Ned McWherter
Ned Ray McWherter | |
---|---|
John S. Wilder | |
Preceded by | Lamar Alexander |
Succeeded by | Don Sundquist |
77th Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives | |
In office January 20, 1973 – January 13, 1987 | |
Preceded by | James McKinney |
Succeeded by | Ed Murray[1] |
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives | |
In office January 7, 1969 – January 13, 1987 | |
Preceded by | Milton H. Hamilton Jr. |
Succeeded by | Roy Herron |
Personal details | |
Born | Palmersville, Tennessee, U.S. | October 15, 1930
Died | April 4, 2011 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 80)
Resting place | Sunset Cemetery, Dresden, Tennessee |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Bette Jean Beck
(m. 1953; died 1973) |
Children | 2 |
Residence | Tennessee National Guard |
Years of service | 1947–1968 |
Rank | Captain |
Ned Ray McWherter (October 15, 1930 – April 4, 2011) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee, from 1987 to 1995. Prior to that, he served as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1973 to 1987, the longest tenure as Speaker up to that time.[2]: 79
Early life
McWherter was born in
McWherter attended Dresden High School, where he was co-captain of the
His college athletic career cut short, McWherter joined the Martin Shoe Company as a salesman. When the company's line of sandals struggled against competition from cheaper Japanese imports, McWherter travelled throughout the Caribbean and Central America in an attempt to find retailers, eventually finding a market for the sandals in Puerto Rico. In 1964, McWherter founded Volunteer Distributing to distribute Anheuser-Busch beer in the Weakley area. Two years later, he opened Dresden's first nursing home.[2]: 28–38
McWherter served for 21 years (1947–1968) in the Tennessee
: 20Tennessee House of Representatives
McWherter became actively involved in politics in the late 1950s, when he worked for the successful campaign of 8th district congressional candidate, Robert "Fats" Everett. In 1968, Doug Murphy, the Mayor of Martin, convinced him to run for Weakley County's seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives. McWherter won the seat without opposition. He was reelected to the seat eight times, usually running unopposed.[2]: 42–43
McWherter entered the House of Representatives at a turbulent time in state politics. During his first term, Republicans controlled the House for the first time in several decades. During his second (1971–1973), Democrats regained control of the House, but a Republican governor, Winfield Dunn, had been elected. To counter Dunn, Democrats chose fiery Nashville attorney James McKinney as Speaker of the House. McKinney vehemently opposed Dunn's initiatives and refused to consider most of his legislation.[2]: 50–52
At the beginning of McWherter's third term (1973–1975), Democratic legislators, who controlled the House by a slim 50–49 margin, were concerned that McKinney's stubbornness was preventing the state from conducting its affairs, and several suggested replacing McKinney with McWherter. In the House Democratic Caucus, McWherter was chosen over McKinney as the party's choice for Speaker by a single vote. Sensing disunity among Democrats, Governor Dunn tried to convince disgruntled McKinney supporters to vote for a Republican in the full House vote, but was unsuccessful, and McWherter was elected Speaker by a 50–49 margin.[2]: 55
One of McWherter's first major issues as Speaker was a 1974 bill that sought to establish a medical school at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. The bill was popular in East Tennessee, parts of which were struggling with a low doctors-per-capita ratio. Governor Dunn, however, vetoed the bill, arguing the medical school in Memphis was adequate for the state's needs. This sparked cries of favoritism from East Tennesseans (Dunn was from Memphis). After the state senate voted to override the veto, McWherter, brushing off a threat from former Memphis mayor Henry Loeb, led the House in overriding the veto, allowing the bill to become law.[2]: 58 When Dunn ran for another term as governor in 1986, his lack of support for the medical school in Johnson City came back to haunt him. Despite an overwhelming Republican base in the eastern part of the state, McWherter was able to gain the support of Republican Congressman James H. Quillen to pick up a majority of votes in the state's First Congressional District.
In 1976, McWherter supported Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter. At a Carter campaign event in Memphis, McWherter expressed irritation with an ABC cameraman, prompting reporter Sam Donaldson to tell the cameraman, "don't mind him, he's a nobody." Years later, when President Ronald Reagan was scheduled to appear before the Tennessee General Assembly, McWherter removed Donaldson's name from the media credentials list. When Donaldson showed up at the state capitol, he was denied admission by the House sergeant-at-arms. After issuing a string of profanities, Donaldson stormed out of the building and returned to Washington.[2]: 74
In January 1979, outgoing Governor
During the 1980s, McWherter worked with the Alexander administration on a number of issues, including foreign investment and education. McWherter's support was critical in helping Alexander obtain passage of the "Career Ladder" bill, which provided income supplements to the state's top teachers.[2]: 71
Governor
As the 1986 governor's race approached, Democrats struggled to find a candidate. Neither Bob Clement nor Anna Belle Clement O'Brien was interested in running, and the 1978 nominee, Jake Butcher, was facing bank fraud charges. Sensing an opportunity, McWherter entered the race, and defeated Public Service Commissioner Jane Eskind and Nashville mayor Richard Fulton for the nomination, winning 42% of the vote to 29% for Eskind, and 26% for Fulton.[2]: 100 With Alexander term-limited, Republicans nominated former Governor Winfield Dunn.
Dunn's campaign tried to portray McWherter as a West Tennessee beer salesman, though McWherter pointed out that Dunn was a co-owner of a hotel in Nashville that sold liquor, and noted that
During his first term, McWherter insisted that all formal governmental proceedings be open to the public and press, thus implementing the spirit, as well as the letter, of the "sunshine law" he had helped to author and sponsor while a member of the House. His "21st century Schools"
In the late 1980s, a showdown erupted between Tennessee and
When the
McWherter was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in
In 1990, McWherter was invited to speak at a chapel service at
Post-Governorship
McWherter would have been an overwhelming favorite for a third term if he had been permitted to run for one by the
McWherter lived the remainder of his life in Tennessee, where he was very active in the Tennessee Democratic Party.In the 2010 gubernatorial race, McWherter's son, Mike, ran against Knoxville mayor Bill Haslam. The 79-year-old McWherter helped his son campaign, and bought a red sports car to ride in campaign parades. Haslam won the election by a landslide.[8]
McWherter died on April 4, 2011, at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, where he was being treated for cancer.[8] Former President Clinton delivered remarks at McWherter's memorial service, and numerous other public figures issued statements of condolence. McWherter is buried in Sunset Cemetery in Dresden.
Family and legacy
McWherter married Bette Jean (Beck) McWherter in 1953. She died of cancer in 1973. His son Michael Ray McWherter is a businessman and former candidate for governor, and his daughter Linda Ramsey is a doctor of physical education at the University of Tennessee at Martin.[9] McWherter funded the construction of the library at the University of Memphis and the Learning Resources Center at Middle Tennessee State University, and both buildings have been named in his honor. The Weakley County Library in Dresden has also been named for McWherter. A bronze statue of McWherter stands on the Weakley County Courthouse lawn. A building at the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University is also named in McWherter's honor.
References
- ^ Historical and Constitutional Officers of Tennessee: Speakers of the House Archived May 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Tennessee State Library and Archives. Retrieved: 7 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Billy Stair, The Life and Career of Ned McWherter (State Public Affairs Office, 2011).
- ^ Tennessee Governor Ned Ray McWherter, National Governors' Association website
- ^ a b c Phillip Langsdon, Tennessee: A Political History (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 397-400.
- ^ Carroll Van West, "Ned Ray McWherter," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: 8 January 2013.
- ^ a b Nancy Herndon, "Upstream Battle Over Polluted River: Job Layoffs at Issue in Cleanup of Pigeon River Along North Carolina-Tennessee Border," Christian Science Monitor, 22 March 1989. Retrieved: 8 January 2013.
- ^ Richard Locker, "Former Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter Dies at age 80," Memphis Commercial Appeal, 4 April 2011. Retrieved: 9 January 2012.
- ^ a b Jeff Woods, "Former Governor Ned McWherter Dead at age 80," Nashville City Paper, 4 April 2011. Retrieved: 8 January 2013.
- ^ "Family, Truman Day and How Surrogates Help Us Archived December 2, 2010, at the Wayback Machine," Traveling Tennessee: The Campaign Blog of Team McWherter, 2010. Retrieved: 8 January 2013.
Further reading
- Stair, Billy. The Life and Career of Ned McWherter. Nashville: State Public Affairs Office, 2011. ISBN 9780979482908
External links
- Finding Aid for Governor Ned Ray McWherter Papers – Tennessee State Library and Archives
- Portrait painting of Governor McWherter – Tennessee Portrait Project
- Portrait photograph of Governor McWherter – Tennessee State Library and Archives
- Appearances on C-SPAN