City: Nashville
LANDIS, Abb Lowe, actuary and counselor; born Bedford County, Tenn., August 9, 1856; son of Absalom L. and Nancy (Carter) LANDIS; descended from the Landis family of North Carolina and the Carters of Virginia; graduated University of Nashville 1875, Vanderbilt University 1876, Lebanon Law School 1879; he engaged in manufacturing from 1876 to 1878, law and journalism from 1879 to 1888, investments and insurance 1889 to 1896; actuary and counselor since 1896; actively participated in the Sky Blue political campaign of 1882; as owner of the Nashville Banner waged editorial war on the convict lease system 1884-85, which was followed by a legislative investigation, and which led to its final abandonment; author of the editorial, “The Tennessee Tewksberry;” by his anti-lease system campaign he incurred the opposition of large moneyed interests and was compelled to sell the Banner, which he had taken when a losing property and turned to paying investment; practiced law in Florida in 1885-89; as an actuary he has devoted himself to the effort of placing the provident societies in the United States and Canada upon a sound financial basis; in this work he has been actuary and counselor for seventy of the largest and oldest beneficial societies in the United States and the Dominion of Canada, and through public readjustment campaigns he has become known to four millions of their members; he is author of several books and numerous pamphlets; married Mary Alma WORD, August 18, 1880.
Source: Who’s Who in Tennessee: A Biographical Reference Book of Notable Tennesseans of To-Day. Memphis: Paul & Douglas Co, 1911.
