Chamber History Since the formation of Anderson County in 1801, the heart of the county - the county seat of Burrville (later to be renamed Clinton in 1809) - was a center of government, trade, and commerce for the settlers moving into the area. Nearly 131 years later, in 1932, a small group of prominent business leaders gathered to form a Clinton businessman’s association. They called this newly formed organization the Clinton Chamber of Commerce. Records show that the name was registered with the state the next year. The first president of the chamber was R. C. “Dudley” Hoskins, owner of Hoskins Drug Stores. In addition to Hoskins, charter members of the board of directors were Thomas L. Seeber (Peek & Seeber Automobile Dealership), Hubert F. Rutherford (Union Peoples Bank), D. R. Bonner, Carl S. Kincaid (Magnet Mills), J. M. “Mack” Burkhart (Clinton Hardware Co.), Dr.
1932
James S. Hall, William Everett Lewallen (Lewallen-Miller Co.), W. E. “Al” Carden (Riverside Farm/Carden Farm), and Archie D. Crenshaw (Magnet Mills). In 1934, Thomas L. Seeber became the second president of the Chamber. Monthly meetings were held in its office in the Clinton Federal Savings and Loan Association building on Depot Street (currently Market Street); office rent was $10.00. Issues facing the Chamber at that time included recruiting a laundry, prohibiting outdoor toilets in town, soliciting farms for sale for people to be displaced by Norris Dam, determining the feasibility of establishing a local hospital, and developing plans for an airport. The first chamber guidebook was published in 1935 by the Clinton Courier News, under the leadership of editor and publisher Horace V. Wells.
1935
The 1940s brought changes and opportunities to Anderson County with the secret Clinton Engineer Works/Manhattan Project and the new city of Oak Ridge. In 1947, in preparation for the annual membership drive, a new dues classification was created: Class 1 - $10 Individuals; Class 2 - $20 Small Business; Class 3 - $40 Intermediate Business; Class 4 - $60 Large Business. All industries were in Class 4. The promotional slogan was “Chamber of Commerce Conscious.” Windshield stickers, brochures and leaflets were printed and made available to all chamber members. The objectives for the year were widening Hwy. 61 to Oak Ridge, arranging a cleanup week in Clinton, conducting spring and fall festivals, and establishing a legislative lobby in Nashville for the welfare and progress of Clinton. The chamber had 54 members. On April 25, 1953, the order of business was proposed road signs at the Clinton City limits.
1947
The membership was around 54 members. In 1956, following the Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education, Clinton was one of the first communities in the south to see its high school go through the process of desegregation. The Clinton Chamber took a strong position in support of integration in the face of demonstrations, acts of vandalism, and threats against business owners who were chamber members. In January 1967, the chamber had 105 members. A majority of those companies or their successors are still members today. Hazel Carden (Carden Realty), daughter of founding member W. E. Carden, became the first female president of the Chamber in 1970, and in 1971, she proposed to amend the name to the Greater Clinton Chamber of Commerce. The first coffee was held on September 18, 1979, at the Clinton Community Center and was described this way, “The social is an experiment designed to bring
1953
The first chamber guidebook was published in 1935 by the Clinton Courier News.
First president of the chamber was R. C. “Dudley” Hoskins, owner of Hoskins Drug Stores. Hoskins along with leaders helped form the Anderson County Chamber.
Anderson County with the secret Clinton Engineer Works/ Manhattan Project and the new city of Oak Ridge.
April 25, 1953, the order of business was proposed road signs at the Clinton City limits. The membership was around 54 members.
1970
In January 1967, the chamber had 105 members. A majority of those companies or their successors are still members today. Hazel Carden (Carden Realty), daughter of founding member W. E. Carden, became the first female president of the Chamber in 1970.
