Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today made the following statement on the passing of former state senator Anna Belle Clement O’Brien:
"For a half century Anna Belle was a pioneer for Tennessee women in politics and an effective force for better schools and health care. She worked across party lines to help Tennessee become the first state to pay teachers more for teaching well.
"She relished her integral role as a leader of one of Tennessee's most consequential political families. She was a delight to work with. I will miss her."
Governor Phil Bredesen said, "Miss Anna Belle's signature line was 'Politics is a beautiful word.' 'Politics' was most certainly made more beautiful here in Tennessee by being graced by the presence of Anna Belle Clement O'Brien for so long. With her passing, we've lost yet another link to a more generous and collegial political world.
"I first got to know her when I ran - and lost - against her nephew, Bob Clement, for Congress in 1987. She was definitely and firmly on the other side, but always gracious and kind. In the years after that, she took me under her wing and went out of her way to help me along with advice and unqualified support. I confessed to her many times that her 'Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval' was just what a young outsider needed to break into Tennessee politics, and she was always pleased to hear that.
"Andrea and I offer our sympathy and condolences to her nephews Bob and Frank Clement, to her niece Sara Kyle, and to all of the members of her family on her passing."
Leadership of the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus released the following statements Tuesday on the passing of Anna Belle Clement O'Brien:
"Senator O'Brien was known simply as 'Anna Belle' by those who knew her and those who did not know her, which was a testament to her accessibility and her familiarity with the people of Tennessee," said Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle of Memphis.
"She blazed a trail for women in politics and was a tireless advocate for the causes she believed in. She always closed her remarks with the phrase 'Politics is a beautiful word,' and because of Anna Belle, it was. My family, like many Tennesseans, will miss her deeply."
Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman Lowe Finney of Jackson said:
"Members of the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former State Senator Anna Belle Clement O'Brien.
"As a senator, she fought for those who needed a voice. As a Democrat, she energized her party, and she was able to work effectively with legislators in both parties. As a Tennessean, she worked tirelessly to make the state she loved a finer place.
"Her passing is Tennessee's loss, and our thoughts and prayers today are with the Clement family."
Sonja Fox, president, Tennessee Federation Of Democratic Women, said, "Through the years, a great lady has guided, attended, advised and been a friend to those taking part in the Tennessee Federation of Democratic Women and that friend is our own Anna Belle Clement O’Brien.
"Anna Belle left our earthly shores yesterday and joined the heavenly group of friends and family that have gone before her. She leaves bits of her great spirit with us through her teachings, her humor and her smiling presence.
"May we continue to honor her by taking the advice she offered and also by donating to the Anna Belle Clement O’Brien Scholarship.
We extend our deepest sympathy to her friends and family."
Here is her obituary:
Anna Belle Clement O'Brien: 1923-2009
Anna Belle Clement O'Brien was the indisputable and much beloved First Lady of Tennessee Politics, with a political career that spanned more than five decades and six administrations.
Born in Scottsville, Ky., she was the daughter of the late Robert and May Belle Clement. She had one brother, Frank Goad Clement (deceased), and a sister, Emma Gene (Clement) Peery. The family eventually put down roots in Dickson, Tenn., where Anna Belle held her first job in the office of her father's law firm as a secretary on Saturdays.
She was introduced to the world of politics as a young woman working in the gubernatorial campaign of her older brother Frank, who served as Tennessee governor from 1953 to 1959 and again from 1963 to 1967. She began her career in public service in 1955 as an assistant to future Governor Buford Ellington, who was then serving as commissioner of the Department of Agriculture in her brother's administration. She later served as Ellington's executive assistant. Upon the re-election of her brother in 1962, she was named to an administrative post, making her the first female chief of staff to the Governor in Tennessee history at a time before women held such powerful roles in government or business.
Miss Anna Belle, as she was called, was known for saying, "Politics is a beautiful word to me." She believed politics was first about people. She believed politics made children with handicaps walk, made education more accessible to everyone, gave people with mental illness a better life, and helped working people, seniors and children.
She also said, "Politics got me a good husband." She met Charles O'Brien, a state senator and widower from Memphis, at a reception for the legislature in 1964. They were married on Nov. 9, 1966, and made their home in Cumberland County. Charles also had a distinguished career in public service that culminated with his appointment as Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.
In 1974, Anna Belle Clement O'Brien ran for and won election to the Tennessee House of Representatives and won election to the Tennessee Senate in 1976, becoming only the second woman to win a seat in the state senate. Later she would go on to become the first woman to serve as committee chairwoman when she was appointed chair of the Senate Transportation and Senate Education committees.
After suffering her own personal battle with breast cancer, Sen. O'Brien led the effort to pass legislation to mandate insurance coverage of mammograms. She also created the landmark Tennessee Living Will Law. As chair of the Senate Education Committee and the Joint Oversight Committee on Education, she helped oversee the bipartisan effort to pass the most comprehensive and dynamic reform of classroom education in the history of Tennessee.
Sen. O'Brien was a role model who blazed the trail for a career in politics and public service for countless women when she ran for the office of governor herself in 1982. She was a tireless campaigner statewide for Democratic candidates, including her nephew Bob Clement and her niece Sara Kyle. Kyle, inspired by the public service careers of her uncle Frank and her aunt Anna Belle, blazed her own trail for young women in politics when she became only the second woman to win statewide office in Tennessee with her election to the Public Service Commission in 1994.
Miss Anna Belle will be remembered for her positive outlook, wonderful storytelling skills and sense of humor. She set high expectations for herself and for others and was a beloved mentor to many. An influential legislative leader, she believed in always "planning your work and working your plan," just as she believed in the importance of properly donned lipstick, earrings and high heels.
Anna Belle Clement O'Brien is survived by her sister Emma Gene Peery; stepchildren Heather O'Brien Hahn (Jan) and Diane O'Brien Soloman (David); nieces and nephews Bob Clement (Mary), Frank Clement Jr. (Lynn), B.Y. Peery (Deborah), Ann Whitis (Warren), Sara Kyle (Jim), Robert Peery (Carrie), and Betty Belle Peery; numerous grandchildren, great nieces and nephews; and dear and loyal friends Virgie Lotze, Randy Elmore and Barbara Caruthers.
She is preceded in death by parents Robert and May Belle Clement; brother Governor Frank Clement and sister-in-law Lucille Clement; brother-in-law Bruce Peery; stepson Steve O'Brien; and nephews Gary Clement and Don Peery.
Visitation will be Thursday, Sept. 3, at Hood Funeral Home, 2371 Highway 127 South, Crossville, TN, from noon to 8 p.m. (CDT).
Funeral services will be held on Friday, Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. at Tansi Community Church, 2067 Cravens Drive, Crossville, TN. Visitation will be held at the church at 10 a.m. (CDT).
Honorary Pallbearers include the members of the Frank G. Clement Museum Board of Directors, Crossville Fraternal Order of Police #163, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and former and current members of the Tennessee General Assembly.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the: Governor Frank G. Clement Museum, 100 Frank Clement Place, Dickson, TN 37055 or to Tansi Community Church, 2067 Cravens Drive, Crossville, TN 38572.