John Shelton Wilder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 48th Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee Speaker of the Tennessee Senate | |
| In office January 7, 1971 – January 8, 2007 | |
| 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 | |
| In office January 3, 1959 – January 2, 1961 January 6, 1967 – January 3, 2009 | |
| 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 who was the 48th Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee for 36 years from January 1971 to January 2007, possibly the longest time anyone has served as Lieutenant Governor or a similar position in the history of the United States.[1][2] He was a Tennessee state senator from 1959 to 1961 and again from 1967 to 2009. Tennesseans do not elect their lieutenant governor; rather, the Speaker of the Senate, who is first in the line of succession to the governor, is granted the title by statute.
- ^ Tennessee Senate, Tennessee Blue Book 2007–2008, page 28
- ^ "Unknown". Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2009.[permanent dead link]