| Mark R. Cockrill | |
| Birth Name: | Mark Robertson Cockrill |
| Birth Date: | December 2, 1788 |
| Birth Place: | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Death Date: | June 27, 1872 |
| Death Place: | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Mount Olivet Cemetery |
| Occupation: | Cattleman, horse breeder, planter |
| Spouse: | Susan Collingsworth |
| Children: | 3 |
| Parents: | John Cockrill Anne Robertson Johnson Cockrill |
| Relatives: | John Cockrill (paternal grandfather) James Robertson (maternal uncle) Felix Robertson (cousin) James Collinsworth (brother-in-law) Benjamin F. Cockrill Jr. (grandson) Edward Saunders Cheatham (son-in-law) |
Mark Robertson Cockrill (1788-1872) was an American cattleman, horse breeder and planter. He was the owner of a large farm in Davidson County, Tennessee and a cotton plantation with 300 slaves in Mississippi. He won many prizes for his sheep-rearing both nationally and internationally, and he became known as the "Wool King of the World". He was a multi-millionaire prior to the American Civil War, and he loaned gold to the Confederate States of America during the war.
Cockrill was born on December 2, 1788, in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] His father was John Cockrill,[2] the son of Welsh-born planter John Cockrill (of Scottish descent) and his wife, Anne.[2] His parents owned a farm in modern-day Centennial Park.[2] His maternal uncle, James Robertson, was an explorer and the co-founder of Nashville.
Cockrill raised cattle and bred horses on his 5,600-acre farm on Charlotte Pike in Nashville called Stock Place.[3] He also raised swine and sheep.[4] [5] As early as 1815, he purchased merino sheep from William Jarvis for his farm.[3] Additionally, Cockrill purchased the 1,000-acre Tulip Grove from Andrew Jackson Donelson for US$53,000 in 1854.[6]
Cockrill won many prizes at the Middle Tennessee Fair and the Tennessee State Fair, two agricultural fairs.[4] Additionally, he won a prize for the finest wool on exhibition at the 1851 World's fair in London, England.[4] He was also the recipient of a gold medal from the Tennessee legislature "as a testimonial of distinguished merit and unrivaled success in wool-culture, and other agricultural pursuits" in 1854.[2] He was featured in De Bow's Review for the superior wool of the sheep he raised.[4] Additionally, he considered building cotton mills with four other planters in his county. He became known as the "Wool King of the World".[3]
Cockrill was the owner of a cotton plantation in Mississippi, with 135 African slaves at one point.[7] Prior to the American Civil War of 1861–1865, Cockrill sold the plantation and 240 slaves he owned; he retained 60 slaves and brought them to Tennessee.[8] By then, he was worth an estimated US$2 million, and he was the richest Tennessean.[3]
Cockrill was a supporter of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He loaned US$25,000 in gold to the CSA,[3] and he gave them wool to make Confederate uniforms.[8] When the Union Army invaded, they took his land and stole his cattle.[3] Cockrill was arrested and sent to jail for his Confederate support.[8]
Cockrill married Susan Collinsworth, the daughter of Edward Collingsworth, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812,[8] and the sister of James Collinsworth, who served as the 1st Chief Justice of Texas from 1836 to 1838.[1] They had three sons: Benjamin F. Cockrill, who married Sallie, the daughter of Senator Ephraim H. Foster; James Robertson Cockrill, who married his cousin Mary Cockrill; and Mark Stirling Cockrill, who married Mary Hill Goodloe.[8] They also had three daughters: Julie, who married Edward S. Cheatham, the son of Congressman Richard Cheatham; Jane, who married William Watkins; and Henrietta, who married Albert Gallatin Ewing,[8] a Confederate veteran who served under Nathan Bedford Forrest during the war.[9]
Cockrill died on June 27, 1872, in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] [10] He was buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery. His cattle was inherited by his son Mark S. Cockrill and his horses were inherited by his other son, Benjamin F. Cockrill.[8] His daughter Henrietta inherited his house on Charlotte Avenue surrounded by 4,000 acres.[8]
Cockrill was inducted into the Tennessee Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1944.[11] The same year, a bronze plaque in his honor was installed at the Tennessee State Capitol.[3]