1966 Tennessee gubernatorial election


The 1966 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic governor Frank G. Clement was term-limited and was prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking another term. Former Democratic governor Buford Ellington defeated both independent candidates H.L. Crowder and Charlie Moffett with 81.2% of the vote.
In the primary, Ellington he defeated John Jay Hooker, who was a friend of former governor Gordon Browning, and had been endorsed by the Nashville Tennessean. Ellington was endorsed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the Nashville Banner. By this time, Ellington had shifted his position on segregation, and openly supported an end to the long-standing practice.
Tensions grew between Governor Frank G. Clement and Ellington leading up to the general election, as Ellington refused to endorse Clement in his U.S. Senate primary campaign against Ross Bass. Clement attempted to spend the state's budget surplus to ensure the Ellington administration did not inherit it.

Background

In early 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Buford Ellington as Director of the Office of Emergency Planning. During the Selma to Montgomery marches, which took place at the height of the civil rights movement in March of that year, Ellington played a key role in establishing contact and talks between President Johnson and Governor George Wallace of Alabama. The state provided protection for marchers in the last march. In September, Ellington helped organize federal relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Betsy.

Aftermath

In 1967, Buford Ellington appointed African American Hosea T. Lockard to his cabinet as administrative assistant; he was the first black cabinet member in state history. On April 4, 1968, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis led Ellington to immediately mobilize the National Guard, to prevent rioting in the city.
In September 1967, Ellington signed a bill repealing the Butler Act, the 1925 law that had outlawed the teaching of the Theory of Evolution in state schools.

Republican primary

The Tennessee Republican Party did not field an official nominee in the general election. Physician Charlie Moffett sought to qualify for the Republican primary but initially had his petition rejected by state party officials on a filing deadline technicality. In Koella v. State, the Tennessee Supreme Court ordered that Moffett’s name be placed on the Republican primary ballot. Despite this ruling, no Republican appeared as a certified nominee in November, and Moffett instead ran as an independent alongside other minor candidates. Analysts note that the absence of a Republican contender reflected both procedural disputes within the party.

Democratic primary

Primary elections were held on August 4, 1966. 32.5% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.

Democratic primary

Candidates

General election

Candidates

Major party candidate
  • Buford Ellington, Democratic
Other candidates
  • H.L. Crowder, Independent
  • Charlie Moffett, Independent
  • Charles Gordon Vick, Independent

Works cited

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