Harned Hall and Politics

Harned Hall is located immediately to the east of the Love Building. It bears the name of Tennessee’s first state Commissioner of Education and head of the state’s public schools, Perry L. Harned. Completed in 1927, this facility originally housed the school’s Commercial Department, which trained students for many different types of vocations, particularly in the agricultural sciences. It included classrooms, labs, an assembly hall, and offices. Harned Hall is one of four buildings on TSU’s campus that is NOT named after an African American. The others include the Jim Nance McCord Engineering Building, Frank G. Clement Hall, and the Ned McWherter Building. The namesakes for these three buildings were all governors of Tennessee. Today, the McWherter Building houses administrative offices including the university’s president.

The university honored these men for the much-needed financial and political support they gave TSU during their time in office. For example, McCord was instrumental to efforts to secure $1 million for a new engineering building. Perry Harned and William Hale were such close friends that the school’s first president named his second son, Edward Harned Hale. Harned was a strong advocate for Tennessee A&I in state government for many years. Frank Clement was perceived as a moderate by many in state government during the Civil Rights Movement. Clement was far more supportive of student activism than Buford Ellington—the previous segregationist governor who was openly hostile.

Despite the assistance and support of benefactors like Harned, McCord, Clement, and McWherter, TSU remained woefully underfunded by the state, which refused to match Federal Land Grant Funding as required by law. The battle over money and politics has existed throughout Tennessee State University’s history.

Continue walking up the sidewalk. The Goodwill Manor is immediately on your RIGHT.