CLAN BOYD INTERNATIONAL
ERNEST HOUSTON
and MATTIE (RAGLAND BOYD
Ernest Houston Boyd, prominent attorney of
Cookeville, TN is a man of wide and
varied interests. He was born in Cookeville,
on the 1st of October, 1880, a
son of Alvin Whitten and Mary (Goodpasture)
Boyd, both natives of
Tennessee. For many years his father engaged
in the practice of law at
Cookeville, and for several years he held
the office of clerk and master of the
chancery court and he represented the tenth
senatorial district in the general
assemblies of 1897 and 1899. His demise occurred
in 1912.
In the acquirement of his early education Ernest
Houston Boyd attended the
schools of Cookeville and subsequently attended
both the literary and law
departments of Cumberland University. He was
graduated from that institution
in 1911, with the LL. B. degree and immediately
engaged in practice at
Cookeville in partnership with his father,
under the firm name of Boyd &
Boyd. Prior to taking up the study of law
Mr. Boyd engaged in teaching school
and was county superintendent of schools of
Putnam county from 1903 to 1911.
His law practice now takes up his time and
attention, and since 1912 he has
held the office of county attorney of Putnam
county. Mr. Boyd brought to the
profession innate ability and thorough training
and he well merits the
success he has achieved.
On the 21st of August, 1912, he was married
to Miss Mattie Ragland and to
their union five children have been born:
Alvin Whitten, William Hardin
Ragland, Mary Butler, Avo Dyer and Houston
Goodpasture.
Mr. Boyd has always given his political allegiance
to the democratic party
and the principles for which it stands. He
was assistant clerk of the state
senate for one term, 1907. Fraternally he
is identified with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and the Masons. He was
grand patriarch of the Grand
Encampment of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows of Tennessee during
1908-09; was grand representative to the Sovereign
Grand Lodge at Seattle,
Washington, in 1909, and at Atlanta in 1910;
and he has been chairman of the
judiciary committee of the Grand Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows of
Tennessee for several years. Mr. Boyd was
formerly a member of the board of
trustees of the Odd Fellows Orphanage at Clarksville
and for several years he
was a member of the city board of education
of Cookeville. Mr. Boyd's
religious faith is that of the Presbyterian
church and he is an Elder in the
local church. He has frequently served as
Moderator of his Presbytery and in
1916 he represented the Cumberland Mountain
Presbytery in the general
assembly of the Presbyterian church at Atlantic
City. He has been deeply
interested in Tennessee history from childhood
and has written a great deal
on the subject. He has frequently delivered
lectures on
Tennessee history to State Teachers' Institutes
and other educational
meetings. He is a member of the Tennessee
Historical Commission. As may be
gathered from the preceding statements, Mr.
Boyd is essentially
public-spirited and is highly esteemed in
Cookeville for his integrity and
sterling worth.
Tennessee The Volunteer State Vol 2, Biographies
of professional individuals
residing in Tenessee from 1769-1923