Thomas W. Beasley

Thomas W. Beasley
Born	January 8, 1943 Smith County, Tennessee, U.S.
Education	Smith County High School
Alma mater	United States Military Academy Vanderbilt University Law School
Occupation	Private prisons, lawyer, political activist, businessman
Known for	Co-founder of Corrections Corporation of America
Spouse(s)	Wendy Williams
Children	3
Parent(s)	Lewis Beasley Elizabeth Beasley

For the American football player, see Tom Beasley.

Thomas W. Beasley (a.k.a. Tom Beasley) (born 1943) is an American lawyer, political activist and businessman based in Tennessee. He served as the chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party.

In 1983 he was a co-founder of the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), a private prison management company. He served as its president and chief executive officer from 1983 to 1987, and as its chairman from 1987 to 1994. As of 2015, it has become the largest prison management company in the United States.

Thomas W. Beasley was born on January 8, 1943 on a farm owned by his family from the late 1790s in Smith County, Tennessee.

He was educated at the Smith County High School in Carthage, Tennessee. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York in 1966. He served in the United States Army in Vietnam, the Panama Canal, and Nicaragua. He was awarded a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars.

Beasley returned to graduate school after the military. He received a Juris Doctor degree from the Vanderbilt University Law School in 1973. While in law school, he rented a garage apartment from Lamar Alexander. His friend later served as the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987 and now serves as a United States Senator from Tennessee.

Beasley worked as a lawyer for the law firm White, Regen, Burch, and Beasley from 1973 to 1977.

He served as the chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party from 1977 to 1981. Beasley is credited with getting Robin Beard elected to the United States House of Representatives.

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