Former Gov. Winfield Dunn dies at 97
He was a pre-MAGA, moderate Reoublican who actually did some things that served the public.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2024/09/28/winfield-dunn-former-tennessee-governor-dies-at-97/70919133007/
..."Trained as a dentist, Dunn dove into Tennessee politics as relative novice among a slate of Republicans testing the waters in the early and mid-1960s as state political winds shifted. He first won the Shelby County Republican Party chairmanship, and later launched his gubernatorial campaign after failing to recruit a GOP candidate from West Tennessee.
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Notably, Dunn crafted a bipartisan administration, filling positions with people aligned with both political parties, harkening back to a promise of an "era of partnership, not partisanship" he made in his 1971 inauguration speech.
Dunn reshaped some of Tennessee government into what it is today, including creating the Department of General Services and the Department of Banking.
He signed into law the Natural Area Preservation Act in 1971, which established legal protections for areas like Radnor Lake and Fall Creek Falls and continues to protect more than 100,000 acres in more than 80 state natural areas.
Establishing a statewide kindergarten system and the Tennessee Housing Development Agency were also highlights of his term, Dunn later said in a 2016 interview with the Secretary of State's office. "....(more)