Austin Peay - Legacy

Legacy

For years after his death, Peay's administration was remembered primarily for the Scopes Trial. In recent years, his reputation has improved. A 1981 poll of fifty-two Tennessee historians that ranked the state's governors on ability, accomplishments, and statesmanship, placed Austin Peay at number one, slightly ahead of the iconic Governor John Sevier.

Entities named for Peay include Austin Peay State University, which he had authorized while governor, a bridge over the Cumberland River (since demolished) in Jackson County, and a highway in West Tennessee.