Ned McWherter

Ned Ray McWherter (born 15 October 1930 in Palmerville, Weakley County, Tennessee, † April 4, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee ) was an American politician (Democratic Party) and 1987-1995 Governor of the State of Tennessee.

Early years and political rise

The young Ned McWherter grew up during the Depression of the 1930s on a farm in Dresden, Tennessee, where he attended public schools. In 1948 he became a member of the National Guard. Until his retirement in 1969, he had made it to the Captain. He was elected as a representative of the Weakley County in the House of Representatives from Tennessee in 1968. There he gained through his behavior and integrity very quickly a good reputation. In 1973 he became President of the Parliament ( Speaker). This office he held continuously from to 1987. This is the longest continuous tenure of Speakers in Tennessee at all. In this capacity, he made ​​sure that in the filling of offices in Parliament and minorities were considered. He appointed the first African American to chair a committee and made ​​sure that women in parliament rose up in leadership positions. All meetings were open to the public and also the documents were made ​​available to the public. In the 1980s he supported Governor Lamar Alexander in the educational and judicial reforms as well as the expansion of the road network.

Governor of Tennessee

In 1986, McWherter was set up by his party as a candidate for the office of governor. In the election, he managed to beat the former governor Winfield Dunn. Four years later, he managed the re-election, which earned him a total of eight years of rule. During this time he provided for a balanced budget, which was even honored on several occasions at the national level. He built from unnecessary bureaucracy and encouraged the further expansion of the educational system. His health care reform was a great success and subsequently taken over by some other states.

Another Journey

After leaving his post in 1995, he was temporarily adviser to President Bill Clinton. This appointed him in 1995 to the Supervisory Board of the United States Postal Service, remained in the McWherter up to his death. The Lambuth University, as its curator, he was acting was named an award after him.

His son Mike was in the 2010 Democratic candidate for governor in Tennessee, but was defeated by Republican Bill Haslam.