Frank Gorrell

Frank Gorrell
Frank Gorrell
47th John S. Wilder
Personal details
Born	Frank Cheatham Gorrell; June 20, 1927; Russellville, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	March 12, 1994 (aged 66); Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Bette Jamison (m. 1947; died 1991)
Children	3

Frank Cheatham Gorrell (June 20, 1927 – March 12, 1994)^[1] was an American politician who served as the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee from 1967 to 1971, during Governor Buford Ellington's second term.^[2]

Early years

Gorrell was born in

Nashville. After college he attended law school at Vanderbilt, then joined the Nashville law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims.^[2]

Career

In 1947, while a student at Vanderbilt, he married Bette Jamison,

Republican Caucus, which proposed the election of former lieutenant governor Jared Maddux

, who had previously served as lieutenant governor during Clement's first administration.

A "nose count" revealed a total of sixteen Senators supporting Clement's selection of Gorrell, and sixteen supporting Maddux. The remaining member, Senator Charles O'Brien of Crossville, was in seclusion and could not be reached by either side. Clement, sensing victory, sent his sister Anna Belle, who also served as his chief of staff, to visit O'Brien's home and persuade him to support Gorrell. Exactly what occurred is unknown, but while O'Brien voted for Maddux, who was returned to office, Anna Belle Clement married Senator O'Brien, later serving in the Senate herself as Anna Belle Clement O'Brien, while Senator O'Brien later went on to serve as Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court. Gorrell's turn was to come two years later.

Gorrell was regarded as being both pro-business and somewhat

lobbyist

and was regarded as the most influential lobbyist in the state at the time of his death.

Death

Gorrell died in March 1994 as a result of a choking incident at a restaurant in Brentwood, Tennessee.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Who's Who in American Law (Marquis Who's Who, 1983), p. 262.
^ ^a ^b Carole Stanford Bucy, Frank Cheatham Gorrell, 1928-1994, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, accessed November 7, 2010
^ Wife of former official dies, Times-Daily (Florence, Alabama), Monday, November 11, 1991, page 8A.
^ Lexington Herald-Leader, March 15, 1994, Page B2, Obituaries

Political offices
Preceded by Jared Maddux	Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee 1967–1971	Succeeded by John S. Wilder

[whoswho-1] Who's Who in American Law (Marquis Who's Who, 1983), p. 262.

[Bucy-2] Carole Stanford Bucy, Frank Cheatham Gorrell, 1928-1994, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, accessed November 7, 2010

[3] Wife of former official dies, Times-Daily (Florence, Alabama), Monday, November 11, 1991, page 8A.

[4] Lexington Herald-Leader, March 15, 1994, Page B2, Obituaries

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