Vitruvius Jackson Kennedy (1841-1890)

From the Tennessee legislative composite, 1882.

  This bearded gentleman is Vitruvius Jackson Kennedy of Tennessee, a physician who served in both houses of the Tennessee State Legislature. Details on Kennedy's life are noticeably absent from the internet and very few sources mention him at great length, with the exception being his service during the Civil War.

   Vitruvius J. Kennedy (most sources list him under the initials "V.J.") was born on July 9, 1840, in Clinton, Tennessee. His father, Jackson J. Kennedy, is mentioned as being a cabinet maker by trade, and when Kennedy enlisted for military service during the early months of the Civil War, he listed this as his primary occupation. Genealogical websites have been quite a blessing when it comes to finding any information on Kennedy. A statute book also contains Kennedy's name and lists him as a member of the First Regiment of the Tennessee Volunteer Light Artillery. 

  At some point in the years following the war, Kennedy earned a degree to practice medicine (several sources list him with the title of "Dr.") but no available source states what school he attended or what year he graduated. 

  Following his service in the Civil War, Kennedy entered politics, hence his inclusion here. He was elected to the Tennessee State House of Representatives in 1880 and served in the legislative session of 1881-1882. The portrait of him shown above was found on the House of Representatives composite picture taken during his service. During this term, he chaired the committee on Public Printing and was a member of the committees on Banks, Charitable Institutions, and Sanitation. Kennedy was later elected to the Tennessee State Senate, and served from 1887-1889, representing both Hamilton and Marion County.

Portrait from the Tennessee senate composite photo, 1887-88.

   A death date originally couldn't be found for Vitruvius Kennedy, until a useful book entitled the Congressional Serial Set (1912) gave a passage on his widow applying for a pension. The book lists him as dying on July 7, 1890, of "cancer of the larger intestine", two days before his 49th birthday. He was later interred at the Welsh-Rogers Cemetery in Sale Creek, Tennessee. A small obituary for Kennedy (published in the July 9, 1890 edition of the Nashville Tennessean) denotes his traveling to Nashville for surgery stemming from his stomach and bowel issues. This surgery was performed, but Kennedy died "of secondary shock" a few days later. This same obituary details his being a leading Mason in his area, and in January 1890 had represented his local lodge in the Grand Lodge of Tennessee.

  In an aside note, Kennedy's first name "Vitruvius" stems from a Roman architect, writer, and engineer named Vitruvius. This obscure Roman figure has been called by some sources as the "world's first known engineer", but it is unknown as to why V.J. Kennedy was endowed with this highly unusual first name. 

From the Nashville Tennessean, July 9, 1890.