to popular belief, Burn did not 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,
McMinn County’s most famous resident,
understood the impact that local and state
government have on our everyday lives.
The impact of his accomplishments is still
evident today.
Burn left the state legislature to work as
an attorney in Rockwood. After a few
years, he moved to Sweetwater. From 1927
to 1951, Burn called Sweetwater home.
For ten years, he practiced law with W.E.
Michael (father of the late Van Michael).
His law office, located on the second
floor of the Scruggs Building (now known
as New Block) served as the campaign
headquarters during his unsuccessful
campaign for governor in 1930. In the
1949 and 1951 legislative sessions, Burn
represented Monroe, McMinn, Bradley,
and Polk Counties in the state senate. Burn
secured successful legislation to improve
Harry T. Burn
Tyler L. Boyd
the schools and roads in
Monroe County. He caused
uproar over his local
legislation that attempted to
expand the Sweetwater city
limits and ban the sale
of alcohol.
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.
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