Edmund William Cole

Edmund William Cole
Born	Edmund William Cole Giles County, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	25 May 1899(1899-05-25) (aged 71) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, railroad executive
Years active	1845–1899
Known for	President of Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway; founder of American National Bank

Colonel Edmund William "King" Cole (July 19, 1827 – May 25, 1899) was a prominent American Confederate veteran and entrepreneur. He held the position of president at the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway and was the founder of the American National Bank.

Early life

Edmund William Cole entered the world on July 19, 1827, in Giles County, Tennessee, where he was brought up on a family farm.

Career

In 1845, Cole relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, beginning his career as a store clerk before advancing to a bookkeeping role at the post office. By 1857, he had been named superintendent of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, an appointment made by its founder, Vernon K. Stevenson.

During the American Civil War, Cole served with distinction as a colonel in the Confederate States Army. He earned praise from General Samuel Jones, who described him as "active and zealous."

After the war, in 1868, Cole ascended to the presidency of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad. He orchestrated its growth by acquiring four additional rail lines and rebranded it as the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway in 1873. According to historian Jesse C. Burt, Jr., this move represented one of the earliest significant railroad consolidations in the Southern United States. Following financier August Belmont’s acquisition of the railroad in 1880, Cole stepped down and was succeeded by James D. Porter.

In 1883, Cole played a key role in establishing the American National Bank. His business ventures also extended to investments in Nashville’s downtown real estate market and coal mining operations in Sheffield, Alabama. Moreover, he held stakes in the Sheffield Hotel, where he notably prohibited the sale of whisky.

Philanthropy

In 1885, Cole founded the Randall Cole School and appointed Dr. W. C. Kilvington as its superintendent. Two years later, in 1887, he transferred ownership of the school to the state of Tennessee, which renamed it the Tennessee Industrial School. By 1894, the institution had moved to a facility known as the Anna Russell Cole Auditorium, named in honor of Cole’s second wife.

Cole also contributed to Vanderbilt University by serving as treasurer on its board of trust. In 1892, he endowed an annual lecture series—the Cole Lecture—with $5,000 to promote Christian teachings.

Following the 1892 Lynching of Ephraim Grizzard, Cole provided financial support to the Bruce family affected by the tragedy.

Personal life, death and legacy

Cole was married twice during his lifetime. His first wife, Louisa McGavock, passed away in 1869; they resided at 182 Church Street. His second marriage was to Anna Russell Cole from Augusta, Georgia—daughter of that city’s first Democratic mayor after the Civil War—in a ceremony officiated by Bishop Holland Nimmons McTyeire and attended by Confederate veterans Bushrod Johnson and Edmund Kirby Smith. Initially living at Terrace Place on Church Street, they later moved to Colemere, a mansion designed by architect and Confederate veteran William Crawford Smith. The couple had a son named Whitefoord Russell Cole, who went on to become a distinguished businessman. Politically aligned with the Democratic Party, Cole was also a member of McKendree United Methodist Church.

On May 25, 1899, Cole died from heart disease while staying at New York City’s Fifth Avenue Hotel. His funeral service was held at McKendree United Methodist Church in Nashville. After his passing, his widow commissioned sculptor George Julian Zolnay to create a bust of him for Vanderbilt University’s Kirkland Hall. When Kirkland Hall was destroyed by fire in 1905, this marble bust was preserved alongside a portrait of his widow painted by Willie Betty Newman as replacements for lost memorials.