05/26/2026
Join us this Saturday, May 30, for our annual Tennessee Statehood Day Open House from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM! Admission to the museum is FREE for all visitors. Tour the house museum, learn about the history of Tennessee and the Mabrys from our wonderful docents, and see our brand new exhibit display on Mabry and the Tennessee constitution of 1870!
“In responding to your solicitations, and many others, to become a candidate to represent Knox and Sevier counties in the coming Convention, I do so with great reluctance,” wrote General Joseph A. Mabry on Nov. 28, 1869.
Mabry served as a delegate to the 1870 Tennessee Constitutional Convention. On Jan. 10, 1870, he joined other delegates from across the state to gather in Nashville and open the convention. He was appointed to serve on the prestigious “Finance, Internal Improvements and Corporations” committee and the Printing committee. According to the official record, his participation in the proceedings was unremarkable, if not subdued, considering his character.
For the most part, Mabry was an average delegate in terms of motions made, amendments proposed, questions proffered, or yays or nays demanded. He mostly concerned himself with state finances, debt, and especially, railroads. One could draw the conclusion that Mabry used his election to the state constitutional convention to network with other TN lawmakers and businesses to secure necessary funding for his railroad ventures.
Less than a decade later, allegations of bribery and backroom scheming in connection with his railroad investments and political career during his time at the convention emerged. Mabry denied any wrongdoing and was never charged, but the evidence presented was difficult to dismiss, and his reputation was damaged.
