Jerome Cochran
Encyclopedia
Jerome Cochran is a Tennessee
lawyer and Republican
politician who served for two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives
. He was elected as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
to the 103rd and 104th General Assembly
for the 4th District, which encompasses the entirety of Carter County
.
on November 17, 1971. He received a B.A.
at the University of Tennessee
in Knoxville
and later earned a J.D.
after attending the Regent University School of Law
that was founded by 700 Club founder Pat Robertson
.
Cochran was admitted to the Tennessee Bar Association and works in Elizabethton as an attorney with the law offices of David Crockett Attorney-At-Law.
In the 2004 Carter County Republican Primary
, he ran against John B. Holsclaw, Sr., a former tax assessor for Carter County, and was re-nominated with 3,942 votes over Holsclaw's 2,089. He ran unopposed in the subsequent 2004 general election.
Among the 2006 legislation sponsored by Cochran in the Tennessee General Assembly
was HB2921 authorizing (upon passage) "...the display, in county and municipal public buildings..., of replicas of historical documents and writings" including the Ten Commandments
religious displays found contrary to the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court affirmation of McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky
.
Cochran introduced HB2921 in the Tennessee House Constitutional Protections subcommittee --- of which he was a standing member --- and his HB2921 legislation died peacefully within subcommittee.
Cochran lost the August 2006 Republican primary election
to challenger Kent Williams
of Elizabethton, who went on to win the general election.
Cochran also unsuccessfully challenged Williams in a rematch in the August 2008 Republican primary. Williams cited the former representative's failure in bringing state tax dollars back into Carter County, including a stalled major state highway project (Northern Connector), a state park camp ground project, and a TWRA cold-water trout hatchery within both Elizabethton and Carter County, and Cochran's legislative assistance heavily favoring special interest groups as reasons for Carter County voters not to return him to the Tennessee General Assembly.
Cochran won the August 2010 Republican primary against Priscilla G. Steele for the right to run against Williams, who ran as an independent
{"Carter County Republican") candidate) in the general election after Williams was stripped of his Republican credentials following his joining with the Democrats
to elect himself Speaker of the House in January 2009. Cochran lost to Williams, garnering only 42% of the vote (there was no Democrat in the race).
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
lawyer and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician who served for two terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
. He was elected as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
to the 103rd and 104th General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
for the 4th District, which encompasses the entirety of Carter County
Carter County, Tennessee
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 57,424. Its county seat is Elizabethton.Carter County is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined...
.
Background
Jerome Cochran was born in SaigonHo Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
on November 17, 1971. He received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
and later earned a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
after attending the Regent University School of Law
Regent University
Regent University is a private coeducational interdenominational Christian university located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. The school was founded by the American televangelist Pat Robertson in 1978 as Christian Broadcasting Network University. A satellite campus located in...
that was founded by 700 Club founder Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
.
Cochran was admitted to the Tennessee Bar Association and works in Elizabethton as an attorney with the law offices of David Crockett Attorney-At-Law.
Legislative service
Cochran was first elected to the House in 2002. He was a member of the Children and Family Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Domestic Relations Committee, the Constitutional Protections Subcommittee, and the Civil Practice & Procedure Subcommittee.In the 2004 Carter County Republican Primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, he ran against John B. Holsclaw, Sr., a former tax assessor for Carter County, and was re-nominated with 3,942 votes over Holsclaw's 2,089. He ran unopposed in the subsequent 2004 general election.
Among the 2006 legislation sponsored by Cochran in the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
was HB2921 authorizing (upon passage) "...the display, in county and municipal public buildings..., of replicas of historical documents and writings" including the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
religious displays found contrary to the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court affirmation of McCreary County v. American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky
McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky
McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky, , is a case which was argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on March 2, 2005. At issue is whether government-sponsored displays of the Ten Commandments in county courthouses violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.In a suit...
.
Cochran introduced HB2921 in the Tennessee House Constitutional Protections subcommittee --- of which he was a standing member --- and his HB2921 legislation died peacefully within subcommittee.
Cochran lost the August 2006 Republican primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to challenger Kent Williams
Kent Williams (politician)
Kent Williams is a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 4. He is the speaker of that body in the 106th Tennessee General Assembly . He was elected to the House in 2006 and reelected in 2008 as a Republican. During his second term, he voted with all 49 House...
of Elizabethton, who went on to win the general election.
Cochran also unsuccessfully challenged Williams in a rematch in the August 2008 Republican primary. Williams cited the former representative's failure in bringing state tax dollars back into Carter County, including a stalled major state highway project (Northern Connector), a state park camp ground project, and a TWRA cold-water trout hatchery within both Elizabethton and Carter County, and Cochran's legislative assistance heavily favoring special interest groups as reasons for Carter County voters not to return him to the Tennessee General Assembly.
Cochran won the August 2010 Republican primary against Priscilla G. Steele for the right to run against Williams, who ran as an independent
Independent Republican (United States)
Independent Republican is a term occasionally adopted by members of Congress in the United States to refer to their party affiliation and is also used for those on the state level who are Republicans but do not affiliate with the national Republican Party....
{"Carter County Republican") candidate) in the general election after Williams was stripped of his Republican credentials following his joining with the Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to elect himself Speaker of the House in January 2009. Cochran lost to Williams, garnering only 42% of the vote (there was no Democrat in the race).
Sources
- Jerome Cochran's profile at the Tennessee General Assembly website
- "Cochran -- Ready for Nashville" Elizabethton Star. Kathy Helms-Hughes. July 5, 2005.
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals case of State of Tennessee v. Raymond K. McCrary referencing Cochran working with David Crockett
- 2004 Republican primary results
- 2004 Tennessee House election results
- An Elizabethton Star article on the 2004 elections
- Victor in 4th vows action on stalled projects