In the Stewart family, a career in law meant showing up both in and out of the courtroom. While many communities remembered judges for their titles or courtrooms, the Stewart family’s foundation had already been laid by faith, public service, and a conviction that caring for neighbors was a calling passed from one generation to the next. Well before modern highways made travel across a judicial district routine, T.L. Stewart served 14 Tennessee counties as chancellor.
Traveling by train, bus, and, at times, horse-drawn wagons, he did whatever it took to reach the courthouse. Once, after missing his stop in Jasper while reading the newspaper, he caught a ride with a local farmer back to the train station and continued on his way.
It was a different Tennessee then. Roads were not always suited for cars, and serving the community sometimes meant traveling by whatever means necessary.
More than a century later, the work of serving Franklin County continues through Chancellor Jeff Stewart and his son, Judge David Stewart.
The Stewart family’s legal legacy spans five generations of attorneys, four of whom have served as judges.
T.L. Stewart became the family’s first judge in 1918. His son, A.T. “Tom” Stewart, later served as district attorney general and prosecuted John T. Scopes in the trial now known as the “Monkey Trial.”
“He later became a United States senator, serving from 1938 to 1948, during the war period. He served under Roosevelt and Truman,” Jeff said of his grandfather, Tom Stewart.
Jeff’s father, L.F. Stewart, served the 12th Chancery Division from 1966 until he retired in 1989, when Jeff Stewart was appointed to succeed him. Jeff remained on the bench until his retirement in 2018.
For Jeff, the family’s legacy begins long before the courtroom.
An ancestor, Absalom Deakins Stewart, was a Methodist minister during the Civil War who helped reestablish Methodist churches across the region afterward. From that foundation, Stewart said, came a lasting commitment to faith, honesty, loyalty, service, and caring for others.
Those values were lived out by the generations that followed.
Four years after Jeff’s retirement, David was elected general sessions judge. David said that becoming a judge was never something he felt he was expected to do. As a child, he dreamed of becoming a forest ranger, but his interests changed over time. After attending law school and returning to Franklin County to practice law, the opportunity to seek the bench arose naturally.
David remembers his father and grandfather for their patience, humility, and willingness to listen. They treated people with respect and made time for them, lessons he believes extend well beyond the bench.
“It’s not just for a judge,” David said. “We all need to be patient with one another and treat people with the respect that we all are due.”
Jeff remembered a time when local politics sometimes divided attorneys. In 1978, he hosted the Franklin County Bar Association’s first Christmas gathering in his office. This tradition continues today. Looking back, he believes simple opportunities for fellowship helped strengthen friendships within the local legal community.
More than watching his son enter the legal profession, Jeff said it has been a blessing to watch David grow as a husband, father, and leader in his church. He considers it a blessing that both of his sons returned home to Franklin County, allowing him to witness those milestones firsthand.
Both father and son have coached youth sports, served on community boards, supported local organizations, and invested in the people around them.
“I don’t know if anybody will remember us,” David said. “If they do, I hope they’ll remember that we were involved in the community and left a positive impact — whether through an organization, a board, our faith community, or coaching kids.”
Jeff hopes the family’s legacy reflects lives steeped in faith, service, and fairness.
“I hope they remember that we were people of faith who loved our community, cared about others, and tried to be good stewards of what God entrusted to us,” he said. “And that we were fair.”
Franklin County has changed dramatically over the years. Once known primarily for agriculture, it has grown to include industry, tourism, retail, and thriving lake communities, drawing new residents to its mountains, rivers, and natural beauty.
However, the heart of their service has remained remarkably consistent.
People still stop to visit on the square, in the grocery store, or anywhere neighbors cross paths. A quick errand can easily become a long conversation, because relationships still matter.
Show up. Listen. Treat people fairly. Serve faithfully. Leave the community better than you found it. For five generations, those principles have mattered more to the Stewart family than the titles engraved on courtroom doors. GN
