Samuel Claybrook Locke was a man of the law. A federal agent turned police officer in a Southern small town in the early 1900s, his most common enemy wasn’t thieves or fighters; it was that potent brown water synonymous with Tennessee that could turn any decent man into a scoundrel.
Throughout his tenure in the sheriff’s department, Samuel continuously busted up drunken misconduct and watched as “the devil’s whiskey” not only killed consumers, but destroyed families. A family man of devout faith, he made it his personal mission to see to it that his role in law enforcement would leave something his family would be proud of: he knew many of the folks getting arrested for drinking weren’t capable of stopping themselves.
If he could stop the whiskey making, then there would be no whiskey for them to drink.
Tennessee was the first state to pass a Prohibition law in 1838, making it a misdemeanor to sell alcohol in stores and taverns. In 1909, it became illegal to produce alcohol in the state. So when national Prohibition began in 1920, Tennessee was well ahead of the curve, and Samuel’s personal mission now aligned with the law.
Samuel’s hometown of Franklin needed a constable, someone to uphold the law and put a stop to alcohol production. With such conviction, he was the perfect man for the job. Only…he was a little too good at it.
In just three months at the post, he busted 73 illegal stills, much to the dismay of the posse of bootleggers in town. It was time to send the constable a message.
During a raid, the posse tried to intimidate Samuel with gunfire—going so far as to shoot his hat off his head. Message received, but not taken. Instead, Samuel turned to meticulous notetaking. If anything happened to him, his buddies at the FBI would know exactly what was happening in Franklin.
A mere few weeks later on March 7, 1925, Samuel decided to catch a show at the Franklin Theatre after a long day’s work. His son, Sammy, returned home first, leaving the gate to the family farm open like he always would. But when Samuel got home from the show, the gate was closed.
A man was waiting just beyond the latch to ambush him, hired for the job with only a bottle of whiskey. When the gate opened, he shot him dead, inflicting shotgun wounds to his neck and abdomen. The gunman and his getaway car fled north toward Nashville; but south toward Franklin, a celebration ensued.
“May he rest in hell,” the crowd chanted, spilling from the livery stable on Main Street, a hotspot for illegal activity. Today, the stable is a charming ice cream shop, Sweethaven.
What they’d soon find out: the murder set the full weight of federal law into motion, thanks to Sam’s notetaking.
Family legacy was always Samuel’s motivator. He hoped to instill strong values into his six children: Sammy, Tommy, Albert, Elsie, Rosie, and Sally. And that he did.
But here comes the twist: Samuel’s great great great nephew, Lee Kennedy, is somewhat of a local celebrity himself. He’s the owner and proprietor of Leiper’s Fork Distillery, an award-winning whiskey brand not five miles from Downtown Franklin. The brand launched in 2016, just a few years after a state law limiting spirits manufacturing was amended. For the first time since Prohibition, distillation was possible in Williamson County.
“The day I got the distillery approved, our county historian Rick Warwick said, “your uncle’s gunna be rolling in his grave,’” Lee chuckled. “‘But in actuality,’ Rick said, ‘your uncle Sam was a law man, and would be okay with the fact you’re doing this legally.’”
Samuel’s story is woven into the distillery, told during tours, and soon showcased across the wall of the brand’s new tasting room—located a stone’s throw from the former livery stable.
“I’m proud of my family history and legacy, and how it’s been tied to whiskey whether during Prohibition busting illegal stills, or now being part of history legally,” Lee adds. “It’s come full circle as a family.”
On the 100th anniversary of Samuel’s murder, family and friends will gather for an afternoon remembering and celebrating an honorable life. Tony Locke, Samuel’s great grandson who’s spearheading the event and provided a recount of Samuel’s story for this article, also attended the 50th anniversary when he was 16 years old.
“My grandaddy meant so much to me,” Tony shares of Sammy, noting he was much like his dad: he had a strong personality, he fought for what he believed in, he put his family first, and he served as a role model for his own children.
“My goal is to honor the family just like my great grandaddy honored the family—by saying we do what’s right, we do it for the people around us, and we do it for our family,” Tony adds.
Legacy is woven throughout this story—from Samuel’s passion for course correcting families broken by alcohol to Sammy’s continuation of strong, family-first Christian values. And, of course, Lee’s *very legal* whiskey brand now spreading Samuel’s story to all who walk through Leiper’s Fork Distillery’s doors. The brand will release a commemorative bottle in Samuel’s honor this year.
“You can’t build a legacy, you get a legacy when you’re born and you can extend it,” Tony says. “What are you going to do with it? That’s what Samuel’s legacy means to me—that I can make a difference.”
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