Gordon Browning

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Gordon Browning

Gordon Weaver Browning (born November 22, 1889 in Carroll County , Tennessee , †  May 23, 1976 in Huntingdon , Tennessee) was an American politician and 42nd and 45th Governor of the state of Tennessee.

Early years and political advancement

After attending school, Browning graduated from Valparaiso University . This was followed by law studies at the Cumberland School of Law , which he successfully completed in 1915. He then settled in Huntingdon as a lawyer. During the First World War he was a captain in the American expeditionary forces in Europe.

His political career began in 1920 when he unsuccessfully applied for a seat in the US House of Representatives . In 1922, the Democratic politician was more successful: He made the leap into Congress in Washington and held his mandate until 1935. An attempt to be elected to the US Senate in 1934 failed. As the 1936 gubernatorial elections drew near, it was clear that incumbent Harry Hill McAlister would no longer run. This had lost the support of the influential Edward Crump . Crump had built a political organization in the first half of the 20th century that controlled domestic politics not only in Tennessee, but also at the federal level. Its influence lasted until the late 1940s. After Crump had now dropped McAlister, he supported Browning and helped him to be elected governor in 1936.

Governor of Tennessee

As governor, Browning wanted to reorganize the state budget, which had been burdened since the Depression and a scandal involving Governor Henry Hollis Horton . In addition, the education system should be expanded further. The road network has also been expanded. The governor supported the federal government's Tennessee Valley Authority program and promoted its implementation. In the course of social legislation at federal level, he introduced the old-age pension. When a seat in the US Senate became vacant in 1937, Browning passed up his chance to complete his reforms in Tennessee. At the same time there was a break with his ally Crump. The personalities of both men were too different to be able to work together in the long term. For the 1938 election, Crump supported Prentice Cooper , who then ousted Browning from office. After retiring in early 1939, Browning worked as a lawyer and judge in the state's 8th judicial district. After serving in the Second World War, Browning returned to the political scene in 1946. That year he made an unsuccessful attempt to be elected to the Tennessee Parliament.

In 1948 he ran again for the office of governor. He succeeded in driving incumbent Jim Nance McCord out of office. This election victory and the simultaneous successful election of Estes Kefauver to the US Senate marked the decline of Crump's influence on the political scene, both in Tennessee and in the federal government. Browning's new tenure brought new laws to improve education. A minimum wage was set for teachers, funds were made available for new schools and a pension system for teachers was introduced. Road expansion was continued. The poll tax for women and war veterans for the primaries has been abolished. In 1950 Browning prevailed against Clifford Allen within the party . That was tantamount to winning the election because, for the first time since the days of the Civil War , the Republicans had not nominated their own candidate. In his third term in office, he convened a convention in 1951 to amend the constitution that had been in force since 1870. In his last tenure, however, he was also suspected of corruption in connection with the purchase of a hotel building in Nashville . For the elections in 1952, there was a power struggle within the Democratic Party between Browning and Frank G. Clement , who won the primaries with the help of new media, such as television, and the corruption allegations against Browning. Browning lost the nomination to Clement.

End of life and death

After leaving office, he tried again in vain to challenge Clement in the gubernatorial elections in 1954. He then retired to Huntingdon and returned to practice as a lawyer.

He was married to Idas Leach.

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Commons : Gordon Browning  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME Browning, Gordon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Browning, Gordon Weaver (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH November 22, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Carroll County , Tennessee
DATE OF DEATH May 23, 1976
Place of death Huntingdon , Tennessee