David C. Chapman

David Carpenter Chapman (August 9, 1876 – July 26, 1944) was an American soldier, politician, and business leader from Knoxville, Tennessee who led the effort to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 1920s and 1930s. Mount Chapman (in the park) and Chapman Highway (the section of U.S. Route 441 in South Knoxville), are named in his honor.

Early life Chapman was born in Knoxville to John Ellis and Alice Young Chapman. He attended the University of Tennessee from 1895 to 1897, and was a member of the Tennessee Kappa chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Military career In the Spanish–American War, Chapman served as a Second Lieutenant in the Third Tennessee Volunteer Infantry and was the Aide-de-Camp to Brigadier General Leonard Wright Colby. President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the park on September 2, 1940 with Chapman, the "Father of the Park", in attendance.

Personal life Chapman was married twice, first to the former Augusta McKeldin, and later to the former Sue Johnston following Augusta's death. He died in 1944 of congestive heart failure in Knoxville and is buried at Highland Memorial Cemetery.

Legacy Mount Chapman, a peak in the park is named in his honor. A stretch of US 441 in South Knoxville is also named in Chapman's honor as Chapman Highway.