Henry Hollis Horton

Horton became governor by accident, finishing Austin Peay's term in 1927, and then leaned on Nashville publisher Luke Lea to run the state. Lea's partner, the financier Rogers Caldwell, collapsed days after Horton's 1930 re-election, and about seven million dollars of public money vanished with the banks that held it. A legislative inquiry charged that Horton let them run parts of government. Memphis boss Ed Crump led the push to impeach, and the House voted 58 to 41 against, partly because rural members feared an impeachment vote would strengthen Crump. Horton served out his term.

What the plaque says

Henry Hollis Horton 1866-1934 Born in Princeton City, Jackson County, Alabama, Horton was an educator and prominent attorney and farmer. He married Anna Adeline Wilhoite on November 25, 1896. Elected to the state legislature from Franklin County in 1907, he represented Marshall County in 1927. In October 1927 he succeeded Governor Austin Peay and served until January 1933. Governor Horton is buried 100 feet east of here in the Wilhoite Cemetery.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Henry Horton State Park — 0.3 mi
  A Duck River park on Governor Henry Horton's former farm in Marshall County, with a mill ruin from 1845, kayak floats and the grave of a governor the House declined to impeach.
• Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration — 15 mi
  The Shelbyville show grounds where the Tennessee Walking Horse has been crowned world grand champion each late summer since 1939, and where the practice of soring is part of the story.
• The Mink Slide and East 8th Street — 19 mi
  Columbia's Black business and church district south of the courthouse square, where on the night of February 25, 1946 a white mob gathered and Black veterans stood guard.
• James K. Polk Home and Museum — 19 mi
  The 1816 brick house in Columbia where Polk practiced law and campaigned for the legislature, now a museum that also tells of the people the Polk family enslaved.

More markers nearby

• Buford Ellington — 5.7 mi
• Eagleville Baptist Church — 11 mi
• Henry Brevard Davidson — 15 mi
• Fighting in Shelbyville — 15 mi