Louie Nunn

Louie Nunn.
Louie Nunn (1924–2004) was the 52nd governor of Kentucky (1967–1971), the only Republican elected to that office between 1947 and 2003. The first Republican county judge in the history of Barren County, Kentucky, he ran for governor in 1963, but lost a close race to his Democratic opponent Ned Breathitt. In 1967, Nunn again ran for governor. After defeating Marlow Cook in the Republican gubernatorial primary, he eked out a victory over Democrat Henry Ward. Despite a Democratic majority in the General Assembly, Nunn was able to enact most of his priorities, including tax increases that funded improvements to the state park system and the construction of a statewide network of mental health centers. His administration was marred by race riots in Louisville and a violent protest against the Vietnam War at the University of Kentucky. Following his term as governor, he lost to Walter "Dee" Huddleston in the 1972 senatorial election, and to John Y. Brown Jr. for governor in 1979.