<p align="center"><strong>From the White House to the State House</s></p>

The governor is often in contact with the President of the United States on issues affecting Tennessee. The two may communicate directly or through their Cabinets on topics ranging from commission appointments to implementing state and federal programs.

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Telegram to Governor John C. Brown from President Ulysses S. Grant, 1871.

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During Reconstruction, the South was recovering from the Civil War and Black Americans exercised their new rights. The period was also plagued by violence, and local and federal authorities attempted to combat these problems. In his 1871 telegram, President Ulysses S. Grant told Governor John C. Brown that federal officials could support him in certain matters despite their different jurisdictions.

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Telegram to Governor Albert H. Roberts from President Woodrow Wilson, 1920.

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President Woodrow Wilson sent a congratulatory telegram to Governor Albert H. Roberts after Tennessee ratified the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote. He believed that he was “speaking the voice of the country at large” by sending his thanks to the Tennessee General Assembly for passing the resolution.

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Letter to Governor Henry Horton from President Herbert Hoover, 1931.

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After the stock market crash of 1929, President Herbert Hoover organized the Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership to discuss options for home ownership through private-sector programs. He invited Governor Henry Horton and other officials across the country to attend.

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Letter to Governor Frank Clement from President Dwight Eisenhower, 1954.

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President Dwight Eisenhower expressed his excitement for Nashville’s new World War II museum. In his 1954 letter, he also told Governor Frank Clement that he was sending him autographed books and a photograph.

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Letter to Governor Buford Ellington from President John F. Kennedy, 1961.

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In 1961, Governor Buford Ellington sent a telegram to the president about the proposed food stamp plan. President John F. Kennedy told the governor he would put him in contact with the Secretary of Agriculture to learn how the plan might apply to East Tennessee.

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Letter to Governor Lamar Alexander from President Ronald Reagan, 1985.

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President Ronald Reagan wrote to Governor Lamar Alexander to recognize the work of the Tennessee Arts Commission in honor of the organization’s anniversary in 1985. Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the commission still serves Tennesseans today.