28 Facts About Ned McWherter

Ned Ray McWherter was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee, from 1987 to 1995.

Ned McWherter grew up in the Little Zion community near Palmersville, where he attended a one-room schoolhouse.

In May 1945, the family moved to Dresden, Tennessee, where Ned McWherter's parents purchased the City Cafe, which they would operate for several years.

Ned McWherter attended Dresden High School, where he was co-captain of the football team and president of the school's Future Farmers of America chapter.

In 1964, Ned McWherter founded Volunteer Distributing to distribute Anheuser-Busch beer in the Weakley area.

Ned McWherter served for 21 years in the Tennessee National Guard before retiring with the rank of captain.

Ned McWherter was a member of the United Methodist Church.

Ned 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.

Ned McWherter was reelected to the seat eight times, usually running unopposed.

Ned McWherter entered the House of Representatives at a turbulent time in state politics.

One of Ned 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.

Ned McWherter's administration had been under investigation for selling pardons, and the FBI and state lawmakers feared more illicit pardons would be issued in his final days in office.

Ned 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.

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 Pilot, a convenience store chain owned by Dunn's campaign treasurer, Jim Haslam, was one of the state's largest beer retailers.

Ned McWherter ran a strong statewide campaign, visiting and organizing in all 95 counties.

East Tennessee residents held demonstrations, and asked that Governor Ned McWherter not renew the plant's water quality variance.

Legislators from both states traded barbs, cars with Tennessee license plates were vandalized in North Carolina, and Ned McWherter's office was flooded with calls from angry North Carolina residents.

Ned McWherter was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in 1990, defeating the Republican nominee, first-term state representative Dwight Henry, 479,990 votes to 288,904.

Ned McWherter gave the idea lukewarm support at first, but the idea was eventually dropped entirely, not to resurface again during his time as governor.

In 1990, McWherter was invited to speak at a chapel service at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee at the request of his lifelong friend, E Claude Gardner, then president of the university.

Ned McWherter appointed his deputy governor, Harlan Matthews, to serve as US Senator until the 1994 election.

In 1994, Ned McWherter was named the nation's most outstanding governor by Governing magazine.

Ned McWherter would have been an overwhelming favorite for a third term if he had been permitted to run for one by the state constitution; when asked about this, he stated that he would not have run for another term even if it had been permissible.

Ned McWherter lived the remainder of his life in Tennessee, where he was very active in the Tennessee Democratic Party.

The 79-year-old Ned McWherter helped his son campaign, and bought a red sports car to ride in campaign parades.

Ned McWherter died on April 4,2011, at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, where he was being treated for cancer.

Ned McWherter's 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.

Ned 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.