Former Sen. Lamar Alexander outstretched his hand to greet readers one by one as they walked inside Landmark Booksellers.
The downtown Franklin bookstore hosted Alexander, who discussed his book, "Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump." Jon Meacham — a native Tennessean, biographer and historian — wrote the foreword of the book.
The 85-year-old, who was the previous Tennessee governor and former U.S. Secretary of Education, said the time was right to put pen to paper to detail his time in politics.
"I have retired from politics," Alexander told the Williamson Scene. "But people kept coming up to me asking: Can we survive this? With this book, I wanted to let them know we are a very fortunate country. We need builders and people who are willing to be elected to public office. It's the best way to help most people and to keep the Republic from falling apart."
Former Sen. Lamar Alexander talks to a crowd at his book signing at Landmark Booksellers in downtown Franklin.
Alexander told readers he felt he could help more people from the mantle of elected office, which is why he continued to run for various seats since his start in the 1970s. He said that will to help became a reality when his wife, Honey, asked him why he was running in the first place. She died in 2022 at 77.
"Sometimes you have to be in public life to get it done," Alexander told the crowd. "I wanted to encourage people to take advantage of that."
Alexander is most notably known in Tennessee political history for walking across the state during his gubernatorial bid. He shared vivid memories of those days and nights, bunking with families across the state.
"It was more authentic than most things in politics and campaigns," he said. "I tried to shake 1,000 hands a day. You can do some things (on the walk) you couldn’t do otherwise."
Former Sen. Lamar Alexander greets readers at his book signing in downtown Franklin at Landmark Booksellers.
Alexander would later run for a failed bid as president in the 1990s and early 2000s but soon after decided to run to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate. He retired in 2021 after 18 years.
Alexander is promoting his book across the state. To learn more about Alexander's history, you can purchase the book at independent bookstores or wherever you purchase your books.