Jim Henry (politician)
Encyclopedia
James M. Henry generally known as Jim Henry, was minority leader
in the Tennessee House of Representatives
from 1981 to 1986, and a 2002 candidate for the Republican Party
nomination for governor of Tennessee, losing the primary election
to U.S. Representative
Van Hilleary
, who in turn lost the subsequent general election
to current Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen
. Henry is currently in business providing services to the developmentally disabled and troubled children as President and CEO of Omni Visions, Inc. In December 2010, Tennessee
governor-elect Bill Haslam
chose Henry to be the commissioner of the new state department of Intellectual Disabilities.
As a young man, Henry attended Hiwassee College
and the University of Tennessee
and served with distinction in the Vietnam War
. Subsequent to his military service, Henry became active in veterans' issues and in the American Legion
and Veterans of Foreign Wars
. He also became politically active
, first serving as a city councilman in Kingston, Tennessee
in 1971 at the age of 26.
Henry remained on the Kingston Council for two years and then served as mayor
of that city until 1978. He also became active in Republican circles (although the mayoralty of Kingston is a technically non-partisan office), rising relatively rapidly to be chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.
In 1980, Henry was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 32nd District, in traditionally-Republican Roane County, of which Kingston is the county seat
. In his first term, he served as chair of the Republican caucus
, and upon his re-election in 1982 was made minority leader, in which position he served three two-year terms. During this time, Henry rode back and forth to sessions of the Tennessee General Assembly
in Nashville
with two famously partisan
Democrats
, state Senator
Anna Belle Clement O'Brien
and state Representative Tommy Burnett
, and has stated that he learned from the experience that the vast majority of issues facing Tennessee
are not particularly of a partisan nature or amenable to purely partisan solutions.
In 1989, Henry was appointed to the powerful Fiscal Review Committee, but in 1990 was narrowly defeated for a seventh term in the House by Dennis Ferguson, who still represents the 32nd District as of 2006. A combination of factors including a well known Republican, John Smith running as an Independent and low voter turnout led to Henry's narrow defeat. Afterward, Henry began to devote the majority of his efforts to his business working with the developmentally disabled
(one of his own children suffers from a developmental disability) and reaching out to children affected by drug abuse
.
In 2001, Henry was approached by state Republican leaders identified largely with the Sundquist Administration
and the party's moderate
wing with the intention of encouraging him to run for governor the next year. Henry agreed, despite facing long odds due to the party's increasing conservatism
and the relative popularity of Fourth District U.S. Representative Van Hilleary, who had far superior name-recognition, in part due to the unusual configuration of his Congressional
district, which at the time stretched from Virginia
to Mississippi
. Henry made every effort to run a statewide race, but was swamped in the August 2002 primary by Hilleary by a margin of about two to one, carrying only Roane and one adjacent county while Hilleary carried the other 93. Hilleary took Henry's challenge very seriously — too seriously, according to Hilleary critics — spending much money which others felt needed to be saved to use against Bredesen in the general election and needlessly alienating Henry's supporters, several of whom subsequently supported Bredesen or remained neutral, causing Hilleary's margin in East Tennessee
to be less than that traditionally needed by Republicans to have a chance in statewide elections and helping lead to his defeat by Bredesen by a fairly narrow margin.
In 2005, Henry was again approached by some Republican leaders to run for governor, especially when it began to appear likely that no prominent Republican would challenge for the nomination to oppose Bredesen and that the nomination could go to a relative political unknown or perennial candidate
. However, Henry quickly refused to mount a second gubernatorial run at the time. (Some Republicans' fears regarding the election
were later allayed by the candidacy of state Senator Jim Bryson
.) Henry has promised to remain a loyal Republican supporter but has stated that he sees it as being in the best interest of his family at this time to avoid campaigning for elected office at the present.
Jim Henry is no relation to 1990 Tennessee Republican gubernatorial nominee Dwight Henry
but is sometimes confused with him as both have been Republican candidates for governor of Tennessee, and both served in the Tennessee House of Representatives at the same time from nearby districts. Henry is from a family rich in political history. He is related to former Gov. Peter Turney of Winchester (1893–1897) and former Speaker of the Senate John Fotch Henry of Knoxville.
Minority leader
In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...
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:...
from 1981 to 1986, and a 2002 candidate for the Republican Party
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...
nomination for governor of Tennessee, losing the 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 U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Van Hilleary
Van Hilleary
William Vanderpool Hilleary, usually known as Van Hilleary is a Republican politician from Tennessee.-Early life and career:...
, who in turn lost the subsequent general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
to current Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen
Phil Bredesen
Philip Norman "Phil" Bredesen Jr. was the 48th Governor of Tennessee, serving from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected Governor in 2002, and was re-elected in 2006. He previously served as the fourth mayor of Nashville and Davidson County from 1991 to...
. Henry is currently in business providing services to the developmentally disabled and troubled children as President and CEO of Omni Visions, Inc. In December 2010, Tennessee
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...
governor-elect Bill Haslam
Bill Haslam
William Edward "Bill" Haslam is the 49th and current Governor of Tennessee. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam was elected to office in 2010...
chose Henry to be the commissioner of the new state department of Intellectual Disabilities.
As a young man, Henry attended Hiwassee College
Hiwassee College
Hiwassee College is a private, accredited college located in Madisonville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1849, the college offers associate degrees as well as four year degrees, The majority of its associate degree graduates go on to attend, and complete, four-year...
and the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
and served with distinction in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Subsequent to his military service, Henry became active in veterans' issues and in the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
and Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
. He also became politically active
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, first serving as a city councilman in Kingston, Tennessee
Kingston, Tennessee
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Roane County, Tennessee, United States, and is adjacent to Watts Bar Lake. Kingston, with a population of 5,264 at the 2000 United States census, is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area....
in 1971 at the age of 26.
Henry remained on the Kingston Council for two years and then served as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of that city until 1978. He also became active in Republican circles (although the mayoralty of Kingston is a technically non-partisan office), rising relatively rapidly to be chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.
In 1980, Henry was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 32nd District, in traditionally-Republican Roane County, of which Kingston is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
. In his first term, he served as chair of the Republican caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
, and upon his re-election in 1982 was made minority leader, in which position he served three two-year terms. During this time, Henry rode back and forth to sessions of 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...
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
with two famously partisan
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
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...
, state Senator
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the Tennessee state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.The Tennessee Senate, according to the state constitution of 1870, is composed of 33 members, one-third the size of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Senators...
Anna Belle Clement O'Brien
Anna Belle Clement O'Brien
Anna Belle Clement O'Brien was a Tennessee politician, nicknamed "the first lady of Tennessee politics." She served as the governor's chief of staff from 1963 to 1967, was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives in the 89th General Assembly, from 1975 to 1977, and a Tennessee State...
and state Representative Tommy Burnett
Tommy Burnett
Sam Thomas "Tommy" Burnett was a Tennessee politician who was Majority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives and who served two prison sentences for separate federal convictions.-Early life :...
, and has stated that he learned from the experience that the vast majority of issues facing Tennessee
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...
are not particularly of a partisan nature or amenable to purely partisan solutions.
In 1989, Henry was appointed to the powerful Fiscal Review Committee, but in 1990 was narrowly defeated for a seventh term in the House by Dennis Ferguson, who still represents the 32nd District as of 2006. A combination of factors including a well known Republican, John Smith running as an Independent and low voter turnout led to Henry's narrow defeat. Afterward, Henry began to devote the majority of his efforts to his business working with the developmentally disabled
Developmental disability
Developmental disability is a term used in the United States and Canada to describe lifelong disabilities attributable to mental or physical impairments, manifested prior to age 18. It is not synonymous with "developmental delay" which is often a consequence of a temporary illness or trauma during...
(one of his own children suffers from a developmental disability) and reaching out to children affected by drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
.
In 2001, Henry was approached by state Republican leaders identified largely with the Sundquist Administration
Don Sundquist
Donald Kenneth Sundquist is a former governor and congressman from Tennessee. A Republican, he served as the 47th Governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003...
and the party's moderate
Moderate
In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical. In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword....
wing with the intention of encouraging him to run for governor the next year. Henry agreed, despite facing long odds due to the party's increasing conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
and the relative popularity of Fourth District U.S. Representative Van Hilleary, who had far superior name-recognition, in part due to the unusual configuration of his Congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
district, which at the time stretched from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. Henry made every effort to run a statewide race, but was swamped in the August 2002 primary by Hilleary by a margin of about two to one, carrying only Roane and one adjacent county while Hilleary carried the other 93. Hilleary took Henry's challenge very seriously — too seriously, according to Hilleary critics — spending much money which others felt needed to be saved to use against Bredesen in the general election and needlessly alienating Henry's supporters, several of whom subsequently supported Bredesen or remained neutral, causing Hilleary's margin in East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
to be less than that traditionally needed by Republicans to have a chance in statewide elections and helping lead to his defeat by Bredesen by a fairly narrow margin.
In 2005, Henry was again approached by some Republican leaders to run for governor, especially when it began to appear likely that no prominent Republican would challenge for the nomination to oppose Bredesen and that the nomination could go to a relative political unknown or perennial candidate
Perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
. However, Henry quickly refused to mount a second gubernatorial run at the time. (Some Republicans' fears regarding the election
Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2006
The Tennessee gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. The incumbent, Democrat Phil Bredesen, defeated Republican state Senator Jim Bryson to serve another term as Governor.-Defeated in primary:*John Jay Hooker - perennial candidate...
were later allayed by the candidacy of state Senator Jim Bryson
Jim Bryson (politician)
Jim Bryson is a Tennessee politician, a former Republican member of the State Senate representing the 23rd District, which encompasses Williamson County and part of Davidson County, and the 2006 Republican nominee for Governor of Tennessee...
.) Henry has promised to remain a loyal Republican supporter but has stated that he sees it as being in the best interest of his family at this time to avoid campaigning for elected office at the present.
Jim Henry is no relation to 1990 Tennessee Republican gubernatorial nominee Dwight Henry
Dwight Henry
Dwight Henry is a former Tennessee politician.-Biography:Henry attended Cleveland State Community College from 1971 to 1973 and then enrolled in Tennessee Technological University, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree...
but is sometimes confused with him as both have been Republican candidates for governor of Tennessee, and both served in the Tennessee House of Representatives at the same time from nearby districts. Henry is from a family rich in political history. He is related to former Gov. Peter Turney of Winchester (1893–1897) and former Speaker of the Senate John Fotch Henry of Knoxville.