In honor of Halloween weekend, we’re bringing you a local history lesson with a sinister twist (or two), courtesy of David Steele Ewing. A ninth-generation Nashvillian, historian, and tour guide, he took some time out of his busy schedule to share this fascinating piece of Nashville history!
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One of the most famous killings in Tennessee history occurred when old friends-turned-political enemies drew pistols, and it happened at the corner where President Polk once lived, only a block from the Tennessee State Capitol. After the smoke cleared, Edward Carmack, the outspoken editor of The Tennessean and former state Senator, fell to the sidewalk. He bled to death as the Governor of Tennessee’s senior political advisor looked on — it was his son who pulled the trigger. This shooting led to a lengthy trial in which Duncan Cooper and his son, Robin, were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in jail.
The drama of the Edward Carmack killing did not end after the trial. Tennesseans still couldn’t believe such an event had transpired in the heart of downtown Nashville. Not to mention, the fallout from the killing was significant, prompting the Tennessee Legislature to become the first state in the nation to pass statewide prohibition — more on that later. Perhaps the oddest twist in this story happened 11 years later, however, when Robin Cooper (who shot and killed Carmack) was beaten to death with a rock in Belle Meade.
The events leading up to the infamous shooting, which happened in broad daylight in 1909, were preceded by decades of friendship between the Carmack and Cooper families. They worked together at a newspaper, later enduring a split and a change of political loyalties. The political feud played out in the ballot box and was later splashed on the front pages of Nashville newspapers as these former friends became enemies.
Though Edward Carmack is the murder victim in this historical murder, the account of his actions in the years leading to the event won’t win him many fans. Image: Public Domain
Pictured here are Duncan Cooper (left) and Robin Cooper, the father-son duo behind the murder of Edward Carmack. Robin would later fall victim to murder himself. Image: Submitted
Friendly Beginnings
Edward began his career as a lawyer but left his practice to become a journalist, later becoming the editor of The Columbia Herald. In 1888, he started The Nashville Democrat newspaper, which was short-lived, as another newspaper hired him. He was well-known as a robust new voice in Tennessee, and in 1889, he was hired to be the editor of The Nashville American, one of the most popular newspapers in the state.
The owner of The American was Duncan Cooper, who personally hired Edward for the job. As the two worked together at the newspaper, their friendship grew. In fact, Duncan’s daughter was a bridesmaid at Edward’s wedding.
Even when Edward left Nashville to accept a new position as editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, he praised Duncan Cooper on the editorial page, saying, “I desire especially to acknowledge the debt I owe, and the gratitude I feel, toward Col. D.B. Cooper, under whose management I first became acquainted with The American and with journalism … I cannot recall one word, act, or incident which has marred the harmony of our relations during the whole time of our intimate association.”
But that all changed.
Violence in Memphis
While in Memphis, Edward began to lash out at Ida B. Wells, the famous African American journalist who documented and wrote articles in the Memphis Free Speech newspaper about the lynching of African Americans in Memphis. Edward’s Memphis Commercial Appeal clashed in print with Wells and her anti-lynching crusade, calling Ida’s newspaper “an obscene publication” and worse.
These editorials drew attention to Ida and her newspaper, ultimately inciting violence and forcing Ida to leave Memphis and relocate to Chicago.
Edward’s racist rhetoric continued even after Ida left town. This was the start of Edward’s sharp personal attacks on a newspaper editorial page. Later, his focus turned to his political enemy, the Governor, which eventually led to the split between him and the Cooper family.
A Matter of Politics
In 1896, Edward left his job at Commercial Appeal and ran for Congress, beating a three-term Democrat, Josiah Patterson. Edward served in Congress until he successfully ran for the United States Senate in 1900, and his political stardom and influence rose.
The Tennessee U.S. Senate race of 1906 was the first crack in the once-close friendship between Edward Carmack and Duncan Cooper. When Edward ran for reelection, he faced popular opponent Robert Love Taylor, the former Governor of Tennessee, known for his fiddle playing and public speaking. Duncan endorsed Taylor instead of his old friend, and Edward lost the Senate race.
Edward seethed about losing and was hurt by Duncan’s lack of support. He felt slighted again when he ran for Governor in 1908, when Duncan still did not support him for office. Instead, he endorsed Malcolm Patterson, the son of former Congressman Josiah Patterson, who Edward defeated when he ran for Congress.
Buttons from the 1908 governor’s race | Image: David Steele Ewing
The Governor’s race also divided Tennesseans on the issue of alcohol, with Edward running on a total prohibition platform while Patterson was against banning alcohol. Edward lost the close election and was hired by Luke Lea as the editor of the then-fledgling newspaper, The Tennessean. There, Edward continued his vengeance campaign on the editorial pages, attacking Governor Patterson with the same vitriol and hatred he’d used against Ida B. Wells.
Duncan Cooper, who helped Governor Patterson win the election over Edward Carmack, was appointed as a Senior Advisor, and the man who once praised him was now on the attack. Duncan, angry about the daily editorial diatribes, wrote Edward a note saying, “You have no more right to say those things in the newspaper than you do to my face, which you, so far, have not had the temerity to do.” But the attacks did not stop, leading Cooper to claim that if his name appeared again in The Tennessean, he or Senator Carmack must die. “This town will not be big enough to hold us both,” he announced.
The Murder
This simmering feud officially exploded on November 9, 1908, when Duncan Cooper was walking downtown with his son, Robin, and friend, John Sharp (another political ally of Governor Patterson). Though Robin tried to prevent a meeting by steering his father away, he was unable to do so. Still furious about the personal attacks, Duncan insisted — if the editorials did not stop, he intended to tell people about Edward’s private life.
Duncan confronted Edward, pointing a finger and startling him. Thinking Duncan intended to harm him, Edward reached into his hip pocket and grabbed his gun. Standing between two utility poles, he drew his weapon and pointed it toward Duncan. Edward fired two shots, hitting Robin. The first bullet hit the stickpin gem on Robin’s tie, then hit his shoulder. The second entered Robin’s left coat sleeve but did not penetrate.
Robin Cooper responded by drawing his gun, rapidly firing off three shots — one that entered Edward’s body from the left and pierced his heart. He fell to the sidewalk, later dying from the injuries. Word of the shooting quickly spread around Nashville and hit the pages of The Tennessean, which defended their fallen editor and presented him as the victim — a martyr to prohibition.
The Trial
Four days after the killing, the Grand Jury indicted both Coopers on first-degree murder charges. A lengthy trial began on January 20, 1909, and both father and son were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Governor Patterson immediately issued a full pardon for his senior advisor, Duncan Cooper, which caused a great uproar in Tennessee. The Governor personally typed and signed the full pardon at his desk in the Capitol, proudly announcing, “It took the Supreme Court 72 days to decide this case, and it decided it the wrong way. It took me 72 minutes, and I decided it the right way.” Rumor has it that he issued the pardon before the Tennessee Supreme Court had even left their chambers following the ruling.
The Fallout
The backlash against the Governor was swift and caused the Tennessee Legislature to pass statewide prohibition in January 1909. Governor Patterson vetoed the bill, but his veto was overridden. It not only became law but continued on when federal prohibition started in 1920. (If you’re curious, present-day Nashville speakeasy, The Patterson House, is named after Governor Patterson because he vetoed the prohibition legislation.)
In 1914, a statue of Edward Carmack was erected on downtown Nashville’s highest hill in front of the State Capitol. Later, the legislature honored another former member, creating the Motlow Tunnel (named after Lem Motlow) directly under the Edward Carmack statue. What a touch of irony that a tunnel honoring Jack Daniel’s nephew (who also reopened the distillery in Tennessee after prohibition was repealed) runs beneath the statue of a man who prompted statewide prohibition!
Carmack’s statue was toppled after a peaceful march in March 2020. Though the base with Carmack’s name remains in front of the Capitol, the statue is now gone. | Image: David Steele Ewing
In August 1919, the final part of the Coopers versus Carmack saga played out in Belle Meade. Robin Cooper’s car was found on the shoulder of the road near the Richland Creek crossing bridge. The headlights were still on, but no one was in the vehicle. Inside, blood-soaked newspapers covered the passenger seats, and blood was on every surface.
Robin’s body was found dumped in Richland Creek. While speculation remains that one of Edward Carmack’s friends killed him, the case was never solved.
David Steele Ewing can be reached at [email protected], nashvillehistoryontour.com, or on Instagram.
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