The Memphis Cotton Exchange is located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, USA, on the corner of Front Street and Union Avenue. It was founded in 1874 as a result of the growing cotton market in Memphis, where trade was strong after the American Civil War.
History And Location:
The Memphis Cotton Exchange was founded in 1874. Cotton merchants of the time became aware of the need for a trade organization to regulate cotton marketing in the city. They were also aware of the many benefits reaped by the New York Cotton Exchange and the New Orleans Cotton Exchange. Once established, the exchange produced rules and regulation on cotton trading and set standards for buying and pricing cotton in Memphis and the mid-South. The exchanged developed a method for grading cotton to which members agreed. It operated as a "spot market" and never developed futures trading except for two short-lived experiments. The exchange developed as s source of information about world markets, and cotton merchants found they had to join as members in order to compete. The exchange also promoted "Memphis cotton" in major markets such as New York and London.
For a time the Cotton Exchange was housed in what is now called the Exchange Building, built in 1910 on 9 North Second Street in Memphis. The tall, 20-storyExchange Building housed both the Cotton and Merchant exchanges for a period. Since the decline of the exchanges in the late 20th century with diversification of the economy, it has been renovated for use as an apartment building.
When the exchanges decided to have separate locations, the Memphis Cotton Exchange had a multi-story building constructed on Union Avenue; the Cotton Exchange Building opened in 1922. Cotton trading was done on the first floor, and only members of the exchange were allowed to trade there. In 1978, the trading floor was closed in favor of computer trading. The historic floor has since been remodeled and is now home to The Cotton Museum; it is used to educate the public about the industry and agriculture of cotton, the commodity crop that built the wealth of the city of Memphis for decades.
Interior of Memphis Cotton Exchange just before closing for the day, 1939.
Presidents Of The Memphis Cotton Exchange:
1873-1876 W. B. Galbreath
1876-1879 J. T. Pettit
1879-1881 D. P. Hadden
1881-1883 Napoleon Hill
1883-1885 C. P. Hunt
1885-1887 W. J. Crawford
1887-1889 L. B. Suggs
1889-1891 Emmett L. Woodson
1891-1893 H. M. Neely
1893-1895 E. B. Carroll
1895-1897 I. McD. Massey
1897-1899 F. M. Norfleet
1899-1900 C. C. Cowan
1900-1901 W. A. Gage
1901-1902 Cleland K. Smith
1902-1903 N. C. Richards
1903-1904 E. W. Porter
1904-1905 E. F. Webber
1905-1906 Dennis Smith
1906-1907 J. J. Shoemaker
1907-1908 F. M. Crump
1908-1909 R. S. Bryan
1909-1910 John Sneed Williams
1910-1911 W. J. Abston
1911-1912 John Sneed Williams
1912-1913 F. G. Barton
1913-1914 C. W. Butler
1914-1915 C. A. Lacy
1915-1916 B. B. Beecher
1916-1917 George W. Fisher
1917-1918 D. S. Weaver
1918-1919 W. L. McKee
1919-1920 I. H. Barnwell
1910-1921 J. L. Cooke
1921-1922 W. J. Britton
1922-1923 J. P. Norfleet
1923-1924 Ben G. Humphreys
1924-1925 H. G. Thompson
1925-1926 S. B. Wilson
1926-1927 R. B. Barton
1927-1928 J. C. Lutz
1928-1929 W. W. Trigg
1929-1930 F. B. Smithwick
1930-1931 I. H. Barnwell, Jr.
1931-1932 Everett Richard Cook
1932-1933 F. G. Barton
1933-1934 Henry H. Haizlip
1934-1935 Frank T. Donelson
1935-1936 Caffey Robertson
1936-1937 George J. Eckert
1937-1938 C. L. Andrews
1938-1939 W. A. Wooten
1939-1940 Fred W. Lucas
1940-1941 C. W. Hussey
1941-1942 Russell C. Gregg
1942-1943 John A. DuPre
1943-1944 S. Y. West
1944-1945 N. F. Dalrymple
1945-1946 T. F. Jackson, Jr.
1946-1947 Robert J. Hussey
1947-1948 Thomas J. White
1948-1949 Mather T. Richards
1949-1950 A. M. Crawford
1950-1951 John S. Dillard
1951-1952 C. L. Patton
1952-1953 H. R. Altick
1953-1954 Parks Kinnett
1954-1955 Lewis K. McKee
1955-1956 J. W. Johnson
1956-1957 J. W. Ramsey
1957-1958 William Dunavant
1958-1959 F. M. Crump
1959-1960 J. T. Murff
1960-1961 Berry B. Brooks
1961-1962 Hugh Francis
1962-1963 William W. Deupree
1963-1964 Eric D. Hirsch
1964-1965 H. D. Taylor
1965-1966 Robert J. Hussey
1966-1967 Hugh Francis
1967-1968 R. H. Allen, Jr.
1968-1969 Frank G Barton, Jr.
1969-1970 Walter Walsh
1970-1971 Berry B. Brooks
1971-1972 R. G. Gardner
1972-1973 Earl Crocker
1973-1974 Molloy H. Miller
1974-1975 Frank M. Weathersby
External Links:
Memphis Cotton Exchange
Source: Wikipedia
