Judge Lewis “Lew” H. Conner served with distinction on the Tennessee Court of Appeals, from 1980-1984, and as a special Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court. He passed away on January 4 at the age of 87.
“The judiciary, the legal profession, and the citizens of the great State of Tennessee lost a true lion this week,” said Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeff Bivins. “Judge Lew Conner worked diligently for over 60 years developing his sterling reputation as a lawyer, a judge, a community leader, a politico, and a public servant. He leaves behind many lasting legacies, the most of which was his undeterred and total dedication to preserving the Rule of Law, regardless of the political consequences. His total devotion to his faith, his family, and his profession was second to none.”
Judge Conner served as a Captain in the judge Advocate General’s Corps with the 101st Airborne Division, from 1963 – 1966. Following his service, he entered private practice and co-found Dearborn & Ewing. Judge Conner became a prominent Nashville attorney and renowned philanthropist. He was highly regarded for his work in complex litigation and was considered one of the fathers of mediation. Throughout his legal career, Judge Conner completed around 850 mediations with a success rate exceeding 85%. The Nashville Business Journal recognized him with its Best of the Bar Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2019, and, in 2015, his peers honored him with Nashville Bar Association’s highest distinction, the John C. Tune Public Service Award.
Judge Conner served as a finance co-chair and counsel to many of Tennessee’s most prominent leaders, including Lamar Alexander, Fred Thompson, Bill Frist, Don Sundquist, Bob Corker, Bill Haslam and Bill Hagerty. He served on the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs for 30 years and received the National Medallion for his service to youth.
Raised in Chattanooga, Judge Conner earned his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1960 and went on to receive his juris doctor from the university in 1963. He played golf at Vanderbilt, from 1957- 1960, and was induced into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. Judge Conner went on to play a key role in building the Vanderbilt golf program into one of the best in the NCAA. He was also instrumental in uniting Tennessee's professional and amateur golf associations in the 1970s. Judge Conner won 35 amateur tournaments and was the 1973 Tennessee Amateur Player of the Year. In 1996, he competed in both the USGA Senior Amateur and Senior Open Championships. In 2010, he was inducted into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame.
“On a personal note, Lew was my mentor, my colleague, my law partner, and, most importantly, my friend,” said Chief Justice Bivins. “I know that there are so many others that fall into one or more of these categories. He was truly a critical contributor, supporter, and blessing to my career. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ashley, Forrest, Holly, and the entire family during this difficult time. The State of Tennessee and our entire country are much better, directly, because of the life of Lew Conner.”
Remembrances & Condolences
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Herbert H. Slatery III, Former Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter
Sunday, January 4th was a sad day for Tennessee and in particular, its Judiciary. The Honorable Lewis H. Conner died. Former Tennessee Court of Appeals Judge, counsel to Governor Lamar Alexander and accomplished lawyer and mediator, Lew was all parts public servant, philanthropist, leading lawyer and mediator, scratch golfer, and more importantly to him, husband, father and grandfather. (Please forgive the informality but he was always Lew to me and most others)
Many will be the descriptions of Lew - smart, visionary, co-founder of a law firm, confidant and counselor of a Governor and U.S. Senator, loud (you could hear him from three fairways over), brash, Vanderbilt Sports Hall of Fame member, and rescuer of the Tennessee Golf Association and Tennessee PGA.
But the memories I will hold closely are the unseen, yet remarkable moments many do not know: For one, the corporate CEO new to Nashville who showed up at a charity golf tournament knowing no one and unsure how to find his team. The stranger behind him in the registration line realized what was going on, grabbed his arm, smiled, and said “Hi, I’m Lew Conner. You’re playing with me. Come on.”
Lew also had a knack missing in many leaders. He was always looking down the road, seeing leadership needs and opportunities coming. And he not only recognized them, he went out of his way to recruit successors. I was one beneficiary. One Saturday I was on a putting green, getting ready to play with a group, in which, for some reason, Lew included me. I felt a tap on the shoulder and turned. Lew looked at me and said, “You should be the next Tennessee Attorney General.” He was the first to bring up that idea to me. I smiled and thanked him for the compliment, but said I had a great job already, working for Governor Bill Haslam. As many know, Lew did not readily accept responses such as mine. He looked at me with that serious look that many legal opponents experienced (akin to Pat Summit’s stare) and said, “No, I’m serious; you should do it.” Well, I did. And it was not the last time that I followed his advice.
There is a group of lawyers in Nashville informally and affectionally known as Lions of the Bar. They were and are to the law profession what fighter pilots who have flown 200 missions are to the Air Force. Invaluable. Their number is dwindling. Lew was one. They are a treasure for us who follow in the profession.
I will be forever grateful for Lew - his counsel, the many encouraging phone calls starting with “That was a smart move,” and the ones when I asked for advice and got “You may want to think about doing this.”
Lew deserved all of the accolades he received. But I bet there are a lot of people who received the unseen, genuine, generous touches like I did. You are going to be missed, Lew, but never replaced.
