Robert Pearson
Robert Henry Pearson (born 1849 in Barbour County; died October 16, 1909 in Birmingham) was an attorney and real estate investor, and one of the first residents of Birmingham.
Pearson, the son of Benjamin and Harriet Pearson, originally from North Carolina, was educated at home and worked as a school teacher before enrolling at the University of Tennessee. He then completed a course at the Lebanon Law School and moved to Birmingham in 1872. He was one of the attendees at Charles Linn's "Calico Ball" on December 31 of that year.
In addition to working as an attorney with offices in the Roden Block, Pearson acquired several properties in the city, favoring corner lots which he controlled through his Pearson Railroad & Development Company. He invested in the Avondale Land Company and the East Lake Land Company. He also held a majority interest in a coal company and served as a founding director of the Birmingham Street Railway Company. He also helped organized the Episcopal Church of the Advent, serving on its first vestry and as senior warden.
Pearson declined several entreaties to enter politics. He did serve as chair of the Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee for two terms and spent four years as an assistant solicitor for the Jefferson County Circuit Court.
Pearson died in 1909 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Sallie and daughter, Mamie.
References
- Dubose, John Witherspoon (1887) Jefferson County and Birmingham, Alabama: Historical and Biographical Birmingham: Teeple & Smith, Publishers; Caldwell Printing Works.
- "Robert H. Pearson" (July 1, 1903) The Birmingham News, p. 7
External links
- Robert Henry Pearson at Findagrave.com