Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-1-107: Succession to office

Whenever a vacancy exists in the office of governor from death, resignation or other cause, creating a vacancy therein, and there is no speaker of the senate nor speaker of the house at such time, then and in that event the secretary of state shall become governor, and in case of the death or resignation of the secretary of state, then the comptroller of the treasury shall become governor.