Jimmy Naifeh
| James O. Naifeh | |
|---|---|
| 79th Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives | |
|
In office January 1991 – January 2009 |
|
| Governor |
Ned McWherter Don Sundquist Phil Bredesen |
| Preceded by | Ed Murray |
| Succeeded by | Kent Williams |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 81st District |
|
|
In office January 1975 – January 2013 |
|
| Preceded by | Albert A. Kelley |
| Succeeded by | Debra Moody |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 16, 1939 Tipton County, Tennessee |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Covington, Tennessee |
| Alma mater | University of Tennessee |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
James O. Naifeh (born June 16, 1939), usually known as Jimmy Naifeh, is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party from the State of Tennessee. He served as the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009, serving longer in that position than anyone else in Tennessee history.
Naifeh is a second-generation Lebanese-American from Covington, a town north of Memphis. His family was in the grocery business and has hosted an annual Naifeh Family Coon Supper since 1945. Following his graduation from the University of Tennessee, Naifeh served in the United States Army as an infantry officer.
He was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1974, and was Speaker from 1991 to 2009. He represents House District 81, which includes most of Tipton County and all of Haywood County. Prior to his election as Speaker served in other positions in the Democratic Caucus such as chairman of the Rules Committee, Majority Floor Leader, and chairman of the Rural West Tennessee Democratic Caucus.
From 1995 to 2008, Naifeh was married to Betty Anderson, considered by many Tennessee political observers to be the most influential lobbyist in the state. Naifeh's detractors saw this as a conflict of interest. Naifeh's reply was that she had no undue influence over him in any area of legislation and that she had been in that profession for many years before the personal relationship between them began, so it is hardly as if she entered the field once she married the Speaker as a way of offering access to him.
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