Francis S. Guess (June 14, 1946 – July 23, 2015) was an American civil rights advocate who served on the Tennessee Commission on Human Rights for more than 30 years.

Early life and education

Guess was raised in the Preston Taylor Homes public

housing project Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...

in Nashville. He served in the United States Army in the field of

military intelligence Military intelligence is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis List of intelligence gathering disciplines, approaches to provide guidance and direction to assist Commanding officer, commanders in decision making pr ...

, and was in the 1st Infantry Division during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Following the war, Guess enrolled at

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 ...

, where he earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. He also received a

master's of business administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ar ...

(MBA) from the

Owen Graduate School of Management The Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management is the graduate business school of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1969, Owen offers six degrees: a standard 2-year Master of Business Administr ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

. Guess also completed Harvard University's Senior Executives in State and Local Government program.

Career

Guess served on the Tennessee Commission on Human Rights for more than 30 years. In 1983, President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

appointed Guess to the

United States Commission on Civil Rights The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility f ...

, a

bipartisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing Political party, politica ...

federal civil rights commission, where he served from 1983 to 1989. Guess was also an important leader in Nashville's corporate community, serving as the vice president of The Danner Company and the owner of the Helicopter Corporation of America.

Death

Guess died at his home in the Bordeaux neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, on July 23, 2015, at the age of 69. He was survived by his mother, Kathryn Driver; his daughter, Maria Guess; and three brothers and three sisters. His funeral was held at the

Music City Center The Music City Center is a convention complex located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It opened in May 2013. The complex was designed by tvsdesign with Associated Architects: Tuck-Hinton Architects, Moody No ...

. Guess also served on the board of directors of the Nashville Convention Center Authority, which oversees the Music City Center. In 2015, the Francis S. Guess Bridge to Equality Fund was created in his name, and in 2016, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee began awarding the Francis Guess Bridge to Equality Award, to recognize those who "spur innovation leading to equality."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guess, Francis 1946 births 2015 deaths United States Commission on Civil Rights members American civil rights activists American business executives African-American business executives Businesspeople from Nashville, Tennessee Activists from Nashville, Tennessee United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War Harvard University alumni Vanderbilt University alumni Tennessee State University alumni United States Army soldiers 20th-century American businesspeople