07/14/2025
The History of Knox County Rests Here: Lincoln C. Houk
Lincoln C. (Link) Houk was born to Leonidas Campbell Houk and his wife on December 18, 1863. He was born in a Union Army Military Camp in Richmond, Kentucky. His father was a Union Officer with the First Tennessee Volunteers, and his wife visited him there just before Christmas of 1863. His parents named him after Abraham Lincoln. Before entering the war, his father had studied law and practiced in Knoxville. After the war, he served as a member of the Tennessee State Constitutional Convention held in 1865. Leonidas served as the Judge of the Circuit Court of Tennessee from 1866-1870 and as a member of the Tennessee State House of Representatives from 1873-75.
In 1878 Leonids was elected to represent the Second Tennessee District as a member of the United States Congress, and he held this office until the time of his death in 1891 at the young age of 54. Lincoln was fifteen years old when the family moved to Washington, D.C. Here, he developed his love of law and began to pursue his studies to follow in his father's and older brother's footsteps and become a lawyer.
His other great love was baseball. In his early 20s, he accepted a role as a pitcher with the Knoxville Reds, a minor-league baseball team that played in Knoxville until 1914. Well-known for his curveball, he led the team to a national pennant in 1910 while they were a part of the Southeastern League. Also on this team were several others who would go on to prominence, such as Charles Pleasant "Pleas" McClung, Deadrdick McClung, and Lon Fiske.
It was during this period that Link married Susan Jane Hudiburg of Knoxville, and together they had three children--a son and two daughters. Like his father and grandfather, his son Fred would go on to become a prominent lawyer. Lincoln was proud of his son and loved to recount the time when Fred was Assistant District Attorney and going against his father in the second trial of Maurice Mays, and the son was successful in the prosecution. At one time, he was the law partner of Horace Mann, who served as the southern campaign manager of Hoover's bid for president.
He served in various political offices and served twice as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. Known as a skillful orator, in a speech made before the Knoxville City Council on the Thursday before his death, he seemed to prophesy his early demise. There, he declared, "Soon, I shall leave the stage. I am not much of an L. C. Houk now, as you all know." He was in the law office of his son, Fred C. Houk, that Saturday and said he felt better than usual, but on Sunday afternoon, January 20, 1929, he went into the bathroom, complaining that he was having difficulty breathing. He sank to the floor and died before medical help could arrive. He was 65 years of age.
His funeral was conducted by Rev. R. M. Millard, the pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, where he was a member. The pallbearers included such local dignitaries as Hal H. Clements, Dr. A. G. Kyle, District Attorney R. A. Mynatt, and R. Elmer Ginn. He was buried in the peaceful family plot in Greenwood Cemetery. His son would join him there less than a year later.
