John Shelton Wilder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Shelton Wilder
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| 48th Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee Speaker of the Tennessee Senate |
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| In office January 7, 1971 – January 8, 2007 |
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| Governor | Winfield Dunn Ray Blanton Lamar Alexander Ned McWherter Don Sundquist Phil Bredesen |
| Preceded by | Frank Gorrell |
| Succeeded by | Ron Ramsey |
| Member of the Tennessee Senate from the 26th district |
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| In office January 3, 1959 – January 2, 1961 January 6, 1967 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Succeeded by | Dolores Gresham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 3, 1921 Mason, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | January 1, 2010 (aged 88) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marcelle (died 2004) |
| Children | John Shelton Wilder II, David Wilder |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
John Shelton Wilder (June 3, 1921 – January 1, 2010) was an American politician. He served as the 48th Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee for 36 years. This was from January 1971 to January 2007. It might be the longest time anyone has held such a position in U.S. history.
Wilder was also a Tennessee state senator. He served from 1959 to 1961 and again from 1967 to 2009. In Tennessee, people do not directly vote for their Lieutenant Governor. Instead, the Speaker of the Senate holds this title. The Speaker is also next in line to become governor.
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Early Life and Education
John Wilder grew up in Fayette County, Tennessee, near Memphis, Tennessee. His family was wealthy and owned many farms. They also had businesses related to farming.
He went to public schools in Fayette County. Later, he earned a degree in agriculture from the University of Tennessee. He then studied law at Memphis State University, which is now the University of Memphis.
Wilder and his family were known for treating their African American farm workers fairly. This was unusual during the time of segregation. This fair treatment helped him when he started his political career. At that time, African Americans in rural Tennessee were finally able to use their right to vote. Wilder also worked as a lawyer in Somerville, Tennessee.
In 1941, Wilder married his wife, Marcelle. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Political Career in Tennessee
Wilder was a member of the Fayette County Quarterly Court for 18 years. This court is now called the County Commission. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
He was first elected to the Tennessee Senate in 1958. He served there until January 1961.
Wilder did not run for reelection in 1960. However, he returned to the state Senate in 1967. After this, a change to the state constitution made Senate terms four years long. Wilder was elected to a four-year term in 1968. He was reelected every four years after that until 2008. He represented Senate District 26. This district included several counties in West Tennessee.
Serving as Lieutenant Governor
In January 1971, his fellow Senators chose Wilder as Speaker of the State Senate. This made him the state's Lieutenant Governor. The Tennessee state constitution says that the Speaker of the Senate is first in line to become governor. The title of Lieutenant Governor was officially given to the Speaker of the Senate in 1951.
Wilder was the first Tennessee Lieutenant Governor in nearly 50 years to serve under a governor from a different political party. The governor was Republican Winfield Dunn.
Before Wilder, the General Assembly did not have its own staff or offices. Lawmakers often worked from hotel rooms. Wilder oversaw a big building project to fix this. This project helped make the legislative branch of government equal to the other two branches.
Wilder decided to stay as lieutenant governor for a very long time. Before him, no one had served more than three terms as Speaker of the Senate since 1870. He faced little opposition until the mid-1980s. By then, some members of the Senate Democratic Party wanted new leadership.
In 1987, it looked like Wilder's long time as Lieutenant Governor was over. Another Democrat, Riley Darnell, was nominated for the position. But in a surprising move, the Republican Senators nominated Wilder. With support from all 15 Republicans and six Democrats, Wilder won the vote. He then organized the Senate in a "bipartisan" way. This meant he gave leadership roles to both Democrats and Republicans.
Wilder continued to be reelected "unanimously" until 2005. He kept giving leadership roles to supporters from both parties. This made the Tennessee Senate one of the few legislative bodies in the world elected by parties but organized in a nonpartisan way. This unique way of leading made Wilder one of the longest-serving legislative leaders in the world.
Wilder never ran for governor. In 2009, he said he wanted to run in 1974. But his family talked him out of it. He said he was "glad I stayed where I was because the Senate is the Senate."
Wilder loved cycling. He was also a licensed private pilot for over 50 years. He often flew himself 200 miles from Fayette County to Nashville for legislative meetings.
In 2005, two Republican Senators voted for Wilder. This helped him get reelected for his 18th term as lieutenant governor. He then appointed Republicans to lead most of the committees. However, he kept the five existing Democratic leaders in place. This made some Republicans unhappy.
After the November 2006 elections, the Republican Party had one more seat than the Democrats in the Tennessee Senate. Republicans who had supported Wilder in the past faced pressure to vote with their party. On January 9, 2007, all 17 Republicans voted for Senator Ron Ramsey. One Democratic Senator also voted for Ramsey. This ended Wilder's time as Speaker of the Senate and Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee.
In March 2007, news media reported that Wilder was seriously hurt in a fall. He was in the hospital in Memphis. He was released a few days later and went home to recover.
In February 2008, the Tennessee Blue Book was dedicated to him. This book contains information about the state government. On March 20, 2008, Wilder announced he would not run for re-election that year.
Death
John Shelton Wilder passed away on January 1, 2010. He died at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. He had a stroke a few days earlier. He was survived by his brother, two sons, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
