Oral history interview with David K. Wilson, 13 Sept. 2006.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

This interview was recorded in digital format using a Marantz PMD671 solid state recorder. The interview was recorded in .wav format at 48 khz and 16 bit and was converted to .mp3 format for access.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: Oral history interview with Nashville businessman and civic leader David Kirpatrick (Pat) Wilson, conducted 13 Sept. 2006 by Cabot Pyle and Kenneth L. Roberts as part of The Turner Interviews series of the Nashville Public Library's Nashville Business Leaders Oral History Project. During the 1 hour and 14 minute interview, Wilson discusses such topics as his childhood and education; attending Wallace University School; serving in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps during World War II on Guadalcanal; starting Cherokee Fire Insurance Company after the war; Nashville's business climate during the 1940s, particularly with regards to banking; his involvement with First American and Commerce Union Banks; his involvement in politics; race relations in Nashville during the 1960s and his role in the civil rights movement; the liquor by the drink campaign; the formation of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority; the Watauga Society; his involvement with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce; his views on Nashville's future; his involvement in fundraising for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's endowment; and his legacy as a leader in Nashville.

Cite as: Oral history interview with David K. Wilson, Nashville Business Leaders Oral History Project, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library.

This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code)

Nashville businessman, insurance and investment executive, and civic leader. Born in 1919 in Nashville, David K. (Pat) Wilson graduated from Vanderbilt Univeristy in 1941. He attended Harvard Business School until his World War II Navy Supply Corps service as a lieutenant commander in the Pacific. After the war, he returned to Nashville and started Cherokee Fire Insurance Company in 1946. Later, he launched Cherokee Securities, Inc. and Cherokee Properties and formed Cherokee Equity Corp. in 1968 to serve as the holding company. Cherokee Fire Insurance and Cherokee Securities were sold in 1980. Wilson served as chairman and president of Cherokee Equity Corp. and as director of First American Bank, First American Corporation, Genesco, Winners Corporation/ Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company, and Torchmark Corporation. He has also served on Vanderbilt's Board of Trustees, as chairman of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center Foundation, as president of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, as trustee of Montgomery Bell Academy, and as vice-chair of the Tennessee Industrial and Agricultural Development Commission. Vanderbilt's psychology building is named after Wilson, and he has provided financial support to various schools, especially the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt, and endowed scholarships and chairs. Wilson served as co-chair (1971-1972) and chairman (1973-1974) of the Republican National Finance Committee. Wilson's late wife Anne Potter Wilson was co-founder (with her sister) of Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt. He and his late wife received numerous awards for their civic activities. Wilson died May 20, 2007.

In English.

Index available in repository.

Forms part of: Nashville Business Leaders Oral History Project: The Turner Interviews.