10/06/2025
The History of Knox County Rests Here: Robert A. Shiflett Sr.
Robert Anderson Shiflett Sr. was born on February 6, 1861, in Charlottesville, Virginia, to Lilbourn Railey and Andelusia Gentry Shiflett. Born in difficult times, his father was fighting in the Civil War as a part of the Virginia 14th Infantry Regiment. He was one of twelve children born into this home. As the children grew up, many left home and settled in other locations, with several moving to Alabama. Robert chose to relocate to Anderson County, Tennessee, where the coal mining industry was booming, and there, he quickly worked his way up in management.
On May 24, 1888, he married Winifred Laverne Slover, who was born and raised in Clinton, Tennessee. Her father was a prominent figure in Anderson County politics and was serving as the clerk and master at the time of his death. Her great-grandfather, Aaron Slover Sr., was one of the first settlers in Anderson County, coming from Virginia in the late 1700s. Her grandfather, Aaron Slover Jr., was born in Anderson County in November of 1809 and served as county trustee for about 20 years. He died on the family farm on October 10, 1866. Her father, Henry Clay Slover, was born on the ancestral farm on September 16, 1844.
In August of 1862, just before his eighteenth birthday, Henry enlisted in Company C of the 2nd Federal (Union) Regiment of Tennessee and served alongside his brother, Abraham. On November 6. 1863, he was captured at Rogersville, Tennessee. He served as a prisoner at Belle Isle, Andersonville, Charleston, and Florence until he was exchanged in a prisoner swap after thirteen months and ten days of confinement. His brother, Abraham, died while they were being held at Andersonville. Henry's health never fully returned. He was mustered out of service at Knoxville, Tennessee, on May 27, 1865, and returned to the family farm in Clinton.
In August of 1867, he married Matilda A. Carden of Union County. Over the years, he served the people of Anderson County as constable, school commission, deputy sheriff, circuit court clerk, and long-time clerk and master, and he was still serving at the time of his death in 1921. Robert's wife, Winifred, was the first child born to Henry and Matilda. One of her younger brothers, Samuel Leroy Slover, purchased the beautiful clock and chimes in honor of their father, which, to this day, graces the Anderson County Courthouse. Purchased and dedicated in 1937 at a cost of $20,000, in today's money, this gift would cost over $400,000.
He had a talent for turning ailing newspapers into thriving businesses. He moved from Knoxville to Norfolk, Virginia, in 1905 and served as the mayor there in 1933. During his lifetime, he owned or controlled six of Virginia's largest newspapers, including the Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk Ledger Star, the Newport News Times-Herald, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and the Petersburg Progress-Index. He acquired a radio station and launched Virginia's second television station. Norfolk's Slover Library is named in his honor. Following his death, his nephew, whom he helped raise, built on his communications empire with television and launched the Weather Channel.
Robert, or R. A. Shiflett, as he was commonly known, became one of the leading voices and most respected professionals in the burgeoning mining industry. Eventually, he was appointed by the governor to serve as the Tennessee State Chief Mining Engineer, and he filled this role for a number of years before his retirement. His duties often carried him to Washington, D.C., and he became respected industry-wide. He was also very active in civil affairs as well as his local church. In late winter of 1934, he suffered a stroke in his home on Laurel Avenue and died a few weeks later at Fort Sanders Hospital on March 30 at 73 years of age. He left behind his widow, four sons, and two daughters, all of whom were following the family's tradition of leadership in their communities. He was laid to rest in the family plot in Greenwood Cemetery, where his beloved wife joined him two years later.
