of the duties and functions of the commission. Nearly all campaign donations came from the industries which were regulated by the PSC, their representatives, and persons involved with them. No one was ever elected to higher office from the Tennessee Public Service Commission, although such attempts were occasionally made, such as in 1994 when Frank Cockran and Steve Hewlett ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic Gubernatorial Primary. Election-related scandals and charges of favoritism, together with the fact that no Republican was ever elected to the office of Public Service Commissioner, led the administration of Governor Don Sundquist to move to abolish the office in 1995. The Tennessee General Assembly acted that year to abolish the Public Service Commission, replacing it with the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, consisting of three members, with one member each appointed by the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives. The Public Service Commission ceased operation on June 30, 1996, and the Regulatory Authority began operation the following day. See also Public utilities commission References External links Janice Beecher (Michigan State University), The All Commissioners List - List of all persons who had ever served as members of U.S. federal and state public utilities regulatory agencies through 2007 History of Tennessee Government of Tennessee Government agencies established in 1897 1897 establishments in Tennessee 1996 disestablishments in Tennessee State agencies of Tennessee Tennessee