Frank Goad Clement (June 2, 1920 – November 4, 1969) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959 and from 1963 to 1967. Inaugurated for the first time at age 32, he was the state's youngest and longest-serving governor in the 20th century. Clement owed much of his rapid political rise to his ability to deliver rousing, mesmerizing speeches. His sermon-like keynote address at the 1956 Democratic National Convention has been described as both one of the best and one of the worst keynote addresses in the era of televised conventions. As governor, Clement oversaw the state's economic transformation from a predominantly agricultural state to an industrial state. He increased funding for education and mental health, and was the first Southern governor to veto a segregation bill. In 1956, he dispatched the National Guard to disperse a crowd attempting to prevent integration at Clinton High School. He attempted to enter national politics, and although his aggressive speeches at the 1956 Democratic national convention impressed some members of his own party, they disgusted many other politicians and brought an end to his federal political career. His final years, including his last term as governor, were marked by severe alcohol abuse which deeply affected his personal and professional life. His wife, tired of his alcoholism, filed for divorce in 1969. He died in a car accident soon after announcing his intention to run for a fourth term. Early life Clement was born at the Hotel Halbrook in Dickson, Tennessee, the son of Robert Samuel Clement, a local attorney and politician, and Maybelle (Goad) Clement, who operated the hotel. The family moved around for several years, living briefly in Vermont and Kentucky, before returning to Dickson in the 1930s. Clement graduated from Dickson County High School in 1937. While still young, he took speaking lessons with his aunt. Clement attended Cumberland University from 1937 to 1939, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He then attended Vanderbilt University Law School, graduating with an LL.B in 1942. He worked as an agent for the FBI for about a year, mainly investigating internal security and espionage cases. In November 1943, at the height of World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, eventually rising to the rank of first lieutenant and commanding officer of Company C of the Military Police