High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Austin Peay (June 1, 1876 – October 2, 1927) was an American politician who served as Governor of Tennessee from 1923 to 1927. He was the state`s first governor since the Civil War to win three consecutive terms, and the first to die in office. Prior to his election as governor, he served two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1901–1905).