James P. Kivett, Tazewell lawyer

James Preston Kivett, born August 11, 1869, he married Cordelia Carr in 1897, she the daughter of James Carr and Jane Cloud, and they had six children.  James P. Kivett died October 28, 1945.  The lineage of the Carr-Kivett families can be located on my site HERE.

 He was active in social and church work.  Along with P.E. Divine, W.I. Davis, John P. Davis and George Livesay he incorporated the Tazewell Publishing Company in 1897.� He purchased around 1900. the house now known as the Graham-Kivett house from William G. Yoakum.� He uncovered a multitude of graft and extortion in county government during his time as Clerk and Master in 1908.� He toured the country speaking at churches with a humorous program entitled �Eden in the Backwoods� during the years 1907 thru 1909.�� In 1923 when serving as a Legislator in the State House as a Republican, he was asked to abolish the election of the Mayor of Tazewell.� It so happened that the Mayor was his wife Cordelia Kivett, a Democrat.� He evidently was allowed to abstain from acting on the motion.� He chartered the Beech Fork Blue Gem Coal Company with G.M. Montgomery, John P. Rogers, M. B Carr and Cordelia Kivett in 1924.� He practiced law for many years in Tazewell and continued to be active in Tennessee State politics, losing a bid to defeat fellow Republican B. Carroll Reece in 1938. 
The newspaper articles used to gather most of this information are HERE

James P. Kivett was for years the lawyer hired by my grandfather, Joseph Phillips, to conduct business on the purchase of land.  Some of the original Deeds are below.  More information of some of the transactions are below the documents and by following THIS LINK.

*Mortimer "Monta" B. CARR was born 1870 in Claiborne Co., Tennessee, and died 10 FEB 1937 in Claiborne Co., Tennessee. He married Barbara REYNOLDS. My Grandfather Joseph PHILLIPS was partners with Dr. M.B. CARR on a farm near Plainview, Texas. The farm contained a full section of land in Hale County. I will be publishing many of the records relating to that property and how it passed on to my father Al PAYNE and my grandfather Joseph PHILLIPS after Barbara CARR'S death. M.B. and Barbara's son Beverly, who migrated to the Netherlands, inherited part of the property and much of the letters and legal documents have to do with his decision to sell the property to my grandfather and father.