Phil Bredesen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phil Bredesen
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Official portrait, 2008
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| 48th Governor of Tennessee | |
| In office January 18, 2003 – January 15, 2011 |
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| Lieutenant |
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| Preceded by | Don Sundquist |
| Succeeded by | Bill Haslam |
| 4th Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville | |
| In office September 27, 1991 – September 24, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Boner |
| Succeeded by | Bill Purcell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Philip Norman Bredesen Jr.
November 21, 1943 Oceanport, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Susan Cleaves
(m. 1968; div. 1974)Andrea Conte
(m. 1974) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. (born November 21, 1943) is an American politician and businessman. He served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A governor is the leader of a state, similar to a president for a country.
Before becoming governor, he was the mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, from 1991 to 1999. A mayor is the leader of a city. Bredesen is a member of the Democratic Party. He also started a company called HealthAmerica Corporation.
Since 2011, he has been involved with a company that builds and runs solar power stations. In 2017, Bredesen ran for a seat in the United States Senate but did not win. After that, he helped start a new company focused on renewable energy.
Contents
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Phil Bredesen was born in Oceanport, New Jersey. His parents divorced, and his mother worked as a bank teller. His grandmother, who was a seamstress, lived with his family. He grew up in Shortsville, New York.
He earned a scholarship to Harvard University and studied physics. After college, he worked for a company called Itek. In 1969, he first tried to run for political office in Massachusetts but was not elected.
In 1971, Bredesen joined a pharmaceutical company. He moved to London in 1973 to manage one of their divisions. In 1975, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he started his own insurance company, HealthAmerica Corp. He later sold his part of the company in 1986.
Political Career in Tennessee
Serving as Nashville's Mayor
In 1987, Phil Bredesen ran for mayor of Nashville. He came in second place in the first election. He then faced Bill Boner in a second round of voting, called a runoff election. Boner won that election.
Bredesen ran for mayor again in 1991 and won. As mayor, he made many improvements to Nashville. He hired more than 440 new teachers and built 32 new schools. He also updated 43 older schools.
During his time as mayor, Nashville also became home to two major sports teams. The NFL's Houston Oilers moved to Nashville and became the Tennessee Titans. The city also got its first NHL team, the Nashville Predators. A new arena, Bridgestone Arena, was built for the hockey team.
Bredesen also helped build a new downtown library and improved the city's library system. He renovated the downtown entertainment area and created two new parks. He did not run for a third term as mayor in 1999.
Becoming Governor of Tennessee
Phil Bredesen first ran for governor of Tennessee in 1994. He won the Democratic nomination but lost the general election to Don Sundquist.
He ran for governor again in 2002. This time, he easily won the Democratic nomination. He promised to improve state government and schools. He also wanted to fix TennCare, a state health care program that was having money problems. Bredesen was known as a moderate Democrat, meaning he held views that were not too extreme on either side.
In November 2002, Bredesen won the election, becoming the 48th governor of Tennessee.
First Term as Governor
When Bredesen became governor, Tennessee was facing a big money problem. The state had a predicted budget shortfall of $800 million. A large part of this was due to TennCare costing more than expected.
To fix this, Bredesen made some tough decisions. In 2003, he cut state spending by 9%. In 2004, he made changes to TennCare, which helped reduce its cost by over $500 million. He also created "Cover Tennessee" to help people with existing health conditions and those without insurance.
Bredesen also focused on improving education. In 2003, the state started the Tennessee Lottery. Money from the lottery helps fund college scholarships for high school graduates. Teachers' pay was increased, and a statewide program for four-year-olds was expanded. He also created the Governor's Books from Birth Foundation, which gives free books to children.
To bring more jobs to Tennessee, Bredesen worked to change the state's worker compensation system. Many companies, like Nissan and International Paper, expanded or moved to Tennessee during his time. This brought over 104,000 jobs and billions of dollars in new business to the state.
In 2006, Bredesen was re-elected governor by a large margin. He won more votes than any other gubernatorial candidate in Tennessee history.
Second Term as Governor
In 2007, Bredesen faced some criticism for suggesting a dining room upgrade at the Tennessee Governor's Mansion. This upgrade was meant to entertain lawmakers and important guests.
In 2008, Republicans gained control of both parts of the state legislature. This, along with the start of the Great Recession, made it harder for Bredesen to pass new laws. In 2009, he called for state spending cuts and reduced the number of state employees without layoffs.
He also signed a law that removed the need for thumbprints when buying guns. In 2009, he vetoed a bill that would have allowed people to carry guns in bars, but the legislature voted to override his veto. He also signed a law allowing loaded guns in cars.
After Being Governor
After leaving the governor's office in 2011, Bredesen became the chairman of a company that develops solar energy plants.
He was considered a possible candidate for president in 2008 but decided not to run. He later supported Barack Obama for president.
2018 U.S. Senate Campaign
In 2017, Senator Bob Corker announced he would not run for re-election. Phil Bredesen then announced he would run for Corker's open seat in the United States Senate. He won the Democratic primary election in August 2018.
During the campaign, Senator Corker said that Bredesen was a "very good mayor, a very good governor, a very good business person." However, Corker still supported the Republican candidate, Marsha Blackburn. President Donald Trump also supported Blackburn and criticized Bredesen during the campaign.
Bredesen ran as a moderate candidate. He said he was against Trump's tariff policy, which he believed would hurt Tennessee's economy and jobs.
In October 2018, singer Taylor Swift publicly supported Bredesen. This was notable because she had not been openly political before. She encouraged people to register to vote.
Marsha Blackburn defeated Bredesen in the November 2018 election. The race was close for a while, but Blackburn pulled ahead after the confirmation hearings for Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Bredesen lost by about ten points.
Political Views
Phil Bredesen is often described as a moderate Democrat. This means his political views are often in the middle, not too far left or right. He is known for being careful with money (fiscally conservative) but having more open social views (socially liberal).
Regarding healthcare, Bredesen has said the Affordable Care Act "needs fixing." He supported a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in 2006. However, he also supported the right of same-sex couples to adopt children. He supports protections against discrimination for same-sex couples. Bredesen also supports capital punishment.
Bredesen has supported the Second Amendment and is a gun owner. He has called for universal background checks for gun purchases and tighter checks for mental illness. He also supports banning "bump stocks," which make guns fire faster. As governor, he vetoed bills that would have allowed guns in bars.
On immigration, Bredesen has held views that are sometimes associated with both major parties. He supported ending the practice of giving state driver's licenses to undocumented people. However, he also supports DACA for young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
In October 2018, Bredesen supported the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
On money matters, Bredesen tends to be conservative. As governor, he opposed a state income tax and cut spending on the state's health care plan. He also supported increasing taxes on cigarettes. He supports increasing the minimum wage.
Personal Life
Phil Bredesen married Susan Cleaves in 1968, but they divorced in 1974. They did not have children. Later in 1974, he married Andrea Conte. They have one son, Ben. Bredesen is a Presbyterian.
In 2018, his net worth was estimated to be between $88.9 million and $358 million.
Bredesen is a founding member of a nonprofit organization called Nashville's Table. He also served on the board of the Frist Center.
Images for kids
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Phil Bredesen's signature
See also
In Spanish: Phil Bredesen para niños
