Winfield Dunn

Winfield Dunn (2007)

Winfield Dunn with his wife (2007)

Winfield Culberson Dunn (born July 1, 1927 in Meridian , Mississippi ) is a former American politician . He was the 50th governor of the state of Tennessee from 1971 to 1975 .

Early years and political advancement

Winfield Dunn is the son of Aubert C. Dunn , a member of the United States House of Representatives for the state of Mississippi from 1935 to 1937 . Unlike Winfield Dunn, his father was a member of the Democratic Party .

After finishing school, young Winfield Dunn took part in World War II as a marine in the Pacific. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1950 , then studied dentistry at the University of Tennessee and opened a dental practice in Memphis after graduating .

Dunn became a member of the Republican Party early on . In 1952 he was a supporter of Dwight D. Eisenhower when he successfully ran for the presidency. Ten years later, in 1962, he made an unsuccessful attempt to be elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives . In 1964 he supported Barry Goldwater in the presidential election. In 1968 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention and supported Richard Nixon's presidential nomination . In 1970 he succeeded in winning his party's nomination for election to governor of Tennessee.

Governor of Tennessee

Surprisingly, Dunn was able to win the election against his Democratic challenger John Jay Hooker. This made him the first Republican governor of Tennessee since Alfred A. Taylor , who served from 1921 to 1923. The election of a Republican to governor of Tennessee came at a time when Republicans were generally regaining ground in the South . As governor, Dunn campaigned for a nationwide kindergarten program, promoted the further expansion of the highways and reorganized the administration of the state. The governor was very careful to strike a fair balance between all interest groups. He brought Republicans and Democrats from all over the state into his government.

Next life

After his four-year tenure ended in 1975, he became a successful businessman in Memphis. He served on the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees and was involved in charitable work. He also remained connected to politics. Besides an unsuccessful attempt to be re-elected governor in 1986, he supported both George Bush and his son George W. Bush in their election campaigns. In 2004 he was one of the electors for George W. Bush at Electoral College . Four years later he was again an electoral candidate in Electoral College, this time for John McCain .

He is married to Jean Pritchard. The couple has three children.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978 . Volume 4, Meckler Books, Westport, CT 1978. 4 volumes

Web links

• Winfield Dunn in the National Governors Association (English)
• The governors of Tennessee (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ US Electoral College 2008: Tennessee Certificate of Ascertainment , page 1, website of the National Archives and Records Administration