About
WHO IS GOVERNOR STUMPY?
The name Governor Stumpy’s comes from Edward A. Stine, a native Kansas Citian, distinguished businessman, lawyer, and local folk hero. Stine came by his nickname “Governor Stumpy” one night at a local restaurant after he requested that the band play “The Tennessee Waltz” for the fifth time. The frustrated band leader questioned his request for the song, and Stine’s wife, Virginia “Ginno” Stine, shouted that he was the former governor of Tennessee! The bandleader, now a bit excited to have a dignitary in the audience, asked him for his name. Stine answered, “Governor Stumpy.”
Not surprisingly, the nickname stuck with him. From that day forward, as he frequented local restaurants and businesses, he was known only as governor Stumpy, the ex-governor of Tennessee. Through the years, the governor’s hospitable nature and fun-loving character made him into something of a local dignitary. The grandchildren of Edward Stine proudly named this restaurant Governor Stumpy’s in memory of their beloved grandfather and in the tradition of hospitality and light-hearted fun that he evoked in so many.