Edward H. East
| Edward H. East | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Acting Governor of Tennessee | |
|
In office March 4, 1865 – April 5, 1865 |
|
| Preceded by | Andrew Johnson (Military) |
| Succeeded by | William G. Brownlow |
| Military Tennessee Secretary of State | |
|
In office March 12, 1862 – April 5, 1865 |
|
| Appointed by | Andrew Johnson |
| Preceded by | J.E.R. Ray |
| Succeeded by | A.J. Fletcher |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 1, 1830 Davidson County, Tennessee |
| Died | November 12, 1904 (aged 74) Davidson County, Tennessee |
| Resting place |
Mount Olivet Cemetery Nashville, Tennessee |
| Political party |
Whig Opposition Republican Prohibition |
| Spouse(s) | Ida Horton |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Signature |  |
Edward Hazzard East (October 1, 1830 – November 12, 1904) was an American attorney, judge, and politician. He served as Secretary of State for the state of Tennessee from 1862 to 1865, having been appointed by Andrew Johnson, the state's military governor under the Union Army occupation during the Civil War. East briefly served as the state's acting governor during the interim between Johnson's inauguration as U.S. Vice President on March 4, 1865, and the inauguration of the state's "elected" governor, William G. Brownlow, on April 5, 1865.
East was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, one of ten children of Edward Hyde East and Cecelia Buchanan East. His paternal grandfather, Benjamin East, had migrated from England in the 18th century. His father served as a justice of the peace for Davidson County, and was a supporter of Whig presidential candidate Hugh Lawson White in 1836.
East enrolled in Washington Institute in Nashville in the late 1840s, and graduated with a degree in literature in 1850. He then studied law at the Cumberland University Law School (now the Cumberland School of Law), graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1854. Afterward, he practiced law in Nashville.
In 1859, East, a lifelong Whig, was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives as a member of the Opposition Party (which the state's Whigs had formed after the collapse of the national Whig Party). In the months leading up to the Civil War, East steadfastly opposed secession. When the state began to align itself with the Confederacy, he resigned his seat. While he supported the Union, he refused to take up arms against the South, and retired from public life.
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