Richard Boone Cheatham

Richard Boone Cheatham (December 8, 1824 – May 7, 1877) was an American politician based in Nashville, Tennessee. He was serving as the mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, during the opening years of the Civil War. After the war he served as alderman of the city, and later as a representative to the State House, 1869-1871.

Early life Cheatham was born in Robertson County, Tennessee, in 1824. He had two brothers, Edward Saunders Cheatham and Boyd M. Cheatham. Their father Richard Cheatham was a Whig politician and was elected in 1836 to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Cheatham died on May 7, 1877, in Nashville, Tennessee. His funeral was held at the First Presbyterian Church. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.

One of his daughters, Katherine "Kitty" Cheatham (born in 1864), became a famous singer of children's songs and "plantation melodies" she remembered her African American "Mammy" singing during her childhood. His cousin was Major General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham.