Among so many other historic events, the iconic Clay County Courthouse in downtown Celina has hosted a pair of Nobel Peace Prize winners through the years.
In fact, these two distinguished statesmen were in the Clay County Courthouse many times in their careers as elected officials or judge/attorney.
Cordell Hull
The first of these two is Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871-July 23, 1955), whose career eventually placed him as the longest-serving United States Secretary of State.
Hull was born in Pickett County, Tennessee, and received his elementary school education in nearby Willow Grove, located in Clay County, according to NobelPrize.org.(1) He later attended Montvale Academy in Celina and received his law degree in 1891 from Cumberland University in Lebanon.
Hull’s first law office was located in Celina (and still stands less than a mile from the courthouse), and his political career began in earnest in the Clay County seat. He was elected chairman of the Clay County Democratic Party before he was 20 years old.
Hull practiced law in the Clay County Courthouse, and later presided over court proceedings in Celina and other Upper Cumberland towns as a circuit judge.
He was later elected state representative and to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for 22 years. He was also elected to the U.S. Senate and served briefly before being chosen by President Franklin Roosevelt to serve as Secretary of State, where he served from 1933-1944.
He was instrumental in the formation of the United Nations and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945, after being nominated by Roosevelt.
Al Gore, Jr.
The second Nobel Peace Prize winner to have spent considerable time in the Clay County Courthouse is former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator and Vice-President Al Gore, Jr.
Gore was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, in what was basically Hull’s old district, in 1976. Gore’s tenure in the U.S. House was notable, among other things, for his “open meetings” held throughout his district. The usual meeting spot for his Celina meetings was the historic Clay County Courthouse. Gore spoke and answered questions from constituents many times in the courthouse.
In 1984, Gore was elected to the U.S. Senate in the seat vacated by Howard Baker, and served in that seat from 1985-1992. Gore twice ran for President (1988 and 2000), and served as Vice-President for former President Bill Clinton for eight years.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work on environmental and climate issues.
1. From Nobel Lectures, Peace 1926-1950, Editor Frederick W. Haberman, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1972.