O.E. Jeffers
Oliver Etheridge Jeffers (1901-1963) was a prominent Scott County attorney who served as a superintendent of schools, president of Oneida Bank & Trust Company, and was elected to the State House of Representatives.
See Also: Scott County School Superintendents
Preceded By: Ovia Cross • Succeeded By: Ovia Cross
Biography
Born May 22, 1901, Jeffers was the son of William Jasper Jeffers (1870-1942) and Emily Jane Duncan (1869-1951). He was one of seven children.
Jeffers married Margaret Julia Chambers (1903-1991). She was a second great-granddaughter of Revolutionary War veteran William Chambers. They had two daughters who died in infancy: Mary, in 1922, and Martha, in 1923.
Jeffers was a member of First Baptist Church of Oneida, where he taught a men’s Bible class.
Professional Life
Jeffers graduated law school and was admitted to the bar, and served as a partner in Jeffers & Jeffers Law Firm of Oneida. He was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly, representing Scott, Campbell and Union counties in the State House of Representatives. He served on the board of directors and as president of Oneida Bank & Trust Company.
Scott County School Superintendent
Jeffers was elected Scott County Superintendent of Schools in 1926. He served a single term, replacing Ovia Cross. Cross had been Scott County’s first elected school superintendent, and was elected again to replace Jeffers in 1928.
Jeffers’ father, W.J. Jeffers, also served as superintendent of schools in Scott County. He was the last superintendent to be appointed by the Scott County Quarterly Court, serving from 1919 to 1924.
Death
Jeffers died of a heart attack on May 18, 1963, in Cocoa, Fla. He was 62. He and his wife had moved to Florida in 1960 to purchase the LaMar Hotel. He was buried at Scott Memorial Gardens in Oneida, with District Attorney General J.H. McCartt and all members of the Scott County Bar Association serving as honorary pallbearers.
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