Frank G. Clement

Who was Frank G. Clement?

Frank Goad Clement was an American politician who served as Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1958, and from 1963 to 1967. His ten years in office was the longest of any of the state's 20th-century governors. Clement owed much of his rapid political rise to his ability to deliver rousing, mesmerizing speeches. His sermon-like keynote address at the 1956 Democratic National Convention has been described as both one of the best and one of the worst keynote addresses in the era of televised conventions.

As governor, Clement oversaw the state's economic transformation from a predominantly agricultural state to an industrial state. He increased funding for education and mental health, and was the first Southern governor to veto a segregation bill. In 1956, he dispatched the National Guard to disperse a crowd attempting to prevent integration at Clinton High School.