Lem Motlow

Lem Motlow (November 28, 1869 – September 1, 1947) was an American businessman, politician, landowner and Tennessee Walking Horse breeder. He was the owner of Jack Daniel's, and he served in the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate.

Lem Motlow
BornNovember 28, 1869
Moore County, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedSeptember 1, 1947(1947-09-01) (aged 77)
Lynchburg, Tennessee, U.S.
OccupationBusinessman, politician
Spouse(s)Clara Reagor
Ophelia Evans
Children4, including J. Reagor Motlow, 1 daughter
RelativesJack Daniel (uncle)
The home of Lem Motlow (1869–1947) at the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, United States. Motlow, a nephew of Daniel, ran the distillery from 1911 until his death. The house was built circa 1870, and is now used by the distillery for office space.

Early life

Motlow was born on November 28, 1869, in Moore County, Tennessee, near Lynchburg.[1] His father was Felix Motlow and his mother, Nettie Josephine Daniel. He had four brothers. His maternal uncle, Jack Daniel, was the eponymous founder of the whiskey manufacturer.[1]

Career

Motlow began his career by working for his uncle.[1] He inherited Jack Daniel's in 1907.[2] Due to Prohibition, he was unable to sell whiskey from 1920 onward.[2] As Lynchburg was a market town for mules at the time, Motlow sold harnesses instead.[2]

Motlow sued the Moore County court to be able to reopen his distillery after the end of Prohibition in 1933, but he was only able to do so in 1938.[1] To reduce the powers of the county court, Motlow decided to run for office. He was elected as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1933, and as a member of the Tennessee Senate in 1939.[3] By 1947, Jack Daniel's was the only whiskey distillery in Tennessee, then a dry state.[3][4]

Motlow owned thousands of acres in Moore County and Coffee County, where he bred Tennessee Walking Horses. His horses competed in the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville.[1]

Personal life and death

Motlow was married twice. He married his first wife, Clara Reagor, in 1895, and they had a son, J. Reagor Motlow. She died in 1901, and he married Ophelia Evans, with whom he had three more sons: Cliff Conner Motlow; Dan Evans Motlow; and Robert Motlow. They also had a daughter, Mary Avon Boyd.[1]

Lem Motlow suffered a stroke in 1940.[3] He died of cerebral haemorrhage on September 1, 1947 in Lynchburg, at age 77.[1][3][4] He was buried in the Lynchburg cemetery.[1]

References
  1. "Lem Motlow, '77, Distiller, Dies of Hemorrhage. Funeral Slated Today For Ex-Assemblyman, Farmer, Land Owner". The Tennessean. September 2, 1947. pp. 1, 13. Retrieved December 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Wilson, Charles Reagan; Mohr, Clarence L., eds. (2011). The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780807834916.
  3. "Lem Motlow Dies; Owned Distillery in Dry Tennessee". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. September 2, 1947. p. 19. Retrieved December 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Tennessee Distiller Dies". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. September 3, 1947. p. 16. Retrieved December 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
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