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Phil Bredesen48th and current Governor of Tennessee
Date of Birth: 21.11.1943
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Phil Bredesen
Phil Bredesen, the 48th and current governor of Tennessee, is a member of the Democratic Party. He was first elected as governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. Prior to his governorship, Bredesen served as the mayor of Nashville and Davidson County from 1991 to 1999.
Early Life and Education
Phil Norman Bredesen Jr. was born on November 21, 1943, in Oceanport, New Jersey. His father served as a captain in the Signal Corps, which led to frequent moves during Bredesen's childhood. After his parents divorced in 1951, Bredesen, along with his younger brother Dean, moved with their mother Norma to Shortsville, New York, to be closer to family. Bredesen still considers Shortsville his hometown.
Bredesen attended Harvard College in 1961, where he studied physics and graduated in 1967.
Personal Life
In the following year, Bredesen married Susan Cleaves, but they divorced after six years of marriage and had no children. In 1974, he married nurse Andrea Conte, and they welcomed their son Benjamin in 1980. The family relocated to Nashville in 1975, where Bredesen founded the company HealthAmerica Corp. In 1986, he sold a controlling stake in the company, earning a significant profit. As a wealthy individual, Bredesen declined his gubernatorial salary.
In 1988, Bredesen and his family experienced a traumatic incident when Andrea was attacked and abducted by an unknown assailant. She fought back and managed to escape when the car was already on the road. The perpetrator was apprehended a year later after the murder of another woman. This incident led the former first lady of Tennessee to view her life from a different perspective. She now devotes much of her time to an organization she founded that helps crime victims.
Political Career
Bredesen ran for mayor of Nashville in 1987 but lost to Congressman Bill Boner. A year later, he sought a congressional seat left vacant by Boner but lost to Bob Clement, the son of a former governor. In 1991, Bredesen ran for mayor once again and won by a significant margin. He easily won re-election four years later.
As mayor, Bredesen focused on education, building and renovating schools, and increasing the number of teachers. He also oversaw the construction of a new stadium and library. In 1994, Bredesen won the Democratic primary and ran for the governor's seat against Republican candidate Don Sundquist, but Sundquist won by a wide margin.
Bredesen made another attempt in 2002, having established himself as a talented administrator and garnered voters' support. On January 18, 2003, he was sworn in as governor. During his tenure, Bredesen successfully navigated the state through economic crises without raising taxes or cutting funding for education and healthcare. In fact, his administration saw a significant increase in job creation, and new investments in the state's economy amounted to billions of dollars. His work consistently receives high ratings from national rating agencies.
