Rhea County, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Rhea County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Tennessee
. As of 2000, the population was 28,400. Its county seat
is Dayton
.
, the county has a total area of 336 square miles (870.2 km²), of which 316 square miles (818.4 km²) is land and 20 square miles (51.8 km²) (6.08%) is water.
of 2000, there were 28,400 people, 11,184 households, and 8,108 families residing in the county. The population density
was 90 people per square mile (35/km²). There were 12,565 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.41% White
, 2.04% Black
or African American
, 0.39% Native American
, 0.29% Asian
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
, 0.75% from other races
, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.67% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 11,184 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples
living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,418, and the median income for a family was $35,580. Males had a median income of $30,066 versus $21,063 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $15,672. About 11.40% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 15.20% of those age 65 or over.
form of local government. The current county executive is Billy Ray Patton. There are nine seats on the county commission, each representing a geographical area of the county. The current county commission was elected in August 2006 and took office in September 2006. Members of the commission and the county mayor are elected to four year terms.
The current commission, as of September 2006, is as follows:
serves most Rhea County students.The system operates three elementary schools, two middle schools, two K-8 schools, one high school, and one alternative school. The K-8 school, Rhea Central Elementary, is currently the largest K-8 school in the state of Tennessee in terms of number of students.
The City of Dayton operates a K-8 school that serves the children who live within the city limits. All public school students in the county, however, attend Rhea County High School, in Evensville, upon leaving the eighth grade, as the city does not have a high school. The high school's current amount of students is approx. 1,500 teenagers.
Bryan College
, a four-year Christian
liberal arts college, has its campus in Dayton. The college is named for William Jennings Bryan
. Chattanooga State Technical Community College also has a small satellite campus
in Dayton.
veteran John Rhea
.
A portion of the Trail of Tears
ran through the county as part of the United States government's removal of the Cherokee
in the 1830s.
During the American Civil War
, Rhea County was one of the few counties in East Tennessee
that was heavily sympathetic to the cause of the Confederate States of America
. It was the only East Tennessee county that refused to send a delegate to the East Tennessee Convention of 1861
. Rhea raised seven companies for the Confederate Army, compared to just one company for the Union.
Rhea had the only female cavalry company on either side during the Civil War. It was made up of young women in their teens and twenties from Rhea County and was formed in 1862. The girls named their unit the Rhea County Spartans. Until 1863, the Spartans simply visited loved ones in the military and delivered the equivalent of modern day care packages. After Union troops entered Rhea in 1863, the Spartans may have engaged in some spying for Confederate forces. The members of the Spartans were arrested in April 1865 under orders of a Rhea County Unionist and were forced to march to the Tennessee River. From there they were transported to Chattanooga
aboard the USS Chattanooga. Once in Chattanooga, Union officers realized the women were not a threat and ordered them released and returned to Rhea County. They first were required to take the oath of allegiance to the United States government. The Spartans were not an officially recognized unit of the Confederate Army.
In 1890, the county seat was moved from the Washington community to its present location in Dayton. This was a result of the Cincinnati
-Chattanooga
Railroad being completed through Dayton.
The Scopes Trial
, which resulted from the teaching of evolution
being banned in Tennessee public schools under the Butler Act
, took place in Rhea County in 1925. The Scopes Trial was one of the first to be referred to as the Trial of the century
. William Jennings Bryan
played a role as prosecutor in trial, and he died in Dayton shortly after the trial ended. A statue of Bryan was recently erected on the grounds of the Rhea County courthouse. In 1954 the laws were changed to allow teaching of evolution alongside Bible
studies in school. On June 8, 2004, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling banning further Bible instructions as a violation of the First Amendment
principle of "Separation of church and state
".
On March 16, 2004, Rhea County commissioner J.C. Fugate prompted a vote on a ban on homosexuals
in Tennessee, and allowing the county to charge them with "crimes against nature." The measure passed 8-0. Fugate's reasoning was, "We need to keep them out of here." Several of the commissioners who voted for the resolution chose not to run for reelection or were voted out of office. The resolution was withdrawn on March 18. In protest, a "Gay Day in Rhea" was held on May 8, 2004 with about 300 participants. Many legal advisors feel that the law would have most likely been struck down by the Tennessee Supreme Court
due to the Lawrence v. Texas
ruling the previous year by the US Supreme Court.
Rhea County is considered to be a Republican
leaning county in Presidential
elections and in congressional
elections. The county voted for John McCain
in 2008. The last Democrat
to win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter
in 1976. Bill Clinton
kept his Republican opponents to less than fifty percent in both 1992 and in 1996. Ross Perot
drew 11.2% and 7.6% of the vote in 1992 and 1996 respectively.
Rhea is part of the 3rd Congressional District of Tennessee, a seat currently held by Representative
Zach Wamp
, a Republican. Until the latest round of congressional redistricting, Rhea County was part of the 4th Congressional District, and was represented by Rhea County native Van Hilleary
. Hilleary would later run unsuccessfully for governor in 2002. In the US Senate
the county, like the rest of Tennessee, is represented by Senators Bob Corker
and former governor Lamar Alexander
.
At the state level, Rhea County is part of the 31st district of the Tennessee House of Representatives
, a seat held by Republican Jim Cobb. Cobb was elected for the first time in November, 2006. The 31st is made up of Rhea County and the northern portion of Hamilton County. The county is part of the 12th district in the Tennessee Senate, a seat held by Republican Ken Yager
.
The local level of politics has several offices, such as the county mayor and county commission, which are elected on a non-partisan basis. Historically, Democrats have enjoyed an advantage in county offices elected on a partisan
basis. In most local races, name recognition and reputation tend to be more important to voters than party identification.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. As of 2000, the population was 28,400. Its 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....
is Dayton
Dayton, Tennessee
Dayton is a city in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,180 at the 2000 census. The Dayton, TN, Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends south to Graysville, Tennessee, had 9,050 people in 2000...
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the county has a total area of 336 square miles (870.2 km²), of which 316 square miles (818.4 km²) is land and 20 square miles (51.8 km²) (6.08%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Cumberland County (north)
- Roane County (northeast)
- Meigs CountyMeigs County, TennesseeMeigs County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 11,753. Its county seat is Decatur.-History:Before 1819, the area that is now Meigs County was Cherokee territory. White settlers established ferries to cross the Tennessee River from Rhea County as...
(east) - Hamilton CountyHamilton County, TennesseeHamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
(south) - Bledsoe County (west)
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 28,400 people, 11,184 households, and 8,108 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 90 people per square mile (35/km²). There were 12,565 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.41% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.04% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.39% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.29% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.75% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.67% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 11,184 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,418, and the median income for a family was $35,580. Males had a median income of $30,066 versus $21,063 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $15,672. About 11.40% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 15.20% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- DaytonDayton, TennesseeDayton is a city in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,180 at the 2000 census. The Dayton, TN, Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends south to Graysville, Tennessee, had 9,050 people in 2000...
- GraysvilleGraysville, TennesseeGraysville is a town in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,411 at the 2000 census and 1,502 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Graysville is located at ....
- Spring CitySpring City, TennesseeSpring City is a town in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,025 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Spring City is located at ....
Government
Rhea County uses the county commissionCounty commission
A county commission is a group of elected officials charged with administering the county government in local government in some states of the United States. County commissions are usually made up of three or more individuals...
form of local government. The current county executive is Billy Ray Patton. There are nine seats on the county commission, each representing a geographical area of the county. The current county commission was elected in August 2006 and took office in September 2006. Members of the commission and the county mayor are elected to four year terms.
The current commission, as of September 2006, is as follows:
- District 1: John Mincy
- District 2: Terry Broyles
- District 3: Chris Goodwin
- District 4: Tom Smith
- District 5: Emmaly Fugate Fisher
- District 6: Doyle Montgomery
- District 7: Ronnie Raper
- District 8: Bill Hollin
- District 9: Tracy Taylor
Education
The county-administered public school systemSchool district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
serves most Rhea County students.The system operates three elementary schools, two middle schools, two K-8 schools, one high school, and one alternative school. The K-8 school, Rhea Central Elementary, is currently the largest K-8 school in the state of Tennessee in terms of number of students.
The City of Dayton operates a K-8 school that serves the children who live within the city limits. All public school students in the county, however, attend Rhea County High School, in Evensville, upon leaving the eighth grade, as the city does not have a high school. The high school's current amount of students is approx. 1,500 teenagers.
Bryan College
Bryan College
Bryan College is a Christian liberal arts college in Dayton, Tennessee. It was founded in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial to establish an institution of higher education that would teach from a Christian worldview.-History:...
, a four-year Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
liberal arts college, has its campus in Dayton. The college is named for William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
. Chattanooga State Technical Community College also has a small satellite campus
Satellite campus
A satellite campus or branch campus is a campus of a college or university that is physically detached from the main university or college area, and is often smaller than the main campus of an institution....
in Dayton.
History
Rhea County is named for Tennessee politician and Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
veteran John Rhea
John Rhea
John Rhea was an American soldier and politician of the early 19th century who represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives. Rhea County, Tennessee is named for him.-Early years:...
.
A portion of the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
ran through the county as part of the United States government's removal of the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
in the 1830s.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Rhea County was one of the few counties 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...
that was heavily sympathetic to the cause of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. It was the only East Tennessee county that refused to send a delegate to the East Tennessee Convention of 1861
East Tennessee Convention of 1861
The East Tennessee Convention consisted of a series of meetings held in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War in which 29 counties in East Tennessee and one county in Middle Tennessee denounced secessionist activities within the state of Tennessee and resolved to break away and form an...
. Rhea raised seven companies for the Confederate Army, compared to just one company for the Union.
Rhea had the only female cavalry company on either side during the Civil War. It was made up of young women in their teens and twenties from Rhea County and was formed in 1862. The girls named their unit the Rhea County Spartans. Until 1863, the Spartans simply visited loved ones in the military and delivered the equivalent of modern day care packages. After Union troops entered Rhea in 1863, the Spartans may have engaged in some spying for Confederate forces. The members of the Spartans were arrested in April 1865 under orders of a Rhea County Unionist and were forced to march to the Tennessee River. From there they were transported to Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
aboard the USS Chattanooga. Once in Chattanooga, Union officers realized the women were not a threat and ordered them released and returned to Rhea County. They first were required to take the oath of allegiance to the United States government. The Spartans were not an officially recognized unit of the Confederate Army.
In 1890, the county seat was moved from the Washington community to its present location in Dayton. This was a result of the Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
-Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
Railroad being completed through Dayton.
The Scopes Trial
Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial—formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and informally known as the Scopes Monkey Trial—was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it unlawful to...
, which resulted from the teaching of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
being banned in Tennessee public schools under the Butler Act
Butler Act
The Butler Act was a 1925 Tennessee law prohibiting public school teachers from denying the Biblical account of man’s origin. It was enacted as Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49 Section 1922...
, took place in Rhea County in 1925. The Scopes Trial was one of the first to be referred to as the Trial of the century
Trial of the century
Trial of the century is an idiomatic phrase used to describe certain well-known court cases, especially of the 20th century. It is often used popularly as a rhetorical device to attach importance to a trial and as such is not an objective observation but is the opinion of whoever uses it. As...
. William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
played a role as prosecutor in trial, and he died in Dayton shortly after the trial ended. A statue of Bryan was recently erected on the grounds of the Rhea County courthouse. In 1954 the laws were changed to allow teaching of evolution alongside Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
studies in school. On June 8, 2004, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling banning further Bible instructions as a violation of the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
principle of "Separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
".
On March 16, 2004, Rhea County commissioner J.C. Fugate prompted a vote on a ban on homosexuals
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
in Tennessee, and allowing the county to charge them with "crimes against nature." The measure passed 8-0. Fugate's reasoning was, "We need to keep them out of here." Several of the commissioners who voted for the resolution chose not to run for reelection or were voted out of office. The resolution was withdrawn on March 18. In protest, a "Gay Day in Rhea" was held on May 8, 2004 with about 300 participants. Many legal advisors feel that the law would have most likely been struck down by the Tennessee Supreme Court
Tennessee Supreme Court
The Tennessee Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the state of Tennessee. Cornelia Clark is the current Chief Justice.Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state legislature, the Tennessee Supreme Court appoints the...
due to the Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence v. Texas
Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 , is a landmark United States Supreme Court case. In the 6-3 ruling, the Court struck down the sodomy law in Texas and, by proxy, invalidated sodomy laws in the thirteen other states where they remained in existence, thereby making same-sex sexual activity legal in...
ruling the previous year by the US Supreme Court.
Politics
| Year | GOP 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... |
Dems 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... |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 66.0% 7,301 | 33.1% 3,665 |
| 2000 | 60.4% 5,900 | 38.1% 3,722 |
| 1996 | 48.7% 4,476 | 43.2% 3,969 |
| 1992 | 47.0% 4,860 | 41.4% 4,860 |
| 1988 | 66.2% 5,144 | 33.4% 2,595 |
| 1984 | 66.3% 5,692 | 32.7% 2,804 |
| 1980 | 59.4% 4,689 | 38.9% 3,070 |
| 1976 | 47.6% 3,449 | 51.6% 3,735 |
| 1972 | 72.5% 3,842 | 24.8% 1,312 |
| 1968 | 40.7% 2,428 | 21.8% 1,301 |
| 1964 | 50.9% 2,730 | 49.1% 2,637 |
| 1960 | 59.8% 2,721 | 38.7% 1,761 |
Rhea County is considered to be a 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...
leaning county in Presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
elections and in 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....
elections. The county voted for John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
in 2008. The last Democrat
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 win a majority in the county was Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
in 1976. Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
kept his Republican opponents to less than fifty percent in both 1992 and in 1996. Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
drew 11.2% and 7.6% of the vote in 1992 and 1996 respectively.
Rhea is part of the 3rd Congressional District of Tennessee, a seat currently held by 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...
Zach Wamp
Zach Wamp
Zachary Paul "Zach" Wamp is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party...
, a Republican. Until the latest round of congressional redistricting, Rhea County was part of the 4th Congressional District, and was represented by Rhea County native Van Hilleary
Van Hilleary
William Vanderpool Hilleary, usually known as Van Hilleary is a Republican politician from Tennessee.-Early life and career:...
. Hilleary would later run unsuccessfully for governor in 2002. In the US Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
the county, like the rest of Tennessee, is represented by Senators Bob Corker
Bob Corker
Robert Phillips "Bob" Corker, Jr. is the junior United States Senator from Tennessee. Before his election to the Senate in 2006, he served as mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee from 2001 to 2005. Corker was a businessman prior to holding public office.-Early life and family:Born in Orangeburg, South...
and former governor Lamar Alexander
Lamar Alexander
Andrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
.
At the state level, Rhea County is part of the 31st district 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:...
, a seat held by Republican Jim Cobb. Cobb was elected for the first time in November, 2006. The 31st is made up of Rhea County and the northern portion of Hamilton County. The county is part of the 12th district in the Tennessee Senate, a seat held by Republican Ken Yager
Ken Yager
Ken Yager is a State Senator from Tennessee representing District 12 which encompasses Campbell, Fentress, Morgan, Rhea, Roane, and Scott Counties.- Personal information :...
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The local level of politics has several offices, such as the county mayor and county commission, which are elected on a non-partisan basis. Historically, Democrats have enjoyed an advantage in county offices elected on a partisan
Partisan (political)
In politics, a partisan is a committed member of a political party. In multi-party systems, the term is widely understood to carry a negative connotation - referring to those who wholly support their party's policies and are perhaps even reluctant to acknowledge correctness on the part of their...
basis. In most local races, name recognition and reputation tend to be more important to voters than party identification.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Rhea County, Tennessee