George Harrison Cate Jr.

He was a lifelong resident of Nashville. After serving his senior year as student body president, he graduated from East Nashville High School as valedictorian in 1945. He attended Vanderbilt University where in his senior year he was elected president of the Student Union, the Student Christian Association, and the Honor Council. In 1949, he graduated from Vanderbilt (BA), Cum Laude. In 1951, he graduated from Vanderbilt Law School (LLB), Summa Cum Laude. He was Editor-in-Chief of the 1950-1951 Vanderbilt Law Review and was awarded the Founder’s Medal signifying first honors in the Law School Class of 1951.

He married Carolyn Ward Bass in 1949, and together they raised their four children Lyn, Cathy, Emily and George III.

In 1951, he began his legal career as a partner with his father, George H. Cate, Sr., and they practiced together as Cate & Cate until his father’s death in 1978. His legal career spanned 63 years, ending with his retirement in 2014. In 1984, he received the John C. Tune Public Service Award, an honor given to the Nashville Bar Association member who has shown the highest degree of dedication to the betterment of the community in which he or she lives.

His military service began in 1952 with two years on active duty as First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps in Washington, D.C. He thereafter continued his military service as a member of the Army Reserve and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1979, serving until 1984 as commander of a military police brigade with units in Tennessee and four other states. He received the Legion of Merit for his outstanding military service and achievements.

He was instrumental in the creation of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. In 1962, as Chair of Citizens for Better Government, he led the campaign for the adoption of the Metro Charter, debating and speaking to groups on the merits of the proposed consolidation of the city and county governments. The Metro Charter passed by referendum on June 28, 1962, making this form of government the first in the nation. In November 1962, he was elected Metro Nashville’s first Vice-Mayor, serving from April 1, 1963 through January 1966.

He thereafter continued promoting and preserving the history of Metro Government. From 2008 to 2014, he was a member of the Metropolitan Historical Commission. In 2012, he also was appointed to serve on a three-person committee to plan and direct the celebration for the 50th anniversary of Metro held in 2013. He frequently spoke about the formation and history of Metro Government to local organizations, including Leadership Nashville, and to delegations from other cities across the nation contemplating a similar form of government.

He also served on the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education. He was appointed to the Board in 1976 and served as Chair in 1981 and 1982. He was also a member of other organizations supporting public education and teachers, including Citizens for Better Schools, Citizens Advisory Committee to the Board of Education, the Civic Committee on Public Education for Davidson County, Retired Teachers Association Board, and Metropolitan Nashville Teachers Apartments.

He spent his entire adult life as a member of West End United Methodist Church, where he served as Chair of the Administrative Board, a delegate to two Methodist General Conferences, and chancellor to the Tennessee Annual Conference. Perhaps he was best known to the members of West End for his many years of teaching Sunday School classes.

During his years of public service, he was a dedicated member and served in leadership roles in many other civic and professional organizations, including YMCA, Civitan Club, Sigma Chi Foundation, Old Oak Club, Youth Villages Board, Council of Community Services, and Salvation Army.

He was an avid outdoorsman and naturalist with particular interest in the lakes, streams and woodlands of Middle Tennessee. He actively shared his enthusiasm for wildlife and their habitat with family and friends and through his service on the Metropolitan Tree Board (Chair 1986-1994), Nashville Tree Foundation Board of Directors, and the Cumberland River Compact Board. He also advised Harpeth Hall School in the establishment of a campus arboretum.

He cherished his family's history and its roots in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and he frequently reminisced about his summers as a boy when he traveled by train to visit family in southern Kentucky and enjoy the outdoors with his maternal grandfather. He also had a lifelong love of music, and he regularly played the piano for family and friends and at community events.

In his professional life, he was highly regarded as a lawyer and community leader for his eloquence, professionalism, and commitment to public service. To his children and grandchildren, he will be especially remembered for his warm, outgoing nature, which he freely shared with others during his everyday life. He was eternally optimistic and kindhearted and rarely passed by anyone without offering a smile and friendly greeting.

He is preceded in death by his parents, George Harrison Cate, Sr. and Lucile Cowherd, and his wife of 40 years, Carolyn Ward Bass, mother of their four children. He is survived by his wife, the former Freda D. Roberts, of Knoxville, TN. He is also survived by his children Carolyn Cate James (Fred), Catherine Cate Sullivan (Hunter McDonald III), Emily Cate Tidwell (Crom), and George Harrison Cate III (Amy), all of Nashville; grandchildren, Cate Tidwell McLeane (Will) of Raleigh, NC, Blythe Cate, Warner Tidwell, Crom Tidwell IV, all of Nashville; and great-granddaughter, Annie Cate McLeane of Raleigh, NC.

A celebration of his life will be held at a future date.

Memorial contributions may be made to West End United Methodist Church, Vanderbilt University, Alive Hospice or the charity of one’s choice.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Richland Place and Alive Hospice for their care and compassion.