Tennessee State Library and Archives GOVERNOR RAY (LEONARD RAY
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State of Tennessee Department of State Tennessee State Library and Archives 403 Seventh Avenue North Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0312 GOVERNOR RAY (LEONARD RAY) BLANTON PAPERS 1975-1979 GP 52 Processed by: Harry A. Stokes Archival Technical Services Date Completed: June 2, 1992 Addition Processed by: Lori D. Lockhart Archival Technical Services Date Completed: December 19, 2019 Date Updated: October 21, 2020 Negatives and Slides Location: X-C-2v MICROFILMED (Except Boxes 262-289 and oversize folder 1) SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE Leonard Ray Blanton (1930-1996) was the 44th Governor of Tennessee. The Governor Ray Blanton Papers (1975-1979) represent an official record of these years. Totaling 115.68 cubic feet or 289 filing boxes, the Blanton Papers are arranged under boards and commissions, correspondence, governor’s files, legal counsel, photographs, policy planning, press and information office, reports, scheduling, speeches and subject files. During the Blanton years there were many statewide and national news events, several of which were controversial: Governor Blanton’s acceptance of a $20,000 salary increase; a pie-throwing incident at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; the Western State Mental Hospital investigation of 1975; Blanton’s trade mission trip to Africa, the Middle East and Europe; extending time for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment; the escape of James Earl Ray from the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary and his subsequent recapture; Governor Blanton’s veto of a legislative bill to restore capital punishment; the energy crisis of 1976-1977; the United Nations representatives visit to Nashville in 1976; the F.B.I. investigation into alleged irregularities in the granting of pardons, executive clemencies and extraditions; the reorganization or restructuring of the executive department; negative news reporting charges made by Blanton at the media; the state surplus car scandal; the International Woman’s Year (IWY) Conference in 1977; the Constitutional Convention of 1977; and Governor Blanton’s pardoning of Roger Humphreys, along with 51 inmates of the state penitentiary, 20 of whom were convicted murderers. Correspondence comprises over one third of the collection. The correspondence is arranged under departmental and general sub-series. The correspondence covers a wide range of subjects which reflect the concerns and interests of Tennesseans of this time period. In addition to the events previously cited above, letters from residents included numerous concerns and requests over the use of the Lear jet by the Governor; autographs, pictures of enforcement; traffic ticket complaints; the proposed Panama Canal treaty; state flags; Social Security benefits; a proposed defense facility at Milan, Tennessee; the proposed 1-440 “outer” loop in Nashville; conditions of facilities at state parks; and Blanton’s decision not to seek a second term. Although the correspondence has not been indexed, there is a selected “Index of Names and Subjects” included in the register. The Legal Counsel is the second largest series in the collection. Within this part of the collection are the records of the F.B.I. investigation of Governor Blanton on pardons, executive clemencies and extraditions. However, these records represent only a small portion of the series. Also included are the incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, extradition cases, judicial appointments, lawsuits and legislation. One of the significant lawsuits is the Marie F. Ragghianti v. Ray Blanton case which concerns the dismissal of Mrs. Ragghianti from the Chairmanship of the Board of Pardons and Paroles by Governor Blanton. The Press and Information Office contains news briefs from The Tennessean and Nashville Banner and press releases, both arranged chronologically. Among the more informative reports are the “Goals and Objectives of State Government in Tennessee” and the “UN Visits Tennessee.” Scheduling includes the correspondence pertaining to invitations to the Governor for public appearances and the responses to these requests from the Scheduling Office. Speeches are arranged alphabetically and by date. Many of the speeches by Governor Blanton (such as the “State-of-the-State” messages) were originally drafted by his speech writer (Marion S. Peck) and other Governor assistants. Others were probably delivered extemporaneously by the Governor for less formal occasions. A few speeches by other members of the Blanton administration are included as well. Subject files include applications for various commissioner positions as well as materials relating to such scandals as the disposal of state surplus property and the treatment of patients at Western State Psychiatric Hospital. The “Organization Chart” of the office of the Governor offers an overview of the structural make-up of the executive department. Where obtainable, the dates of the service are listed. Several of the support staff served in various capacities and, therefore, are named more than once. In those cases where individuals cannot be properly placed within the office organization, they are listed alphabetically on a separated sheet. Boxes 254 through 261 are an Addition to the Governor Ray Blanton Papers. Where necessary additional entries were made to the “Index of Names and Subjects” in order to reflect this increase. Boxes 262 through 289 and oversize folder 1 are a second addition to the Governor Ray Blanton Papers. Added in December 2019, materials in this addition fit within the scope and content aforementioned. Original series and subseries were kept. Items include materials added to the boards and commissions, correspondence, governor’s files, legal counsel, photographs, press and information office, reports, and speeches series. The largest portion of materials in the addition went into the legal counsel series. Most of the legal counsel material is related to executive clemency/commutation/pardon requests. Judicial appointments material follows at a close second. Topics of interest include files kept by the governor’s legal office on political candidates (Boxes 265-266) and a file on James Earl Ray (Box 271). Note: the photographic negatives and slides (Boxes 274-276) contain a few negatives for photographs contained in the original collection (Box 191). One photograph of Gov. Blanton with Marie Ragghianti and her daughter (Box 272, f. 27) is a copy print of a photograph from the Tennessee Department of Conservation Photograph Collection (RG 82). Four photographs in box 273 and the painting in oversize folder 1 were a gift of Havner’s Frame Shoppe, Inc., in Jackson, Tennessee. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Ray Blanton 1930 April 10, born Leonard Ray Blanton in Hardin County, Tennessee, son of Leonard Alonzo Blanton and Ova A. Delaney Blanton 1936-1948 Education in Hardin County Schools and graduated from Old Shiloh High School 1949 July 23, married to Betty Jane Littlefield 1951 Awarded a Bachelor of Science Degree, Agriculture, UT 1951-1953 Teacher in the Mooresville, Indiana public schools 1954-1967 With B-B Construction Co., Adamsville, Tennessee 1973-1974 1965-1966 Member of Tennessee House of Representatives from McNairy County 1967-1972 Member, U.S. House of Representatives, 7th District, Tennessee 1972 Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate 1975-1979 Governor of Tennessee Organizations University of Tennessee Alumni Association Freemasonry Legal Order of Moose Lions Club Achievements and Awards Danforth Foundation Award for outstanding scholarship, Old Shiloh High School Chairman of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority Chairman of the Tennessee delegation to the 1976 Democratic National Convention Chairman of the Nat’l. Governor’s Assn. Task Force on Foreign Trade & Tourism Honorary degree from Milligan College in Tennessee and the International Free Protestant Episcopal University, London, England Source: Who’s Who in America, 39th ed. STATE OF TENNESSEE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS, 1975-1979 Department Commissioner Agriculture Edward S. Porter Banking Joe Hemphill Conservation B.R. “Buck” Allison Correction Herman Yeatman C. Murray Henderson Economic and Community Development Thomas Benson Education Dr. Sam Ingram Employment Security J.D. Wallace Brooks Parker Finance and Administration William L. Jones General Services Charles Bell Human Services Rev. Horace C. Bass Labor James G. Neely Mental Health Dr. Harold W. Jordan Military Gen. Carl Wallace Personnel J.D. Doane Public Health Dr. Eugene W. Fowinkle Revenue Jayne Ann Woods Safety Joel Plummer Tourist Development Thomas H. Jackson Transportation Eddie Shaw Veterans Affairs Louis Ragghianti Urban and Federal Affairs Washington Butler (Director) AIDES/ASSISTANTS/SECRETARIES UNIDENTIFIED Anderson, Betty Balthrop, Janice Beasley, Joyce Bickford, Susan Binns, Mary K. Brinkley, Mary Brown, William J. Cheek, Debra Clack, Jo Anne Cobbs, Cynthia Crabtree, David Davis, Bettie Frost, Donna Haynes, Ben Huffman, Terry A. Jolley, Susan Kriatsas, Cynthia E. Lewis, Donna R Lucas, Lee Mason, Pamela Mattingly, Philip Moses, Cynthia Notelevita, Linda R. Smith, Danny Smith, Peggy H. Stringer, Shirley Swallows, Naomi Lois Therber, Debra Waddell, Jacalyn C. Wainright, Naomi Waller, Carleen Williams, Ricky H. INDEX OF NAMES AND SUBJECTS Name/Subject Box and Folder No. Africa, Middle East, Europe trip 121-5; 123-21 Barnes, McBrayer, Bekovich and Prater 162-1; 172-1 Extradition Cases Capital Punishment 122-2,3,4,5 Carter, Jimmy 109-8 Commissioner Eddie Shaw’s Resignation 123-5 Constitutional