Ned McWherter - Post-Governorship

Post-Governorship

McWherter would have been an overwhelming favorite for a third term if he had been permitted to run for one by the state constitution; when asked about this, he stated that he would not have run for another term even if it had been permissible. Following the end of his second term as governor in 1995, McWherter was appointed to the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service by President Bill Clinton. McWherter lived the remainder of his life in Tennessee, where he was very active in the Tennessee Democratic Party. His business holdings included several nursing homes and a beer distributorship.

McWherter was married to the late Bette Jean Beck McWherter, who died in 1973, and is the father of two children. His son Michael Ray McWherter is a businessman and was a candidate in the 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial race, and his daughter Linda Ramsey is a doctor of physical education at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He funded the construction of the library at the University of Memphis and the Learning Resources Center at Middle Tennessee State University, and both buildings have been named in his honor.

Former President Clinton delivered remarks at a memorial service when Mr. McWherter died.

McWherter died on April 4, 2011 in a Nashville hospital where he was being treated for cancer . He was 80 years old.