Mayor John A. Hart Enjoyed Life On The East Terrace Until His Untimely Death

John A. Hart, who was twice elected mayor of Chattanooga, was among those living on the East Terrace of Cameron Hill. The Hart home was the next one south of the stone residence of John Wesley Adams. It was a two-story house with a long porch in front to capture the extraordinary view.

He was born in Illinois, but his parents moved to Ohio. As a youth, John A. Hart made his way to Montgomery, Ala. He then joined the Union Army and rose to second lieutenant.

Hart returned to Alabama after the war and rose to be Speaker of the Alabama Senate.

However, he opted to move to Chattanooga in 1869 due to the lure of the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad. When its promoter, John C. Stanton, failed, John A. Hart and many others "suffered badly."

However, his father died and left him an inheritance so that he was able to invest in a lumber company in Chattanooga. He became a partner in the newly named Loomis & Hart in 1876. His partner was the fellow Cameron Hill resident J.F. Loomis.

Hart went on to become president of the Third National Bank in 1886.

He was defeated for mayor in 1878, losing to Jesse T. Hill. However, he won in 1880 and again in 1889. It was not surprising that he was elected since he was a "genial, kindly man and a general favorite."

Soon after coming to Chattanooga, John A. Hart lived at Missionary Ridge - McCallie Avenue Extension. He was residing at the Stanton House in 1882.

By the next year Hart was ensconced at 13 (later 113) East Terrace, where he lived for a number of years.

Though still a young man, Hart suffered a stroke. He went to Colorado to try to regain his strength.

A second stroke followed on Jan. 15, 1891, and he died an hour later. He was just 47. He left behind a wife, but no children.

The house at 13 East Terrace did not last so long either. James W. Berry, who was president of the Chattanooga Pottery Works, lived there several years. Mrs. M.E. Watkins was a later resident. It was vacant by 1910 and was apparently torn down afterward.

No photo of the Hart home on Cameron Hill has been found.