the U.S. House. The others include John Q. Tilson (R-CT), who served 1909-13 and 1915-32; James J. Britt (R-NC), who served from 1915-17; David Price (D-NC), who served from 1997-2023, and David Davis (R-TN), who served from 2007-08. Davis, however, is the only one of the four to have served as representing Unicoi County. The others were former Unicoi Countians when elected to represent constituents in other states. ANCESTRY Before delving into Tilson's accomplishments, it's important to explore his ancestry. The first record of a family named Tilson begins with the recorded death of Edmund Tilson in Plymouth County, Massachusetts in 1638. Three generations later, the great-great-great-grandfather of John Q. Tilson married Janet Murdock, who could trace her family back through her maternal grandmother to eight persons on the Mayflower passenger list, including William Brewster and wife, John Alden and Priscillia Mullins. His mother, Katherine Sams Tilson, traced her family back to 1701 when her great-grandparents of Scotch-Irish descent landed at Beaufort, South Carolina. Her parents settled near Mars Hill, North Carolina, and her brothers and their children were instrumental in founding and preserving Mars Hill College. One brother, Jacob Sams, gave the college its first books for a library; a nephew, J.P. Sams, served as Trustee of the Mars Hill College for 25 years, and his son, Oscar E. Sams, served as vice president of Mars Hill College, and as president of Carson-Newman College. Tilson's great-great-grandfather, William Tilson, who married Mary Ransom, and moved to Virginia near Chilhowee in 1763 before serving during the Revolutionary War with a North Carolina regiment. A son, also named William, married Ruth Reynolds and moved to the general area of Greasy Cove in Unicoi County in the closing years of the 18th century. This marriage produced three children, John Squibb Tilson, Lydia and John Q. Tilson's grandfather, unforgettably named Pelag Tilson, who married Nancy Allen. They had five children, including John Q. Tilson's father, William Ransom Tilson, born in 1827. In early life William Ransom Tilson's changed his name to William Erwin, having been reared in the home of Bill Erwin, who was married to his aunt Lydia. About 1850, William Erwin Tilson moved south of Erwin 12 miles and with his mother established a home in a log cabin on Murray Branch at the foot of Tilson Mountain. William Erwin Tilson was himself a very prominent citizen. Realty records show that he bought 300 acres in the Murray Branch area and later two state grants conveyed to him an additional 4,500 grants in the Rocky Fork section of Unicoi County. Besides being a very substantial land owner, William Erwin Tilson also served as Clerk and Master of the Chancery Court of Unicoi County. He was appointed by Chancellor John P. Smith to succeed John K. Miller who resigned Jan. 8, 1885, and then by special order of the Chancellor, he was appointed to an additional six-year term as Clerk and Master on Jan. 8, 1891. The children of William Erwin and Katherine Sams Tilson had five sons and three daughters. Of the five sons, two graduated from Yale University with Master of Laws degrees, with John Quillen Tilson becoming a congressman and another son, William, becoming a Federal District judge. In addition, two sons became doctors, one of which, Le Roy, practiced in Erwin until his death in 1926. Another son, Jacob, practiced in Madison County, North Carolina, for 50 years. Another son, James Frank Tilson, also entered politics and became s state senator in North Carolina and served as county superintendent of public education in Madison County, North Carolina. DESTINY How did these sons of a family living in the remote mountainous region of Unicoi County earn degrees from outstanding universities such as Yale? The answer rests with two sources of influence. First, the George F. Peabody School in Flag Pond. Prior to the establishment of Peabody University in Nashville, George F. Peabody established and financed schools for the benefit of the Appalachian region. Peabody provided funds for the importations of capable teachers from Northern universities so those eager to learn could have the opportunity. From this particular school at Flag Pond, several of the students continued their studies at Tusculum College, Carson-Newman College and even Ivy League universities. The second apparent influence on the Tilson family was a preacher and teacher named William C. McCarthy. This preacher, a graduate of Hamilton College and an ordained Baptist minister, happened to attend a meeting of the French Broad Baptist Association in Marshall, North Carolina, where he was met by William Erwin Tilson and Josiah Sams. McCarthy so impressed them that they persuaded him to come to Flag Pond, where he served as pastor for three years. McCarthy and his wife also taught school. John Q. Tilson began his education by attending a school taught by his brother-in-law, James Madison Erwin, at Coffee Ridge. He attended this school for a few months during each of two years. This was probably around 1872 to 1873 when he would have been six or seven years old. At age eight he attended the Peabody School in Flag Pond, apparently concluding his formal education until some five years later when he attended Mars Hill College where his older brother Frank was the sole instructor. Between the ages of 15 to 17, he was back at Flag Pond under the tutelage of McCarthy and his wife. It's rather amazing and speaks well of his instructors that after only about seven years of part-time study, John Q. Tilson was admitted as a junior at Jefferson City's Carson College, the forerunner of Carson-Newman College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1888. He entered Yale University that same year as a sophomore. At age 25, he graduated Yale in 1891. In 1893, he earned a law degree at the same university. He continued his studies at Yale and, in 1894, received a Master of Laws degree. During his last year at Yale, he was editor of the Yale Law Review. In 1894, having saved enough money to rent and equip a law office, he returned to Unicoi County and was admitted to the practice of law. On Monday, Nov. 19, 1894, in Unicoi County, John Q. Tilson and Benjamin W. Woodward, having complied with all requirements of the statutes and having passed a satisfactory examination before two Tennessee judges, and being licensed to practice law in all the courts of law and equity in the State of Tennessee, being present took the oath to support the Constitution and in open court ordered to be enrolled in the list of attorneys. Unfortunately, John Q. Tilson had deposited his entire savings in the First National Bank of Johnson City which failed forthwith. Being without funds, he returned to New Haven, Connecticut, and his former job in the Yale Dining Hall. He worked as superintendent of the dining hall for three years until he was taken by the New Haven Law Firm of White and Daggett as a law clerk. He apparently did well because in 1903 he became a partner in the firm White, Daggett and Tilson. ELECTORAL POLITICS In 1904, Tilson was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives and was promptly place on the Judiciary Committee. For the 1906-1907 term, he was elected speaker of the lower house of the Connecticut legislative body. In 1908 he ran for and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he took his seat on April 4, 1909, and served with distinction for 23 years. During World War I, he was a member of the powerful Military Affairs Committee. Following the war, he toured the Western Front Battle Line with Secretary of War Newton D. Baker. In 1925, he conducted a survey of military arms production in Western Europe, and from 1925 to 1931, he served as Majority Floor Leader of the U.S. House. He was frequently called to preside over the House by Speakers John Cannon, Fred Gillett and Nicholas Longworth. He was often called to preside when parliamentary maneuvering was expected to be particularly difficult as he quickly became recognized as the foremost authority in parliamentary law in Congress. His book, "Parliamentary Law and Procedure," published in 1935, was the recognized authority on Congressional procedure and was widely studied as a text in colleges and universities. John Q. Tilson was a close personal friend of President Herbert Hoover and was his first choice as running mate for vice president at the 1928 Republican National Convention in Kansas City. As a 12-year-old boy, M. Haynes Brown (the writer of this article) attended the convention with his father, A.R. Brown, who was a delegate. The elder Brown was asked to make the address to place Tilson's name into nomination for vice president. Unfortunately, before the nominating address was to have been delivered, the Republican Party powers dictated that Charles Curtis was to be the vice presidential nominee and the address putting Tilson forward was never delivered. Tilson and Hoover continued as close personal friends and, following an illness, Tilson recuperated in the White House as a guest of Hoover. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and with him a Congress predominantly Democratic. This was probably more than a lifelong conservative Republican could face and on Dec. 3, 1932, Tilson resigned his seat having served through the Administrations of Presidents Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover and, briefly, Roosevelt. Besides his distinguished career as a congressman, Tilson served as director and treasurer of the Save the Children Foundation and received King George's Medal for distinguished service to British children. The Italian government awarded Tilson the title Grand Officer of the Crown, the highest honor paid to a foreigner. He was cited by the French government for distinguished service to that nation. He died Aug. 14, 1958, and is buried in the family cemetery near his childhood home beneath a tall obelisk bearing the inscription "John Q. Tilson, April 5, 1866-August. 4, 1958, Speaker, Connecticut 1907 General Assembly, Majority Leader, U.S. Congress, 1925-1931."