History:This portrait was painted by Martin W. Kellogg and presented to the State in ceremonies in the State Senate Chamber June 4, 1949 and accepted by Governor Gordon Browning.
Notes:James or "Jim" Nance McCord (1879-1967) was a self-taught man and editor of the Marshall County Gazette. He served 13 terms as mayor of Lewisburg and one term in Congress 1943-1945, before he was elected Governor in 1945. Taking on Edward H. Crump's powerful political machine, McCord successfully pushed the first state sales tax, using the funds to improve the educational system and provide retirement for teachers. Despite its benefits, the unpopularity of the tax and McCord's "open shop" labor policies lost him his bid for re-election to a third term. He served as a member of the 1953 Constitutional Convention and as conservation commissioner under Frank Clement. Tennessee Blue Book
