Shelby County Republican Party
Encyclopedia
The Shelby County Republican Party is the Republican
political organization for Memphis
and Shelby County, Tennessee
. It has a long history of impacting politics in Shelby County long before the Republican Party was popular in the south.
It is the second largest Republican Party in the state, behind Knoxville's.
. By the 1950s conservative Democrats were joining the party as blacks were leaving.
In the 1970s the party remade itself as a suburb-focused party that relied on activities like backyard parties, door-to-door campaigning and telephone networks to coordinate conservative voters in the suburbs.
Starting in 1992, the party began holding a primary election
to pick candidates in the general election. It was scheduled for the same day as Tennessee's presidential primary, and represented the first partisan local elections in the County since before 1900. The county Democratic party soon copied the practice. The move meant the end of nearly a century of nonpartisan elections in the county.
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...
political organization for Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
. It has a long history of impacting politics in Shelby County long before the Republican Party was popular in the south.
It is the second largest Republican Party in the state, behind Knoxville's.
History
The party has its origins in the Lincoln League, which was founded by Robert Church, Jr. in 1916 to promote black voter registration. Church was one of the most prominent African-American businessmen in the nation and is credited with the early development of Beale StreetBeale Street
Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of the blues. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are...
. By the 1950s conservative Democrats were joining the party as blacks were leaving.
In the 1970s the party remade itself as a suburb-focused party that relied on activities like backyard parties, door-to-door campaigning and telephone networks to coordinate conservative voters in the suburbs.
Starting in 1992, the party began holding a 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 pick candidates in the general election. It was scheduled for the same day as Tennessee's presidential primary, and represented the first partisan local elections in the County since before 1900. The county Democratic party soon copied the practice. The move meant the end of nearly a century of nonpartisan elections in the county.
Chairpersons
| Robert Church, Jr. | (1910's) | leading African-American businessman, founded Lincoln League (1916), founder of Memphis NAACP (1917) | |
| Lt. George W. Lee | (1920's-1940's) | ||
| Walker Wellford, Jr. | (1954-?) | ||
| Dr. R.Q. Venson | (1954-1970) | Alternate to the Republican National Convention in 1956; founder and general chairman of the Cotton Makers' (currently Kemet) Jubilee http://www.memphiskemetjubilee.com | |
| Bob James | (1961-1963) | Memphis City Councilman | |
| Governor Winfield Dunn Winfield Dunn Bryant Winfield Culberson Dunn was the 43rd Governor of Tennessee, from 1971 to 1975.-Biography:Dunn was born in Meridian, Mississippi. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1950 with a B.B.A., and from the University of Tennessee Medical Units in Memphis in 1955 with a D.D.S. Dunn... |
(1963-1967) | Governor of Tennessee (1971-1975) | |
| Judge Harry W. Wellford Harry W. Wellford Harry Walker Wellford is a former federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.- Early life and education :... |
(1967-1969) | ||
| Alex Dann | (1969-1971) | ||
| Dr. Kyle Creson | (1971-1973) | ||
| Bill Lawson | (1973-1975) | ||
| Governor Don Sundquist 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... |
(1975-1977) | Congressman(Dist. 7 1983-1995), Governor of Tennessee (1995-2003) | |
| William H. Watkins, Jr. | (1977-1979) | ||
| Tom Pyron | (1979-1981) | ||
| Maida Pearson Smith | (1981-1985) | ||
| Jack J. Craddock | (1985-1987) | ||
| John L. Ryder | (1987-1991) | Republican National Committeeman (-2004) | |
| Dr. Phil Langsdon | (1991-1995) | Author of Tennessee, A Political History | |
| David Kustoff | (1995-1999) | Chairman of Tennessee campaigns for George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... (2000, 2004), 2002 Candidate for Congress (Dist. 7) Current US Attorney for the Western District of TN |
|
| Alan Crone | (1999-2003) | ||
| R. Kemp Conrad | (2003-2005) | Memphis City Councilman (2008-) | |
| Bill Giannini | (2005-2009) | Shelby County Election Commission Chairman (2009) | |
| Lang Wiseman | (2009-2011) |