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Austin Peay (June 1, 1876 – October 2, 1927) was an American politician who served as Governor of Tennessee from 1923 to 1927. He was the state's first governor since the Civil War to win three consecutive terms, and the first to die in office.〔 Prior to his election as governor, he served two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1901–1905). Widely considered one of Tennessee's most effective governors, Peay enacted numerous government reforms. He consolidated government agencies, overhauled the tax code, improved state schools, drastically expanded the state highway system, and converted the massive state debt into a budget surplus.〔Dan Pierce, "(Austin Peay )," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2009. Retrieved: 7 December 2012.〕 He also created Tennessee's first state park, and lent state support for the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During his tenure, the balance of power in state politics shifted from the state legislature to the governor.〔 In 1925, Peay signed into law the Butler Act, which barred the teaching of the Theory of Evolution in public schools. The enactment of this law led to the Scopes Trial, which took place later that year.〔 ==Early life== Peay was born in Christian County, Kentucky, the son of Austin Peay, a farmer, and Cornelia (Leavell) Peay. He attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, before moving to Clarksville, Tennessee, to practice law. He was practically penniless when he married Sallie Hurst in Clarksville in 1895.〔Joseph MacPherson, "Democratic Progressivism in Tennessee: The Administrations of Governor Austin Peay, 1923-1927," East Tennessee Historical Society ''Publications'', Vol. 40 (1968), pp. 50-61.〕 In 1900, Peay was elected to Montgomery County's seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives. During his first term, he introduced an anti-trust measure, which was quickly buried in committee.〔 His reputation among fellow Democrats improved during his second term, however, and he was elected chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Committee in 1905.〔 In 1908, Peay managed Governor Malcolm R. Patterson's successful reelection campaign. In October of that year, Peay's campaign associate, Duncan Cooper, and his son, Robin Cooper, were involved a shootout in Nashville that killed Patterson's political foe, Edward W. Carmack. The Coopers had sought out Peay that morning to accompany them across town, and had they found him, he no doubt would have been present when the shootout took place.〔 Following this incident, Peay withdrew from state politics and returned to his law practice in Clarksville.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Austin Peay」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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