John Overton was an advisor of Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...

, a judge at the Superior Court

Superior court

In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...

 of Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

, a banker and political leader.

Overton was born in Louisa County

Louisa County, Virginia

Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 33,153. The county seat is Louisa.- History :...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. His parents were James Overton and Mary Waller; his father was a great-grandson of Robert Overton

Robert Overton

Major-General Robert Overton was prominent soldier and scholar, who supported the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War, and was imprisoned a number of times during the Protectorate and the English Restoration for his strong republican views.-Biography:As positions hardened during the...

, the Parliamentarian

Roundhead

"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...

 military commander during the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

 (and friend of Marvell

Andrew Marvell

Andrew Marvell was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman . As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert...

 and Milton

John Milton

John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...

).

In 1787 he began his law career and moved to Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

 in 1789, to practice law at the Davidson County

Davidson County, Tennessee

Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...

 court. Overton was elected to succeed his friend Andrew Jackson as a member of the Superior Court of Tennessee in 1804, where he served as a judge until 1810. His elder brother Thomas Overton

Thomas Overton

Thomas Overton was an American military and political leader best known for having been the second to Andrew Jackson in his duel with Charles Dickinson in 1806.Thomas Overton was born in Louisa County, Virginia in 1753...

 served as Jackson's second in his duel with Charles Dickinson

Charles Dickinson (historical figure)

Charles Dickinson was an American attorney, and a famous duelist. An expert marksman, Dickinson's died from injuries sustained in a duel with Andrew Jackson, who later became President of the United States.-Life:...

. In 1819, Overton founded Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

 on land he owned with Andrew Jackson and James Winchester

James Winchester

James Winchester was an officer in the American Revolutionary War and a brigadier general during the War of 1812. He commanded the American forces at the Battle of Frenchtown, which led to the Massacre of the River Raisin....

.

On April 12, 1833, John Overton died at Travellers Rest

Travellers Rest (Tennessee)

Travellers Rest is a historic plantation in Nashville, Tennessee.In 1799, the two story structure with four rooms was built by Judge John Overton . Overton was an advisor and close friend of Andrew Jackson, judge at the Superior Court of Tennessee and co-founder of Memphis, Tennessee...

, his Nashville home. The nearby John Overton Comprehensive High School

John Overton Comprehensive High School

John Overton Comprehensive High School is a public high school located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is named after prominent Judge John Overton , advisor to President Andrew Jackson. The school opened in September 1958 and was renovated and expanded in 1995...

, located just across railroad tracks that abut the property, is named for him.

Overton was married to Mary McConnell White, the daughter of Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee

Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...

 founder, James White

James White (general)

James White was an American pioneer and soldier who founded Knoxville, Tennessee, in the early 1790s. Born in Rowan County, North Carolina, White served as a captain in the county's militia during the American Revolutionary War...

.