Statement from Commissioner Butch Eley

Statement from Dept. of Finance and Administration Commissioner Butch Eley, chairman of the State Capitol Commission, on today’s commission vote to petition the Tennessee Historical Commission to move three artifacts from the Capitol to the Tennessee State Museum:

“Tennessee has a rich history and we study history so that we learn from it. But there is a better place for us to showcase our history such as General Forrest’s bust, and that place is the state museum. Tennesseans who reached out to me were overwhelmingly in favor of moving General Forrest’s likeness to the state museum, where we can feature all facets of the struggle that marks our history and makes us who we are today - many cultures, many backgrounds and histories, all with a great love for our state and all its people.”

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Note: The three artifacts are busts of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, Admiral Albert Gleaves and Admiral David Farragut.