vote “no” on the amendment. Rather, he
only voted to table it. The letter from his
mother was not a letter of admonishment,
but of motherly advice. The most popular
myth of all is the story of the angry mob of
Anti-suffragists that chased Burn out of the
Capitol as he feared for his life.
Until Boyd completed his research, the
remainder of Burn’s life and career (which
lasted into the 1970s) remained unexplored.
Burn served in the state senate and as
a delegate to four state constitutional
conventions. He was an unsuccessful
candidate for governor in 1930. He helped
to secure universal suffrage in Tennessee,
drafted clean election laws, and led
successful careers in law and banking. He
voted to ratify not one, but three different
federal constitutional amendments. Burn
understood the impact that local and state
government have on our everyday lives.
The impact of his accomplishments is still
evident today.
The Suffrage Coalition spent over ten years
fundraising to build a memorial statue for
Harry T. Burn and his mother, Febb Burn.
In June 2018, the Burn Memorial (sculpted
by Alan LeQuire) was unveiled in downtown
Knoxville at the corner of Clinch Avenue
and Market Street. Right next door to the
new statue is the East Tennessee History
Center. The third floor of the ETHC is
home to the Calvin M. McClung Historical
Collection. The late Harry T. Burn, Jr.
donated his grandmother’s famous letter to
his father to the collection. It is periodically
put on display for select events. The full text
of the letter can be viewed on www.cmdc.
Harry T. Burn
Tyler L. Boyd
knoxlib.org in the section
on woman suffrage. Harry
T. Burn’s personal papers
are also preserved in the
collection.
Boyd’s book, “Tennessee
Statesman Harry T. Burn:
Woman Suffrage, Free
Elections, and a Life of
Service,” will be available
on August 5th. The History
Press, an imprint of Arcadia
Publishing, is the publisher.
The book can be purchased
on www.arcadiapublishing.
com and will be sold in
several bookstores and
museums across the state.
FALL 2019 FARRAGUT LIFE 13
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