"Tennessee Trails" through Bedford County
William Little Frierson attended the private schools of Shelbyville and in due time entered Southwestern Presbyterian University at Clarksville, from which institution he was graduated in 1887, with the A. B. degree. He then took up the study of law under the preceptorship of his father, and on the 3d of September, 1889, on his twenty-first birthday, he was licensed to practice at Shelbyville, by Chancellor Walter S. Bearden and Circuit Judge Robert Cantrell. In September of the following year he came to Chattanooga and has since practiced here. From the 1st of January, 1891, to the 1st of January, 1893, he practiced as a partner of David S. Anderson; from January 1, 1893, to September, 1906, he was associated with Lewis Shephard; from September 1, 1906, to September 1, 1917, he had Lewis M. Coleman for a partner; and since the 1st of April, 1921, he has practiced with Robert H. Williams. Although Mr. Frierson has devoted most of his time to his profession he has been active as a public official, his first office having been that of deputy county clerk of Bedford county, in which office he was active from September, 1887, to September, 1890. In October of the year 1905, he was elected mayor of Chattanooga. His term of office expired in October, 1907, and his administration was marked by the inauguration and completion of many movements for the development and improvement of the general welfare. He was city attorney of Chattanooga from 1912 to 1915; assistant attorney general of the United States from September, 1917, to June, 1920; solicitor general of the United States, from the 1st of June, 1920, to the 1st of July, 1921; and he was special judge of the supreme court of Tennessee a short time in 1916. As a servant of the public Mr. Frierson has gained the confidence and respect of all.
On the 20th of April, 1892, occurred the marriage of Mr. Frierson to Miss Margaret McLemore Daniel, a daughter of William Madison and Margaret Daniel, well known citizens of Clarksville. Mr. Daniel was a prominent attorney and was a member of the state senate in 1881 and 1883. His family came from Virginia to this state at an early day. Mrs. Daniel was a daughter of General de Graffenreid, who lived at Franklin and is one of the historic figures in this state. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Frierson three children have been born: Margaret Daniel, who is the widow of Dr. James G. Williamson, Jr., of Columbia, now residing in Chattanooga; Robert Payne, a well known attorney here; and Susie Belle, a resident of this city. Since attaining his majority the political endorsement of Mr. Frierson has been given to the democratic party. His religious faith is that of the First Presbyterian church, in which he is an elder. During the many years of his residence in Chattanooga, Mr. Frierson has wielded a great influence for the good of the community and no man stands higher in the county for integrity and sterling worth.
William L. Frierson, a representative of one of America's oldest and most influential families, has practiced law in Chattanooga since September, 1890. He was born at Shelbyville, Bedford county, on the 3d of September, 1868, and was a son of Robert Payne and Mollie (Little) Frierson. The family was Scotch-Irish, came to America in the eighteenth century, and located in Williamsburg county, South Carolina. The branch of the family to which William Little belongs removed to Maury county, this state, about 1803. The paternal grandparents were Ervin J. and Ann (Harrison) Frierson. They lived in Shelbyville for many years, where the grandfather engaged in the practice of law. He was born in Maury county and in his young manhood read law with James K. Polk. He was one of the most prominent members of the legal profession in Shelbyville and for some time was active in the office of district attorney general. The maternal grandparents were William and Caroline Little, likewise prominent residents of Shelbyville. Robert Payne Frierson was born in Shelbyville, Bedford county, and at the age of seventeen years entered the Confederate army. He bore a lieutenant's commission in the First Tennessee Regiment and he participated in many of the strategic battles of that war. He took up the study of law after returning home from the army and practiced in the city of his birth until his demise in 1893. He was a member of the state legislature in 1871 and again in 1877 and during his second term was a leader of the state credit men in that body.
