13, 1888, when John resigned. During his tenure as commissioner, Johnathan Atkins forbade the use of Native languages in reservation schools, stating in 1887 that "instruction of the Indians in the vernacular is not only of no use to them but it is detrimental to the cause of their education and civilization". He was an unsuccessful Democratic nomination for United States Senator in 1888. John returned to agricultural pursuits; retired from active pursuits in 1898, and moved to Paris, Tennessee. Death Johnathan Atkins lived there in retirement until his death on June 2, 1908 (age 82 years, 364 days). John is interred at City Cemetery in Paris, Tennessee. A family friend who developed Atlanta's Atkins Park neighborhood named it in honor of the colonel. References External links 1825 births 1908 deaths People from Henry County, Tennessee Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Tennessee Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Democratic Party Tennessee state senators American slave owners 19th-century American politicians University of Tennessee alumni Confederate States Army officers People of Tennessee in the American Civil War