Weekly 150: Georgia Tann

Tann died of uterine cancer three days before the state filed charges against the society.

Judge Kelley was believed to be receiving bribes for ruling in Tann’s favor; however, a 1951 report to Browning by the Tennessee Department of Public Welfare said that while she had “failed on many occasions to aid destitute families and permitted family ties to be destroyed” she had not personally profited from the rulings. She resigned shortly after the start of the investigation and died in 1955.

Over several decades, 19 of the children who died at the TCHS, due to the abuse and neglect, were buried in a small lot at the Elmwood Cemetery with no headstones. Tann bought the lot sometime before 1923 and recorded the children there by their first names.

In 2015, the cemetery raised $13,000 to erect a monument to their memory. It reads, in part: “In memory of the 19 children who finally rest here unmarked if not unknown, and of all the hundreds who died under the cold, hard hand of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. Their final resting place unknown. Their final peace a blessing. The hard lesson of their fate changed adoption procedure and law nationwide.”

One of the most disturbing aspects of Georgia Tann’s operation was the involvement of prominent figures in society, including celebrities who sought to adopt children through her agency. Among Tann’s A-List includes Lana Turner, Mary Pickford, Dick Powell, June Allyson, and most notably Joan Crawford.

Joan Crawford, the iconic Hollywood actress, was among those who adopted children through TCHS. In 1947, Crawford adopted two fraternal twin daughters and named them Cathy and Cynthia “Cindy”. They were born prematurely on January 13, 1947, requiring hospital supervision for several weeks. Cathy and Cynthia are the only children adopted by Crawford from the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.

Their birth mother was ill and died less than a week after the twins were born due to kidney failure; their biological father abandoned their mother during birth. Their biological mother made the adoption arrangements before Cathy and Cindy were born. Crawford was unaware of the horrors behind the agency’s operations. In the 1990s, the twins reconnected with their biological family in Tennessee.

While there are rumors and speculation, concrete evidence linking specific celebrities like Ric Flair to Georgia Tann’s adoption racket is scarce. However, given Tann’s extensive network and the allure of her services to affluent individuals, it is not implausible that other celebrities may have been involved, either knowingly or unknowingly, in her illicit adoption practices.

Despite her public persona as a devoted social worker, Georgia Tann’s personal life was marked by secrecy and speculation. While she never publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation, numerous accounts suggest that Tann was a homosexual and maintained intimate relationships with women throughout her life. In the conservative social climate of the early 20th century, Tann’s sexuality would have been a closely guarded secret, further complicating our understanding of her motivations and psyche.

While the cohabitation of two “financially independent” women, referred to at the time as Boston marriages had once been socially acceptable, such arrangements had begun to be viewed as suspiciously homosexual. Tann and Atwood Hollinsworth hid the true nature of their relationship.

On August 2, 1943, in Dyer County, Tennessee, Tann adopted Ann Atwood Hollinsworth. This was a legal provision that same-sex couples used to ensure that their partners would inherit their property. Tann died of uterine cancer on September 15, 1950, aged 59. Tann was buried in her family’s plot in Hickory Cemetery. Atwood Hollinsworth was the executor of her estate.

The legacy of Georgia Tann is one marred by tragedy and injustice, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of countless individuals and families. The children victimized by her actions endured untold suffering, robbed of their childhoods and identities in service of Tann’s insatiable greed.

In the aftermath of Tann’s downfall, efforts were made to rectify the damage she inflicted, with some adoptees and birth parents seeking to reunite and reclaim their lost connections. However, for many, the scars of Tann’s exploitation continue to linger, serving as a grim reminder of the enduring consequences of unchecked corruption and exploitation.

Georgia Tann’s reign of terror represents one of the darkest chapters in Tennessee’s history, exposing the depths of human depravity and the vulnerability of the most marginalized members of society. Though her crimes have long since been exposed, the trauma inflicted upon her victims endures, underscoring the importance of vigilance in safeguarding the rights and welfare of children.

As I reflected and published the stories of the nefarious nature of Georgia Tann, I was surprised by two readers who reached out to me with stories tying individuals close to this area to Tann. While the names are kept confidential, one stated her sister was adopted through Tann’s TCHS ring shortly after her mother’s death. It is hard to fathom the depravity of Tann and the unimaginable lies she told mothers and unexpectant clientele.

Only by acknowledging the sins of the past can we hope to build a more just and compassionate future for generations to come.