Lewis Donelson III, titan of Tennessee and Memphis politics, dies at 100

Lewis Randolph Donelson III, a founding father of the modern Tennessee Republican Party and co-founder and senior counsel of the Memphis law firm Baker Donelson, died Thursday morning.

Mr. Donelson, who had celebrated his 100th birthday in October, was credited with helping revive the Republican Party in Tennessee starting in the 1950s, ushering in a two-party system as a bulwark against machine politics led by Memphis' E.H. “Boss” Crump.

He was elected in 1967 as a charter member of the Memphis City Council and served as commissioner of finance and chief operating officer under Tennessee governor Lamar Alexander from 1979 to 1981.

It was Mr. Donelson who informed outgoing governor Ray Blanton that Blanton would not be allowed to re-enter the Capitol as Alexander prepared to take the oath of office in 1979. That action is believed to have scuttled Blanton’s plans to grant additional clemencies in an infamous cash-for-clemency scandal that tarnished Blanton's administration.

His passing was mourned by political and business leaders across the state. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander called him one of Tennessee's finest public servants, and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland called him "a force for good in the early days of the Memphis City Council."

Mr. Donelson “was an old-school moderate Republican” who was progressive on social issues, supportive of the civil rights movement and conservative on fiscal matters, said his son, Lewis Donelson IV of Austin, Texas.

He chaired political campaigns for candidates including former U.S. Senator, the late Howard Baker, and Rep. Dan Kuykendall, and was a delegate to Republican National Conventions in 1964, 1968 and 1988.

Mr. Donelson entered public life out of a deeply held conviction that “we all have obligations to one another, and he just completely believed in that, and we do that by entering the public world and participating in politics. That’s why he served on all those boards. Some of them were hard work but he just really, really believed,” his son said.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said in a statement, “It is hard to overstate the impact that Lewie had on Tennessee politics. His work as Commissioner of Finance and Administration is still looked at as the model of how the role should be performed. And, while today most people think of Tennessee as a red state, it wasn’t that way when Lewie and a few other brave souls began to build the modern day Republican Party."

Haslam added, "Later he played a key role in making sure education was fairly funded throughout the state. Even in his nineties, he was incredibly helpful to me as I started out as a brand new Governor. Tennessee is a much better State because of Lewis Donelson. The last time I was with him he proudly showed me around the recently remodeled National Civil Rights Museum. We will miss him.”

A 1941 law graduate of Georgetown University, Mr. Donelson started the Donelson & Adams firm in Memphis in 1954. It merged in 1994 with Senator Baker's law firm, Baker Worthington, to form Baker Donelson.

The firm grew into one of the country's 60 largest, with more than 750 attorneys and 23 offices. Mr. Donelson served as outside general counsel for First Tennessee National Corp. for many years.

"In a career that spanned more than 70 years, Lewie's leadership and activism had a lasting and far-reaching impact," said  Ben C. Adams Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Baker Donelson. "While we're extremely saddened by his passing, we're proud to be a part of Lewie's legacy and are committed to carrying on the spirit of dedication and community that he exemplified and that is at the core of the culture and personality of Baker Donelson."

Mr. Donelson was a descendant of an old-line Tennessee family, including U.S. president Andrew Jackson, a founder of Memphis, and Nashville founder Colonel John Donelson.

“No other family’s thread runs more proudly through Tennessee’s history than Lewie’s -- from his ancestor John Donelson’s river trip to Nashville in 1779 to Andrew Jackson’s marriage to John’s daughter, Rachel, to Jackson’s founding of Memphis and then to Lewie’s life of distinguished public service," Sen. Alexander said in a statement.

Mayor Strickland said on Twitter: "Mr. Lewis Donelson lived a remarkable life. He was a force for good in the early days of the Memphis City Council, he served our entire state in Gov. Lamar Alexander's administration, and he helped lead the Baker Donelson law firm into national prominence. Mr. Donelson's life of leadership and statesmanship should be an example for others. I join with his family and friends in mourning his loss today."

Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell Jr. said, “Mr. Donelson was the standard for many of us who serve the public.  His experience at the state and local level led him to become one of our more knowledgeable and influential leaders.  His sharp intellect, wisdom and insight into civic affairs will be missed.”

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tennessee) called Mr. Donelson “one of the finest Memphians I have ever known,” and said, “A true statesman and a titan in the legal community, Lewie spent a century working to better the state of Tennessee."

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) said, "Lewis Donelson III was a powerful voice for Memphis in both our state and national capitals. His relationships with Senator Lamar Alexander and the late Senator Howard Baker were important in advancing the interests of the Bluff City."

Former Democratic congressman Harold Ford Sr. said, "He was a true leader and statesman for Tennessee.  He and I had the pleasure of working together over many decades in the public and private sector. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

Republican state Sen. Brian Kelsey said, "Mr. Donelson was a highly respected man, legal scholar, and public servant…I always appreciated his wisdom and advice, even on issues over which we disagreed.  He will be greatly missed.”

Mr. Donelson was a schoolmate of John F. Kennedy at Choate Boarding School in Connecticut, knew Lyndon B. Johnson when Johnson was a congressional aide, and was once asked to go to work for President Harry Truman. 

Mr. Donelson had been active up until late last year. He died at his home in Parkview.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Janice, in 2010. He is also survived by daughters Jan Goddard of Knoxville, who had moved to Memphis to take care of him, and Lori Daniel of Tampa; and four grandchildren.

Canale Funeral Directors has charge of arrangements. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Idlewild Presbyterian Church. There will be a private burial service in Elmwood Cemetery.

Reach reporter Wayne Risher at (901) 529-2874 or wayne.risher@commercialappeal.com.