Moses Houston Gamble was born December 14, 1871, and died on Saturday August 18, 1934 aged almost sixty three years of age.
His Parents and Their Home
His father was Esquire Josias Gamble and his mother was Mrs. Rebecca Julian McKamy Gamble. Both these families the Gambles and the McKamys, were pioneers in Blount County, and settled the neighborhood of two well known Forts or Stations; namely McTeer's Fort and Gamble Fort, situated on Ellejoy Creek. The old farm of the family was located at the Little River bend, in the fourteenth civil district of Blount County. Moses Houston was the sixth of the eleven children in this big family. Seven of the children, Sarah Ann, Alexander Breekenridge, Mrs. Elizabeth Waters, Judge Moses Houston, and three who died in infancy, are now deceased; while four are yet living, namely, Mrs. Hettie Gamble, McGinley and Dr. Andrew Mcteer of Maryville and Mrs. Sophronia Gamble McKeehan of California and Mary Gamble of Maryville. Judge Moses Houston Gamble was a representative of an old and large and honored stock of Presbyterians who had come from Pennsylvania and the Valley of Virginia, to become East Tennessee pioneers; and naturally a large body of kinsfolk and hosts of lifelong friends unite to mourn his loss.
His Youth
Moses Houston Gamble was born into his patents’ home on December 14, 1871; and on his parents’ farm he spent his youthful days, sharing in the industrious labors that helped to support the large family, of which he had the good fortune to be a part. “He was brought up on a farm”, could be said of him as it can be said of many men and women who have done their fair share of the world’s work. His elementary education was given him in part in the common schools of his Blount County country neighborhood ; and then in the absence of present-day high-schools, he transferred his educational endeavors to the Preparatory Department of Maryville College, then the chief hope of the young people of Blount County for the securing of even an academic and high school education. He entered the Preparatory Department and began a long and honorable struggle that led him to a college diploma and to the practice of two professions, education and law.
A Home of His Own
He was twenty- eight years of age when he set up a home of his own. On June 19, 1900 he was married to Nannie Martha Caldwell, of Maryville who had been a student with him in the College, and who also had been a teacher as he was in the public schools of the county. Loyal to one another and to the seven children with whom they were blessed, they have met bravely faced whatever ill have befallen them; and they have rejoiced together in the joys that have been apportioned to them by a kind of Providence. The seven children that filled this home of theirs with young life and good cheer were: Helen Rebecca, Ruth, Joe Caldwell, Fred Richard, Dorothy Grace, Mary Catherine and Moses Houston, Jr. In the thought of Wordsworth’s beautiful poem, the young people could say “We are Seven;” and even when the first great tragedy that befell them came without warning up on them, in the death of giant Fred the beloved of all at home, they could still say “We Are Seven,” because they were now all seven bound by a new bond of unity-the bond of loving sorrow. And the absent Fred has, notwithstanding, been in the home, and abiding memory, full of influence in the heart’s and lives of all the family.
The Profession of Teaching
As his own education was broadening and advancing Moses Gamble utilized what he himself had learned in passing it on to others. He taught in the County schools, and he was also elected County Superintendent of the Public Instruction for two years. In which position he proved to have a very aggressive interest in advancing welfare of the public schools. During three years 1903-1906, he taught in the College Preparatory Department of the College. In 1913, he was appointed by Governor Ben W. Hooper, to serve as a member of the Tennessee State Board of Education and in connection with his services on that Board served as a member of the State Text-Book Commission.
The Education of His Family
He and his wife in their early married life, planned a large undertaking indeed, namely the giving of a college education to all their children. In the carrying out of this plan, they later one, built their house on the edge of the College woods on Court Street. It was a long campaign; but it was carried out with persistence and admirable unity of effort, until it has almost been realized. Helen, Ruth, Joe, Grace, and Mary have won diplomas from the College in the years, respectively 1920, 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1933; while M. H. Jr., expects to enter the Junior Class in the coming September, and to graduate in 1936. So the Judge and his wife happily lived to see the realization of their ambitions and loving plans for the education of their children. Indeed, they have seen those children secure also much professional post-graduate training. Indeed, had it not been for the untimely death of Fred, the realization of their hopes would have been complete, humanly speaking. And even Fred himself was a member of the Sophomore Class, and was making an admirable record when school closed for him. It has been a happiness to the family when the mother, after a long and serious illness, has made an excellent recovery, and has lived to see still further of the family plans for the children realized. The Judge lived to see five of his children college graduates, and another, in the kindness of God, traveling the same road.
His Contribution to Education
His contribution to education as a Director of the College has been a long one. He has served as a Director of the College for twenty- four years. For twenty-one years he has been a member of the Directors’ Executive Committee and its successors, the Committee and its successors, the Committees on Administration and Finance. For eight years he has been a member of the Committee of Professors and Teachers. There is no member of the Board who has given to the college more entirely of his time, strength, and loyalty. His legal and business judgment, his rare good sense and good spirit, and his unswerving loyalty to the college have been indispensable and their value has been beyond computation. It was but a small and inadequate recognition of his great service to the College that led the Directors at the recent Commencement to confer upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws in 1908 they had conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts, then given.
The Profession of Law
Judge Gamble first read the law with his cousin, Major Will A. McTeer; and then he continued his studies at the University of Tennessee. He was admitted to the bar in 1901, thirty-three years ago. He attained an eminent position in his profession, being widely known and highly regarded as and attorney of large experience profound knowledge of the law, clear and judicial mind, sound judgment, and extraordinary achievement. He was in 1921 appointed by the Governor of Tennessee and in 1922 elected by the people as Chancery Division of the State, finally resigning to resume the practice of law. As the time of his death, he was senior member of the law firm of Gamble, Goddard, and Gamble, the second Gamble being his satisfaction, his eldest son.
His Public Life
The Judge has been a servant to his community. He was a member of the House of Representatives of the Tennessee Legislature in 1899 and of the State Senate in 1901; he served in Maryville Board of Alderman for two years, and has been since 1925, United States Commissioner for Blount County. He has had business relationships in Maryville, especially for twenty-five years in connection with the banks of the City. He served as Director, member of the Finance Committee, and Vice President of the Bank of Blount County for many years, and recently has been serving as a Director and as Chairman of the Finance Committee of the new Bank of Maryville. His ability as a strong public speaker has led to his being constantly called upon to represent his townsmen in matters of special public interest. In such public movements no one had more influence than he. He was a man of great public spirit. Like his cousin, Major McTeer, in his time, he did a great deal of free work for the community in behalf of public enterprises. He will be missed greatly in the public life of Maryville. Indeed, he has already been greatly missed during the period of his last illness.
A Man of Physical Strength
He exemplified natural qualities of great values. He was a man of mighty physique. He had what the English call “a heart of oak.” He himself, when a young man, took part in athletics; and he excelled in athletics. He was a member of Kin Tahahashi’s famous original football team. He also took great interest in the athletics of his children.
A Man of Intellectual Power
This he manifested in the practice of his profession, and in the commanding influence that he exerted in public life.
A Man of Judicial Mind
He was well-balanced in private life as well as in his professional life. He was a man of common-sense. People recognized this fact; they consulted him; and then they took his counsel; and they profited by doing so.
He Was an American
He was a worthy representative of old fashioned Americanism, a quality of which we never stood in greater need than now.
Conformity to the Will of God
He also exemplified moral qualities of great value, chief among which was surrender to the Will of God. In one of the February Meetings which he attended when a student, he faced and manfully considered the claim that God had upon him. In an earnest and judicial way, he yielded himself to the will of God for time and for eternity. In speaking in later years about that momentous decision of his on that February night, he said that every passing year since the decision was made had increased his conviction of the absolute imperativeness of Christ’s claim upon every one of us, and the tragedy of any refusal to yield to his commands. He said most earnestly: A man cannot in the battle against sin without the help of God.
Loyalty to the Church of Christ
His parents and ancestors from the North of Ireland feared God, kept his commandments, and believed and
In the reverence of His church. And what he inherited from them, he adopted directly for his own life and his family. Soon after his decision to live the Christian life he united with the New Providence Presbyterian Church. His family was brought up in the communion of the church. He served in the New Providence Church for a number of terms as a member of the Board of Deacons and for different periods as Chairman of the Board of Deacons. He wielded great influence as Sabbath-School teacher of an important class for men, the New Era Class, up to his recent breakdown in health.
A Christian’s Conscientiousness, Prayer and Faith
The Judge and I not infrequently conversed together regarding the necessity and experiences of the Christian life. One incident that took place at the time the Judge was serving as Chancellor revealed his inner life as a Christian man in a delightful way. The matter of the heavy responsibility resting upon a Judge in his relations to God and man had been referred to, when he modestly told his own habits, experience and method of procedure in making of judicial decisions. He said that as Chancery Judge he felt deeply the urgent necessity of making every intellectual effort to ensure it that his decisions should be entirely just and righteous ones. To secure this to the end, he said, to begin with he spared no time nor pains, nor toil to produce just and righteous decisions. As he spoke his conscientiousness was manifest in attitude and speech. But he continued, that did not seem sufficient. In order to ensure the right decision, he always went further. He said he was in the habit of praying for God to grant His guidance to him in his every judicial decision; and that he was accustomed to review every tentative decision in the light of his prayer for enlightenment and help. Thus did the Judge reveal his conscientiousness, his confidence in prayer, and his faith in a prayer-hearing and prayer answering God.
There are many comforting words like these that come to us out of the life of Judge Gamble and out of our own memories of him. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
