x
Breaking News
More () »

Lee: Tennessee panel expected to address Confederate bust

Gov. Bill Lee said he expects the state panel to address the contentious bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and an early leader of the KKK.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Bill Lee says Tennessee’s Capitol Commission will soon meet for the first time in more than two years.

Lee said Thursday he expects the state panel to address the contentious bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan. The bust has been on display inside the state Capitol for decades.

Lee has said he supports adding some sort of context around the bust but has not called for its removal.

The Capitol Commission last met in September 2017, where it voted 7-5 against removing the bust. Members include Tennessee’s secretary of state, state treasurer and state comptroller.

Forrest was a Confederate cavalry general who amassed a fortune as a plantation owner and slave trader in Memphis before the Civil War.

Before You Leave, Check This Out