The 18th president of the University of Tennessee (1988–91), attorney Lamar Alexander was governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987. At the time of his appointment as president, he was serving as director of the Leadership Institute at Belmont College.
His appointment marked a sudden end to the search process, begun to find a replacement for Edward J. Boling, reviving memories of the tumultuous objections when Boling was elected president in 1970. In August 1987 Alexander wrote a letter to Trustee Bill Johnson, chair of the Presidential Search Committee, saying that he would not be a candidate for the position. In January 1988 Alexander indicated that he would be interested in the position, met with the trustees, and was elected president on January 22, by a 21-0 vote, with Trustee Paul Kinser abstaining after questioning the process of selection. Shortly after his election, Alexander wrote to President George H. W. Bush asking that he no longer be considered as a possible ambassador to Japan.
Alexander was the first Tennessee governor to serve two consecutive elected terms. As governor, Alexander instituted Centers of Excellence and Chairs of Excellence in higher education institutions. His popular Homecoming ’86 program involved 812 communities (among them, UT) in a variety of special programs celebrating Tennessee. On December 17, 1990, President George H. W. Bush announced that he had nominated Alexander for the post of secretary of the US Department of Education, and Alexander accepted the nomination. He left UT in March 1991. He was elected to the US Senate in 2002, replacing Fred Thompson.
Alexander earned the baccalaureate degree from Vanderbilt University (1962) where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was twice nominated for a Rhodes scholarship. In 1966 he earned the Juris Doctor from New York University, where he served as an editor of the Law Review. He served as campaign coordinator for Howard Baker’s successful bid for the US Senate and then served as Baker’s legislative assistant in Washington. He served under President Nixon as executive assistant to the White House Office of Congressional Relations.
In 1970 he directed former Governor Winfield Dunn’s successful campaign for governor and then worked for the Nashville law firm of Dearborn and Ewing. In 1974 he ran unsuccessfully for governor, winning the Republican primary but being defeated in the general election by Ray Blanton. In 1977 he served as special counsel to Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker. In 1978 he ran successfully for governor, defeating Jake F. Butcher. He ran successfully for a second term as governor in 1982, defeating Randy Tyree. He has received several honorary doctorate degrees.