Winfield C. Dunn was born in Meridian, Mississippi in 1927. He is the son of United States Representative Albert C. Dunn and Dorothy Crum Dunn. Dunn earned a business administration degree with a Political Science minor from the University of Mississippi. He graduated from the dental school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. He practiced dentistry in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dunn defeated John J. Hooker in the gubernatorial election of 1970. He was the governor of the State of Tennessee between 1971 and 1975. He was the first Republican in nearly fifty years to occupy that position. Though Dunn was involved in Republican Party politics since his undergraduate years, he had not held political office when he defeated Hooker.

As governor Dunn was involved in the formation of a statewide kindergarten program, an acceleration of highway construction legislation, reorganization of the state government branches, and an attempt to bridge the partisan and regional divisions within the state. Following his departure from the governor’s office, Dunn became involved in charitable organizations, Tennessee higher education, and the medical field. He remained active in Republican politics.