(Lived September 14, 1840 – January 15, 1891)

A native of Utica, New York, Henry Frederick Temple moved to Chattanooga in 1874 to take advantage of the growing industrial emphasis in the city.  During his inaugural address in November 1879, Mayor Temple reported that the city had a projected income of $31,580 for the year but that expenditures were estimated at $45,381.  Mayor Temple’s plans for balancing the city budget included refusing to accept his own salary, reducing the salary of all city employees, and keeping expenditures to a minimum.

Mayor Temple ended his address with this challenge to the Board of Alderman: “Gentlemen, though we may not be able to accomplish all that we could desire, by reason of very limited means at our command, still let every move be in the right direction in the interest of economy, of efficiency, and of progress.”

Finally, on December 11, 1879, the Cincinnati Southern Railroad completed its line into Chattanooga.  Mayor Temple presided over a grand reception on April 13, 1880, when a delegation of Ohio legislators and railroad officials arrived in the city to celebrate the completion of the railroad.