Bill Lee

RepublicanGovernor of Tennessee

Age	66 (b. 1959-10-09)
Gender	Male
In office since	2019-01-01 (~7 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	White
Religion	Evangelical Christian (member of Grace Chapel, Leiper's Fork, Tennessee)
Education	Franklin High School; B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University (1981)
Prior occupation	Businessman; President and CEO of Lee Company (family mechanical construction, HVAC, plumbing and home services company), 1992-2016
Military service	No
Birthplace	Franklin, Tennessee
Marital status	Married — Maria Lee (m. 2008); first wife Carol Ann Lee (m. 1984, died 2000)
Children	4
Residence	Fernvale (near Franklin), Tennessee

Wikipedia

Pending research: languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	2018
Leadership	Governor of Tennessee (50th, since January 2019) · Chair, Republican Governors Association (Dec 2023 - Nov 2024)
Ideology	Self-described social conservative; signed near-total abortion ban, permitless carry, school vouchers, and restrictions on transgender care and drag performances.
Signature legislation	Education Freedom Scholarship Act / statewide school voucher program (2025) · Permitless (constitutional) carry gun law (2021) · Heartbeat / near-total abortion ban (post-Dobbs) · Adult Entertainment Act restricting drag performances (2023) · ELVIS Act protecting musicians' voices/likeness from AI (2024)

Financial

Net worth: estimate

Lee Company (family mechanical construction/HVAC/plumbing/home services business)

business_owned · 2018

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolved — Tennessee Ethics Commission Finds Governor Violated State Law by Accepting ADF-Paid Trip

ethics-violation · 2024-07-01 · Tennessee Ethics Commission · Commission issued a seven-page formal opinion concluding that Lee accepted an indirect gift from a lobbyist's employer in violation of state law; Lee repaid approximately $1,900 in travel expenses to ADF.

In July 2024, Governor Bill Lee traveled to Marco Island, Florida, to serve as keynote speaker at the annual Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) summit, with ADF covering his travel expenses. After the trip drew public scrutiny, Lee's office requested a formal opinion from the Tennessee Ethics Commission. In December 2024, the commission issued a seven-page opinion concluding that ADF and its affiliated 501(c)4 lobbying arm ADF Action are 'closely related and intertwined organizations' sharing a lobbyist, board members, and mission, and that Lee had received an indirect gift from an employer of a registered Tennessee lobbyist, in violation of state law banning such gifts to public officials. The commission commended Lee for seeking the opinion and directed him to reimburse ADF. Lee's office confirmed repayment of approximately $1,900 in travel costs.

Sources: Tennessee Lookout · ABC News / Associated Press · NewsChannel 5 (WTVF Nashville) · WPLN Nashville Public Radio

ongoing — Court rules Gov. Lee exceeded authority in deploying National Guard to Memphis

abuse-of-office · 2025-10 · Davidson County Chancery Court (Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal) · Court ruled on November 17, 2025 that Lee acted beyond his constitutional and statutory authority by deploying the Tennessee National Guard to Memphis, finding there was no 'grave emergency,' 'disaster,' or request from local leaders as required by law, and ordered a halt. The ruling was stayed pending the state's appeal; the Guard remained while the state appealed.

In October 2025, Shelby County officials and Democratic lawmakers sued Gov. Bill Lee over his deployment of the National Guard to Memphis as part of a federal 'Memphis Safe Task Force.' On November 17, 2025, Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal ruled that Lee acted beyond his authority as commander-in-chief, finding the legal preconditions (a grave emergency, disaster, or local request) were not met, and ordered the deployment halted. The court paused its order while the state, through Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, pursued an appeal, and the Guard remained in the city during the appeal.

Sources: Tennessee Lookout · ABC News · Action News 5

resolved — Tennessee Court of Appeals reverses lower-court ruling in Memphis National Guard case on standing grounds

abuse-of-office · 2025-10-17 · In Harris et al. v. Lee et al., Memphis-area elected officials (including Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris) sued Governor Bill Lee over his mobilization of the Tennessee National Guard to support the federal Memphis Safe Task Force. A Davidson County Chancery Court judge had ruled in November 2025 that Lee exceeded his statutory authority and temporarily blocked the deployment. On April 28, 2026, a three-judge panel of the Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed that ruling, holding that the plaintiff officials lacked legal standing to bring the challenge because they could not show they were personally harmed by the deployment. The appellate panel expressly did not rule on the merits of whether Lee's deployment exceeded his authority under Tenn. Code Ann. Section 58-1-106(a); it decided the case solely on the standing/procedural issue, clearing the way for the Guard deployment to continue. · Lower court injunction/finding reversed on procedural (standing) grounds; National Guard deployment allowed to proceed; underlying merits question left unresolved

This is an update to the previously logged 'Court rules Gov. Lee exceeded authority' matter: the Tennessee Court of Appeals overturned that trial-court ruling on April 28, 2026, finding the officials who sued lacked standing, without addressing whether Lee's National Guard deployment to Memphis actually exceeded his authority.

Sources: Tennessee Attorney General's Office · Tennessee Lookout · Chattanooga Times Free Press