Riley Darnell

Riley Darnell
Darnell in 1965
36th Tennessee Secretary of State
In office
1993–2009
GovernorNed McWherter
Don Sundquist
Phil Bredesen
Preceded byBryant Millsaps
Succeeded byTre Hargett
Majority Leader of the
Tennessee Senate
In office
1989–1992
Preceded byMilton H. Hamilton Jr.[1]
Succeeded byCarol Rice
Member of the
Tennessee Senate
from the 22nd district[2]
In office
1981–1993
Preceded byHalbert Harvill
Member of the
Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 67th district[3]
In office
1971–1981
Preceded byFrank J. Runyon
Personal details
Born
Riley Carlisle Darnell

(1940-05-13)May 13, 1940
Clarksville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedOctober 2, 2020(2020-10-02) (aged 80)
Clarksville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePenny Crockarell
Children5
EducationAustin Peay State University (BS)
Vanderbilt University Law School (JD)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force
Years of service1966-1969

Riley Carlisle Darnell[4] (May 13, 1940 – October 2, 2020) was an American politician and lawyer who served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 67th district, Tennessee Senate from the 22nd district, Majority Leader of the Tennessee Senate, and as Tennessee Secretary of State as a member of the Democratic Party.

Darnell was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, and educated at Clarksville High School, Austin Peay State University, and Vanderbilt University Law School. In 1970, he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives with the Democratic nomination, and during his tenure in the House of Representatives, he served on the Judicial, Finance, and Fiscal Review committees. In 1980, he was elected to the Tennessee Senate, and during his tenure in the Senate, he served on the Transportation, Ethics, Finance Ways and Means, Fiscal Review, and the Children and Youth committees.

Darnell unsuccessfully sought the position of Speaker of the Senate against incumbent John Shelton Wilder in 1986. In 1989, he was selected to serve as Majority Leader of the Tennessee Senate. He lost re-election in 1992 but successfully defeated incumbent Secretary of State Bryant Millsaps and served in that position until 2009.

  1. ^ "Wilder win stimulates squabbles". Johnson City Press. January 11, 1989. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference life3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference life was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Middle Name". The Leaf-Chronicle. July 23, 1984. p. 1. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.