to strengthen southern support for Republican national candidates. That year, Nixon became the first Republican presidential candidate to carry Davidson County since the Reconstruction era. Most Republicans had been disenfranchised in Tennessee and other Southern states as Southern Democrats passed new constitutions after the Civil War to suppress black voting by raising barriers to voter registration. Personal life and death Briley married Dorothy Gordon in 1934. They had two children together, Cliff and Diane. He was an alcoholic. His grandson David Briley was the Mayor of Nashville after the resignation of Megan Barry. Briley died of bladder cancer on September 14, 1980 at the Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville at the age of 66, just months after the death of his wife. His funeral was held at the Inglewood Baptist Church, and he was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Nashville. Legacy and honors Briley Parkway, a major beltway thoroughfare which runs by the Grand Ole Opry House and around much of the city, was named in his honor. The city-owned Beverly Briley Building, a major component of Nashville's redesigned Public Square, was named for him. His grandson, Rob Briley, was a politician who formerly represented the 52nd House District, a Nashville district, in the state legislature. He also served as the Democratic Majority Floor Leader. Another grandson, David Briley, served as mayor of Nashville. References External links Public Square redesign details, City of Nashville 1914 births 1980 deaths Heads of county government in Tennessee Mayors of Nashville, Tennessee Tennessee Democrats 20th-century American politicians Deaths from cancer in Tennessee Deaths from bladder cancer Vanderbilt University alumni Cumberland School of Law alumni Tennessee lawyers 20th-century American lawyers