Bill Lee (politician)

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Bill Lee (2018)

William Byron "Bill" Lee (born October 9, 1959 in Franklin , Tennessee ) is an American businessman and politician of the Republican Party . In the gubernatorial election on November 6, 2018 , he was elected to succeed Bill Haslam . He took office as Governor of Tennessee on January 19, 2019.

Family, education and work

Lee was born in Franklin and grew up on a farm in Fernvale . He attended Auburn University in Alabama , where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree . He then worked in the family company until 2016, including as CEO . He was also heavily involved in voluntary work, for example as a board member of Belmont University or as a member of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission , a commission of the state of Tennessee for the further development of higher education (universities, etc.). He is also involved in the Triple L Ranch , a fourth generation family-owned farm that supplies meat to restaurants and supermarkets in Middle Tennessee.

Lee was married to Carol Ann from 1984 until her death in 2000. She died in a riding accident. From this marriage there were four children. He described the loss of his wife in this accident as one of the most painful moments of his life. In order to raise his four children, Lee drastically reduced his activities in the family business. He has been married to Maria for the second time since 2008.

Political career

In April 2017, Lee announced his candidacy for governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Bill Haslam was banned from running again due to a term limit in the Tennessee Constitution. In the primary elections, Lee beat five other candidates (including Diane Black ) and was nominated for the main election on November 6, 2018. Against the former mayor of Nashville , Karl Dean , who was nominated by the Democrats , Lee prevailed in the main election with 59.6% of the votes and was thus elected as the new governor of Tennessee. His term began on January 19, 2019.

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personal data
SURNAME Lee, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lee, William Byron (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 9, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH Franklin , Tennessee