Was virtual unknown
Tennesseans who know the state as a conservative stronghold may be surprised to learn what a shock it was when Republican Winfield Dunn was elected governor in 1970.
Dunn, who died earlier this week at the age of 97, was the state’s first elected GOP governor in 50 years. A dentist with a practice in the Democratic stronghold of Memphis, he previously had never been elected to public office.
Indeed, when he stood on the steps of the state Capitol in April 1970 to announce his candidacy, only two reporters showed up because he was a virtual unknown.
Dunn said in his autobiography, “From a Standing Start: My Tennessee Political Odyssey,” that he felt flattered when then-3rd District Congressman Bill Brock of Chattanooga mentioned him during a political rally in 1969 as a potential 1970 gubernatorial candidate.