Bill Lee (Tennessee politician)
Bill Lee | |
|---|---|
Lee in 2023 | |
| 50th Governor of Tennessee | |
| Assumed office January 19, 2019 | |
| Lieutenant | Randy McNally |
| Preceded by | Bill Haslam |
| Chair of the Republican Governors Association | |
| In office December 7, 2023 – November 20, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Kim Reynolds |
| Succeeded by | Brian Kemp |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Byron Lee October 9, 1959 Franklin, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Carol Ann Lee
(m. 1984; died 2000) |
| Children | 4 |
| Residence | Governor's Mansion |
| Education | Auburn University (BS) |
| Signature | |
| Website | Government website |
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William Byron Lee (born October 9, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 50th governor of Tennessee since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Lee was president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Lee Company, a business operated by his family, from 1992 to 2016.
In 2017, Lee described himself as a social conservative. As governor, he has signed bills to ban mask mandates and ranked-choice voting; implemented one of the country's strictest abortion bans; allowed guns to be carried without a permit; created school voucher programs; and increased penalties for protest-related offenses. Lee signed Tennessee's "bathroom bill"; a bill that assures continued taxpayer funding of faith-based adoption agencies that exclude LGBT people for religious reasons; and the Adult Entertainment Act, which banned drag shows in public.