Don Sundquist

Donald Kenneth Sundquist (March 15, 1936 – August 27, 2023) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 47th governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003.

Prior to his governorship, he represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Early life Sundquist was born on March 15, 1936, in Moline, Illinois, the son of Kenneth and Louise (Rohren) Sundquist.

After graduating from Moline High School in 1953, he attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, obtaining his B.A. in business administration in 1957.

Sundquist joined Jostens in 1961, and initially worked at the company's plants in Princeton, Illinois, and Owatonna, Minnesota. He served as Chair of the national Young Republicans from 1971 to 1973, and chair of the Shelby County Republican Party from 1975 to 1977. He would never face another contest nearly that close; he was unopposed for reelection in 1984 and was reelected three more times after that with almost no difficulty. Bredesen criticized Sundquist for voting against a minimum wage increase while voting for a congressional pay raise. Sundquist accused Bredesen of flip-flopping on issues such as public funding for abortion and school privatization. He also signed a series of crime-related measures which called for tougher sentences and more focus on victims' rights.

Post-governorship

In 2002, toward the end of Sundquist's second term, a Nashville television station, NewsChannel 5, uncovered evidence businesses owned by Sundquist's friends were illegally given no-bid contracts by the state. In December of that year, the FBI raided the offices of Education Networks of America (ENA), founded by Sundquist's friend, Al Ganier, as part of an investigation into whether or not Ganier used his relationship with Sundquist to obtain millions of dollars' worth of state contracts (including the ConnectTenn contract). Ganier eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized use of a computer.

In May 2004, a State of Tennessee Labor Department employee, Joanna Ediger, was convicted of rigging a $2 million state contract for Workforce Strategists, a company owned by another Sundquist friend, John Stamps. The following year, Stamps pleaded guilty to four counts of tax evasion and one count of making false statements. U.S. District Judge Karl Forester said Sundquist was the "impetus" for the investigations, although he was never implicated in any wrongdoing, nor were any senior members of his administration.

In July 2005, Sundquist was named head of a national panel on improving Medicaid. The panel was appointed by HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt.

Sundquist's papers are archived at the University of Tennessee Libraries.

Personal life and death Sundquist married Martha Swanson in 1959. They had three children.

Don Sundquist died in Memphis on August 27, 2023, at the age of 87, following surgery and a short illness.

Honors