T.G. Montague

Theodore Giles Montague was a key figure in Chattanooga’s growth following the Civil War. As a founder and later president of the First National Bank, he helped finance many of the city’s emerging industries, including Roane Iron, the Chattanooga Medicine Company, and the Read House. A quiet but influential advisor, Montague also contributed to local development projects such as Highland Park, which he helped name and promote. Deeply invested in the city’s future, he envisioned Chattanooga as a major industrial and transportation hub, and he worked steadily—both financially and morally—to help make that vision a reality.

Though widely respected for his business success—recognized in the New York Times as one of Chattanooga’s "seven millionaires"—Montague considered his faith and community service to be his greatest legacy. A longtime leader in the Presbyterian church, he was known for his integrity and civic-mindedness. That legacy was honored after his death when his family donated 45.5 acres of land to the city, establishing what would become Montague Park. City leaders embraced the gift, seeing it as both a practical benefit and a fitting tribute to a man whose life had been dedicated to building a better Chattanooga.

Source:

Mines, Linda Moss. “Opinion: Montague Park and the Man behind the Name.” Chattanooga Times Free Press, December 18, 2021. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2021/dec/18/opinion-montague-park.