Ned Ray McWherter (October 15, 1930 – April 4, 2011) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee, from 1987 to 1995.

In May 1945, the family moved to Dresden, Tennessee, where McWherter's parents purchased the City Cafe, which they would operate for several years.

[3][2]: 20 McWherter became actively involved in politics in the late 1950s, when he worked for the successful campaign of 8th district congressional candidate, Robert "Fats" Everett.

In 1968, Doug Murphy, the Mayor of Martin, convinced him to run for Weakley County's seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

[2]: 55 One of McWherter's first major issues as Speaker was a 1974 bill that sought to establish a medical school at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.

[2]: 58  When Dunn ran for another term as governor in 1986, his lack of support for the medical school in Johnson City came back to haunt him.

Years later, when President Ronald Reagan was scheduled to appear before the Tennessee General Assembly, McWherter removed Donaldson's name from the media credentials list.

[2]: 74 In January 1979, outgoing Governor Ray Blanton issued pardons to over 50 state inmates, including several convicted murderers.

To prevent this, McWherter and Lieutenant Governor John S. Wilder engineered a constitutional maneuver that allowed the governor-elect, Lamar Alexander, to be sworn in three days early.

McWherter's support was critical in helping Alexander obtain passage of the "Career Ladder" bill, which provided income supplements to the state's top teachers.

[4] During his first term, McWherter insisted that all formal governmental proceedings be open to the public and press, thus implementing the spirit, as well as the letter, of the "sunshine law" he had helped to author and sponsor while a member of the House.

East Tennessee residents held demonstrations, and asked that Governor McWherter not renew the plant's water quality variance.

[6] Following an unscheduled trip to Canton, where he was confronted by a sheriff who told him he was "trespassing on Champion's River," McWherter announced on Christmas Day, 1988, that he would not renew the plant's water quality variance.

[2]: 141–143 McWherter was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term in 1990, defeating the Republican nominee, first-term state representative Dwight Henry, 479,990 votes to 288,904.

[8] Former President Clinton delivered remarks at McWherter's memorial service, and numerous other public figures issued statements of condolence.

His son Michael Ray McWherter is a businessman and former candidate for governor, and his daughter Linda Ramsey is a doctor of physical education at the University of Tennessee at Martin.

A building at the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University is also named in McWherter's honor.