Donald Kenneth Sundquist was born on March 15, 1936 in Moline, Illinois, the son of Kenneth and Louise (Rohren) Sundquist. His father was of Swedish descent, while his mother was of German descent.

Sundquist, a Republican who was twice elected governor of Tennessee, died Sunday. He was 87. He served as the 47th Governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003,

Sundquist died at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis on Sunday morning, according to a family spokeswoman. He died peacefully, surrounded by family members, following surgery and a short illness, according to a statement Sunday morning from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office.

“He took great pride in bringing people together, regardless of differences, to work together for the common good,” Lee said in the statement.

During his first term as governor, Sundquist reformed the state’s welfare system through a program he called “Families First.” It was designed to move welfare recipients into jobs by offering them training, job search help, transportation and day care needs.

In his second term, Sundquist proposed repealing the sales tax on groceries, saving each Tennessee family of four nearly $500 per year. He also recommended repealing the franchise and excise taxes and replacing them with a “fair business tax” that treats all companies the same.

Sundquist was the first member of his family to attend college, bagging groceries to help pay for tuition at Augustana College in Illinois.