ROBERT LOONEY CARUTHERS was born in Smith County. Educated at Washington College, he studied law and served as circuit attorney general from 1827 to 1832. He was elected to the state legislature in 1835 and to Congress in 1841. Twelve years later he was appointed to the state Supreme Court by Governor William Campbell. He went on to serve as a member of the Peace Congress in 1861. Although elected governor in 1863, he was never inaugurated due to the fact that Andrew Johnson was appointed military governor by Abraham Lincoln. An advocate of education, Caruthers and his brother co-founded Cumberland University Law School.