John Goff Ballentine

Democrat Representative of Tennessee's 7th district

  • Representative

    Tennessee, district 7

    December 7, 1885 - March 3, 1887

2

Congresses Served

2

House Terms

January 1, 1825 (90 years old)

Birthday

January 1, 1915

Death

  • Was a slave owner and a colonel in the Confederate army during the American Civil War.
  • Born in Pulaski, Tennessee, and died in the same city.
  • Graduated from the University of Nashville and Harvard University’s law department.
  • Served as a faculty member at Livingston Law School in New York before practicing law in Pulaski.
  • Moved to Panola County, Mississippi around 1854 to continue his law practice and engage in agricultural pursuits.
  • Married Mary E. Laird and had four children.
  • Settled in Memphis, Tennessee in 1860 before returning to Pulaski after the Civil War.
  • Served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Tennessee’s 7th congressional district from 1883 to 1887 as a Democrat.
  • Declined renomination in 1886 and retired from active pursuits.
  • Died at the age of 90 and is interred at the New Pulaski Cemetery.