Frank Cheatham Gorrell (June 20, 1927 – March 12, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th

Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee The lieutenant governor and speaker of the Senate of Tennessee is the presiding officer of the Tennessee Senate and first in line in the succession to the office of governor of Tennessee in the event of the death, resignation, or removal from ...

from 1967 to 1971, during Governor

Buford Ellington Earl Buford Ellington (June 27, 1907 – April 3, 1972) was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of Tennessee from 1959 to 1963, and again from 1967 to 1971. Along with his political ally, Frank G. Clement, he helped lead a p ...

's second term.Carole Stanford Bucy
Frank Cheatham Gorrell, 1928-1994
''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', accessed November 7, 2010

Early years

Gorrell was born in

Russellville, Kentucky Russellville is a home rule-class city in Logan County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 6,960 at the time of the 2010 census. History Local historian Alex C. Finley has claimed the area was firs ...

, and attended college and played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. After college he attended

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

at Vanderbilt, then joined the Nashville law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims.

Career

In 1947, while a student at Vanderbilt, he married Bette Jamison, which connected him to the powerful

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the s ...

Jamison family, whose interests included a mattress factory near downtown

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

. In 1964, Governor

Frank G. Clement Frank Goad Clement (June 2, 1920 – November 4, 1969) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959 and from 1963 to 1967. Inaugurated for the first time at age 32, he was the state's younge ...

decided that he desired Gorrell to be lieutenant governor to replace the outgoing James L. Bomar Jr. The

Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title ...

had begun to show a measure of independence from the executive branch of government in this era but was generally still largely subject to it. However, a faction of the Democratic Caucus in the

Tennessee State Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee , Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any ...

, which in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

elects the lieutenant governor from its own members, had decided to resist the selection of Gorrell. They were joined by the relatively small

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Caucus, which proposed the election of former lieutenant governor

Jared Maddux John Jared Maddux (July 20, 1911 – May 22, 1971) was a Tennessee politician. Career A member of the Tennessee State Senate, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959 and again f ...

, who had previously served as lieutenant governor during Clement's first administration. A "nose count" revealed a total of sixteen Senators supporting Clement's selection of Gorrell, and sixteen supporting Maddux. The remaining member, Senator Charles O'Brien of Crossville, was in seclusion and could not be reached by either side. Clement, sensing victory, sent his sister Anna Belle, who also served as his chief of staff, to visit O'Brien's home and persuade him to support Gorrell. Exactly what occurred is unknown, but while O'Brien voted for Maddux, who was returned to office, Anna Belle Clement married Senator O'Brien, later serving in the Senate herself as Anna Belle Clement O'Brien, while Senator O'Brien later went on to serve as Chief Justice of the

Tennessee Supreme Court The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Roger A. Page is the Chief Justice. Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state le ...

. Gorrell's turn was to come two years later. Gorrell was regarded as being both pro-business and somewhat

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

. After leaving state government he became a

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

and was regarded as the most influential lobbyist in the state at the time of his death.

Death

Gorrell died in March 1994 as a result of a choking incident at a restaurant in

Brentwood, Tennessee Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census.Lexington Herald-Leader The ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' is a newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the ''1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook'', the paid circulation of the ''Herald-Leader'' is the second large ...

'', March 15, 1994, Page B2, Obituaries

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorrell, Frank 1927 births 1994 deaths Staunton Military Academy alumni Lieutenant Governors of Tennessee Democratic Party Tennessee state senators Deaths from choking People from Russellville, Kentucky 20th-century American politicians