Clifton Beverly Briley (January 11, 1914 – September 14, 1980) was an American attorney and politician, the first mayor of the newly consolidated metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County in Tennessee. Elected to the mayor's position in 1962 as a Democrat, Briley served three terms from 1963 to 1975; he was prevented by term limits from running again. He had previously served as county judge (chief executive) of Davidson County for several terms, from 1950 to 1963. Early life Briley was born in West Nashville, Tennessee in 1914. Attending local schools, he became involved in Scouting as a boy and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Vanderbilt University before transferring to Cumberland University's law school (now the Cumberland Law School at Samford University), graduating in 1932. He was admitted to the bar in 1932. Career Briley began practicing in 1932. Briley served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a quartermaster aboard the USS David Taylor. After the war, he ran a successful campaign for county judge (chief executive) of Davidson County in 1950, serving until 1963. Briley was a champion of metropolitan government and supported the merger of Nashville and Davidson County government. In 1963 he won election against Davidson County tax assessor Clifford Allen, another longtime Nashville politician, and became the first mayor of what is known as Metro Nashville. In 1966, his main opponent was Ben West, the former mayor of the earlier City of Nashville municipal government. Briley won the election in a runoff. Briley was reelected in 1971, also in a runoff. He was prevented by term limits from running again in 1975. He remained active in Nashville politics until his death five years later. Altogether, he served as chief executive of Davidson County and of Nashville for 25 years. Briley took a fairly progressive position on the Civil Rights Movement, an important question for mayors of Southern cities at the time. He readily cooperated with black leaders and is generally credited with helping smooth the transition away from racial segregation in Nashville. Public schools and lunch counters had already been desegregated by the time he took office. In 1965, Briley described the Ku Klux Klan as "merchants of hate" and said they were "not welcome" in Nashville. On other issues, he was a conservative Democrat; in 1972 he was the area leader of "Democrats for Nixon," in an effort