50 Facts About Louie Nunn

Louie Broady Nunn was an American politician who served as the 52nd governor of Kentucky.

Louie Nunn worked on the campaigns of Republican candidates for national office, including John Sherman Cooper, Thruston Morton, and Dwight D Eisenhower.

Louie Nunn was the Republican nominee for governor in 1963, but ultimately lost a close election to Democrat Ned Breathitt.

Louie Nunn vowed to repeal the order if elected, while Breathitt promised to continue it.

The state offices were split between Democrats and Republicans, and Louie Nunn was saddled with a Democratic lieutenant governor, Wendell Ford.

Louie Nunn oversaw the transition of Northern Kentucky University from a community college to a senior institution and brought the University of Louisville into the state university system.

Louie Nunn died of a heart attack on January 29,2004.

Louie Nunn's first name, Louie, honored a deceased friend of his father's; his middle name, Broady, was a surname in his mother's family.

Louie Nunn obtained the first eight years of his education in a one-room, one-teacher schoolhouse in Park.

Louie Nunn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Bowling Green Business University, now Western Kentucky University.

Louie Nunn held the rank of corporal at the time of his discharge.

Louie Nunn opened his legal practice in Glasgow, Kentucky, in September 1950.

On October 12,1950, Louie Nunn married Beula Cornelius Aspley, a divorcee from Bond, Kentucky.

Louie Nunn left the Methodist denomination in which he had been raised after marrying Aspley, joining her as a member of the Christian Church.

On June 17,1953, Louie Nunn declared as a Republican candidate for county judge and was ultimately the only Republican to declare.

In 1956, Nunn served as statewide campaign manager for Dwight D Eisenhower's presidential bid, as well as the senatorial campaigns of John Sherman Cooper and Thruston Morton.

Louie Nunn was not a candidate for re-election as county judge in 1957 but was appointed as city attorney for the city of Glasgow in 1958.

Louie Nunn considered running for governor in 1959 but became convinced it would be a bad year for Republicans and did not make the race.

Louie Nunn managed successful re-election campaigns for Senator Cooper in 1960 and Senator Morton in 1962.

Louie Nunn managed the state campaign of presidential candidate Richard Nixon in 1960.

Louie Nunn was the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky in 1963.

Louie Nunn lost the election to Democrat Ned Breathitt by a margin of just over 13,000 votes.

In 1967, Louie Nunn faced his old classmate, Jefferson County Judge Marlow Cook, in Kentucky's first Republican gubernatorial primary in many years.

Louie Nunn attacked Cook as a "liberal, former New Yorker", and some of his supporters referred to Cook's "Jewish backers".

Louie Nunn attacked Cook for his Catholic faith, a tactic that proved particularly effective with the state's Protestant voters.

Louie Nunn then faced Democrat Henry Ward in the general election.

Louie Nunn won the election by a vote of 453,323 to 425,674, even though half of the other state offices went to Democrats, including the lieutenant governorship, won by Wendell Ford.

The General Assembly was controlled by Democrats, but Louie Nunn was able to pass most of his agenda.

Louie Nunn's budget focused on increased funding for education, mental health, and economic development.

Louie Nunn oversaw the entry of the University of Louisville into the state's public university system.

Louie Nunn called the revamping of the state mental health system his proudest accomplishment as governor.

In May 1970, Louie Nunn again dispatched the Guard to quell protests against the Vietnam War at the University of Kentucky, and imposed a curfew that interfered with final examinations.

From 1968 to 1969, Louie Nunn served on the Executive Committee of the National Governors' Conference and, in 1971, chaired the Republican Governors Association.

Louie Nunn chose able men to direct his revenue and finance departments, and their efficiency saved the state millions of dollars.

At the time, Kentucky governors could not serve consecutive terms; in the 1971 race, Louie Nunn backed Tom Emberton, who lost to Ford.

Louie Nunn campaigned for the retiring Cooper's seat in 1972, losing to Democrat Walter Dee Huddleston, a state senator who had managed Ford's campaign.

Louie Nunn's loss came despite a landslide victory for Richard Nixon in the state and was generally blamed on his advocacy of raising the sales tax to 5 percent from 3 percent in 1968.

Louie Nunn continued working on behalf of Republican candidates and backed Ronald Reagan's primary challenge to incumbent Gerald Ford in 1975.

Louie Nunn's last run for office came in 1979 when he was again the Republican nominee for governor against Democrat John Y Brown Jr.

Louie Nunn decried the excessive spending, expanding government, and increased state employment that had occurred under Democratic administrations.

Louie Nunn attacked Brown for his playboy image and his refusal to release his tax returns, as well as his inexperience in government.

Louie Nunn served as a lecturer at Western Kentucky University, and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Louisville in 1999.

In 1988, Louie Nunn unsuccessfully challenged Congressman Jim Bunning in his bid to retain his position as Kentucky's Republican national committeeman.

Louie Nunn claimed she was trying to preserve some of her estate for her children.

The letter was discovered in 2009 when Steve Louie Nunn was charged with the murder of his former fiancee, Amanda Ross.

The letter quoted Louie Nunn of saying "you have no family" to Steve, indicating that their relationship had deteriorated long before Louie's death, allegedly because of the younger Nunn's abusiveness.

In 1999, Louie Nunn again considered a bid for governor, precluding a potential bid by his son, Steve, a state representative from Glasgow.

Louie Nunn cited personal and health issues for not making the race.

Louie B Nunn died of a heart attack at his home just outside Versailles, Kentucky, on January 29,2004, hours after hosting a luncheon with labor leaders seeking help in dealing with the newly elected Fletcher administration.

Louie Nunn was buried at the Cosby Methodist Church cemetery in Hart County, Kentucky.