Congressman Cohen Urges Governor Lee to Remove Nathan Bedford Forrest Bust from State Capitol

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today wrote to Governor Bill Lee urging him to take the lead on removal of the bust of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest from the state Capitol at Wednesday's meeting of the State Capitol Commission.

Last year, Congressman Cohen also urged the governor to remove the bust in previous letters in January and February and also urged former Governor Haslam to do the same. A copy of the January 4th letter can be found here and his February 22nd letter can be found here.

Congressman Cohen also urged Governor Lee to "take the lead" in renaming the Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park in Eva, Tennessee, which he called "equally…distasteful and inappropriate." Congressman Cohen made the same request of Governor Haslam in 2015.

"I hope you will seize this moment and make the country look at Tennessee as a progressive and forward-moving state," Congressman Cohen wrote. See the entire letter here.

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