[Lamar Alexander Taking Oath of Office at Early Swearing In]
Creation: 1979-01-17
Corruption at the highest level of state office forced Governor-elect Lamar Alexander to make a difficult decision—to take office early and risk the appearance of a coup, leading to four years of struggle with a democratic house. If he did not act, Governor Blanton might have released more murderers and convicts. The country was still reeling from the Watergate scandal, and President Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon in September 1974 was still fresh in the minds of Americans. The nation watched closely as Alexander assumed command of the state over a tense four-day period and Tennessee progressed from crisis to celebration.
Title
[Lamar Alexander Taking Oath of Office at Early Swearing In]
Contributor
Date
Creation: 1979-01-17
Description
Corruption at the highest level of state office forced Governor-elect Lamar Alexander to make a difficult decision—to take office early and risk the appearance of a coup, leading to four years of struggle with a democratic house. If he did not act, Governor Blanton might have released more murderers and convicts. The country was still reeling from the Watergate scandal, and President Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon in September 1974 was still fresh in the minds of Americans. The nation watched closely as Alexander assumed command of the state over a tense four-day period and Tennessee progressed from crisis to celebration.
Rights
Copyright; licensed to Vanderbilt University courtesy of The Tennessean
Format
Black-and-white photographs
Source
MSS0734, Alexander Papers, Photographs series
Collection
Citation
“[Lamar Alexander Taking Oath of Office at Early Swearing In],” Gallery, accessed May 29, 2022, https://gallery.library.vanderbilt.edu/items/show/958.