Earl Buford Ellington (June 27, 1907 – April 3, 1972) was an American politician who served as the 42nd
governor of Tennessee
The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Tennessee Military Department, military forces. The governor is the only official in the Government of Tenne ...
from 1959 to 1963, and again from 1967 to 1971. Along with his political ally,
Frank G. Clement, he helped lead a political machine that controlled the governor's office for 18 years, from 1953 to 1971.
Ellington was a supporter of President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
; he was appointed in 1965 as the Director of the Office of Emergency Planning during the Johnson Administration.
[Vaughn May,]
Buford Ellington
" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2009. Retrieved: 29 December 2012.
Early life and career
Ellington was born in
Holmes County, Mississippi, the son of Abner and Cora (Grantham) Ellington. He studied religion at
Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
History
The college was founded ...
in
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...
, but had to drop out due to financial difficulties.
He edited a newspaper in
Durant, Mississippi, for a brief period.
In 1929, he married Catherine Ann Cheek, and moved to her native
Marshall County, Tennessee
Marshall County is a county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is der ...
, in the south central part of the state. There he bought a store in the
Verona
Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
community. He worked as a salesman for
American Harvester in the 1930s, and was a supervising salesman with Tennessee Farm Bureau Insurance in the early 1940s.
[Phillip Langsdon, ''Tennessee: A Political History'' (Franklin, Tenn.: Hillsboro Press, 2000), pp. 366-372.]
Having joined the Democratic Party, in 1944, Ellington worked in the campaign of successful gubernatorial candidate,
Jim Nance McCord.
Two years later, he was the
Marshall County manager for the campaign of US Congressman
Joe L. Evins. In 1948, Ellington ran and was elected to Marshall County's seat in the
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Constitutional requirements
According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...
.
In 1952, Ellington managed the successful campaign of
Frank Clement, who defeated incumbent
Gordon Browning in the Democratic primary for governor, and went on to win the general election. Clement's campaign had the support of
Memphis political boss
E. H. Crump, who was seeking to regain the influence he had lost after Browning defeated his candidate, McCord, four years earlier. Clement appointed Ellington as
Commissioner of Agriculture, where he served until the late 1950s under more than one administration.
Governor of Tennessee

In 1953, the
Tennessee State Constitution was amended, extending the gubernatorial term from two years to four years. The new amendments prevented governors from serving consecutive terms, but a temporary exception was made for Clement. He was elected to a full four-year term in 1954 after his initial two-year term.
In 1958, with Clement term-limited, Ellington sought the Democratic Party's nomination for governor. His opponents were Memphis mayor Edmund Orgill, Nashville attorney
Clifford Allen
Clifford Robertson Allen (January 6, 1912 – June 18, 1978) was an American attorney and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who was a member of the Tennessee Senate from 1949 to 1951, and again from 1955 to 1959. He was el ...
, and Judge Andrew "Tip" Taylor. Since Crump's death in 1954, the Clement-Ellington alliance had become the state's leading political organization. Ellington won the nomination with 213,415 votes to 204,629 for Taylor, 204,382 for Orgill, and 56,854 for Allen.
He won the general election by a sizeable margin over several opponents, among them former Governor McCord, who ran as an independent.
During his first term, Ellington continued many of Clement's policies. Aided by an economic boom, he could approve raises for public school teachers and school administrators without increasing taxes.
While he supported continued legal
segregation Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of human ...
, he ordered the state to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in ''
Brown v. Board of Education
''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...
'' (1954) that ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional; it ordered desegregation of the public school system.
In 1961, several
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennes ...
students who had participated in the
Freedom Rides
Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions '' Morgan v. Virginia' ...
, to highlight illegal segregation on interstates buses, which were covered by federal law, were expelled after Ellington ordered an investigation into their activities. In response, dozens of protesters picketed the state capitol and demanded a meeting with Ellington, but he refused.
At the
1960 Democratic National Convention, a rift had begun to form in the relationship between Clement and Ellington. The former endorsed
John F. Kennedy for president, and the latter endorsed
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
.
Following his first term as governor, which ended in 1963, Ellington returned to the private sector, working as a vice president of the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of ...
.
Vice President Lyndon Johnson succeeded Kennedy to the presidency after
he was assassinated in
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
in November 1963.
In early 1965, President Johnson appointed Ellington as Director of the Office of Emergency Planning (later integrated into
FEMA). During the
Selma to Montgomery marches
The Selma to Montgomery marches were three Demonstration (protest), protest marches, held in 1965, along the highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery. The marches were organized by Nonviolence, nonvi ...
, which took place at the height of the
civil rights movement in March of that year, Ellington played a key role in establishing contact and talks between President Johnson and Governor
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...
of
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
. The state provided protection for marchers in the last march. In September, Ellington helped organize federal relief efforts in the wake of
Hurricane Betsy
Hurricane Betsy was an intense, deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that brought widespread damage to areas of Florida, the Bahamas, and the central United States Gulf Coast in September 1965. The storm's erratic nature, coupled with ...
.
Ellington again sought the Democratic Party nomination for governor in 1966. His opponent,
John Jay Hooker, was a friend of former Governor Browning, and had been endorsed by the ''
Nashville Tennessean''. Ellington was endorsed by President Johnson, Clement, and the ''
Nashville Banner
The ''Nashville Banner'' is a defunct daily newspaper of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, which published from April 10, 1876 until February 20, 1998. The ''Banner'' was published each Monday through Friday afternoon (as well as Saturdays unt ...
''. He defeated Hooker for the nomination, 413,950 votes to 360,105.
The divide between Clement and Ellington continued to grow, as Ellington refused to endorse Clement in his US Senate primary campaign against
Ross Bass.
Governor Clement attempted to spend the state's budget surplus to ensure the Ellington administration did not inherit it.
Ellington won the general gubernatorial election in 1966. By this time, he had shifted his position on segregation, and openly supported an end to the long-standing practice.
In 1967, he appointed African American
Hosea T. Lockard to his cabinet as administrative assistant; he was the first black cabinet member in state history.
On April 4, 1968, the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis led Ellington to immediately mobilize the
National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
, to prevent
rioting in the city.
In September 1967, Ellington signed a bill repealing the
Butler Act, the 1925 law that had outlawed the teaching of the
Theory of Evolution
Evolution is the change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, resulting in certai ...
in state schools.
Later life
Ellington did not seek another office after his second term as governor ended. In the 1970 gubernatorial campaign, he refused to endorse the Democratic nominee,
John Jay Hooker, and quietly supported the Republican nominee (and eventual winner),
Winfield Dunn.
Ellington's press secretary, Hudley Crockett, was narrowly defeated by incumbent
Albert Gore Sr., in the 1970 U.S. Senate primary.
Ellington died while playing golf in
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
, on April 3, 1972. Former President Johnson and Vice President
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew (; November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second of two vice presidents to resign, the first being John C. ...
were among those who attended his funeral,
and President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
issued a statement of condolence.
Family and legacy

Ellington married Catherine Ann Cheek in 1929.
They had two children: John, who became a pilot and aviation expert, and Ann, who became an artist. Ellington began a friendship with
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
, who was honored by the Tennessee General Assembly with the title of "Honorary Colonel" on March 8, 1961.

During his meeting with the Governor, Elvis met Ellington's teenage daughter Ann Ellington (now Ann Ellington Wagner). The two developed a friendship and Elvis would frequently visit with Ann while in Nashville to record.
While the exact beginnings of Elvis' friendship with Governor Ellington and his daughter are difficult to determine, Ann has stated that she believes Elvis and her father first connected through Elvis' charitable work. Elvis was recognized by the city of Memphis in February 1961 for his work supporting local charities, and according to Ellington Wagner, he would write a check to Governor Ellington every Christmas for donations to orphanages and to provide gifts to children. Ann has speculated that Elvis and her father's friendship continued to grow due to their shared Mississippi heritage and similar upbringings.
*The
Ellington Agricultural Center, the headquarters of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, is named in honor of Governor Ellington.
[Angie Mayes,]
Ellington Ag Center is an 'Oasis of Wild America'
" ''Brentwood Life'', 22 May 2012. Retrieved: 29 December 2012.
*A golf course at
Henry Horton State Park and buildings on the campuses of
Tennessee Technological University, the
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff Col ...
, and the
University of Tennessee at Martin were also named in his honor.
*The Financial Aid and Registrar building on the campus of
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University (APSU) () is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 ...
is named in Ellington's honor.
See also
*
List of governors of Tennessee
References
External links
Governor Buford Ellington Papers (finding aid)– Tennessee State Library and Archives
Buford Ellington Papers– Middle Tennessee State University
Finding Aid for the Buford Ellington Papers- University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries
– Tennessee Portrait Project
Photographic portrait of Governor Ellington– Tennessee State Library and Archives
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellington, Earl Buford
1907 births
1972 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Tennessee
Tennessee commissioners of agriculture
People from Holmes County, Mississippi
People from Marshall County, Tennessee
20th-century Tennessee politicians