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John Ray Clemmons
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 55th district
Assumed office
January 13, 2015
Preceded by Gary Odom
Personal details
Born
John Ray Clemmons

(1977-07-14) July 14, 1977 (age 46)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party Democratic
SpouseTamara Baxt
Residence(s)Nashville, Tennessee
Alma mater Columbia University ( BA)
University of Memphis ( JD)

John Ray Clemmons (born July 14, 1977) is an American politician from the state of Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he serves in the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing the 55th district, in West Nashville.

Early life

Clemmons was born and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee, and attended Lebanon High School, graduating with Honors in 1995. [1] [2] In 1999, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from Columbia University, where he was a member of the Columbia lightweight crew team. [3] [1] [2] [4] He received a Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Law School in 2006. [1]

He and his wife, Tamara, have three children and live in Nashville, Tennessee. [1] [5] Clemmons is a civil litigation attorney. [6] [2]

Political career

In 2014, Clemmons defeated incumbent Gary Odom, for the 55th district in the Tennessee House of Representatives in the Democratic primary with 54% of the vote. [6] Clemmons was unopposed in the general election. [7]

Clemmons was unopposed in for reelection in the primary and general elections in 2016, 2018 and 2020. [7]

In a 10-candidate race, Clemmons finished fourth in his run for mayor of Nashville in the 2019 Nashville mayoral election. [8] [9] [10] His campaign focused on public education, affordable housing and infrastructure. [11]

In 2022, Clemmons was rated 92% by NORML ( National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). [12]

In January 2022, Clemmons criticized the McMinn County school board's 10-0 decision to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust novel Maus from its curriculum for 8th grade English classes. Clemmons called the decision counterproductive, saying that without access to the personal accounts of survivors of the Holocaust, children will lose empathy for others. [13] [14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Representatives - TN General Assembly". wapp.capitol.tn.gov. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Meet John Ray – John Ray Clemmons".
  3. ^ "ATTORNEYS". clemlawfirm.
  4. ^ "2012-2013 Columbia College Annual Report" (PDF).
  5. ^ "John Clemmons | Representative | State of Tennessee | 2019". openpayrolls.com.
  6. ^ a b Gonzalez, Tony (August 7, 2014). "John Ray Clemmons wins House 55 over incumbent Gary Odom". The Tennessean. USA TODAY Network.
  7. ^ a b "John Ray Clemmons". Ballotpedia.
  8. ^ "State Rep. John Ray Clemmons launches run for Nashville mayor". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  9. ^ Gonzales, Jason. "John Ray Clemmons: A mayoral candidate underdog who wants to change Nashville". The Tennessean.
  10. ^ Jeong, Yihyun (August 1, 2019). "John Cooper leads David Briley as two head to September runoff battle in Nashville mayoral race". The Tennessean. USA TODAY Network.
  11. ^ Knight, Meribah (May 30, 2019). "Mayor's Race 2019: State Rep. John Ray Clemmons Wants To Be The 'Equitable' Candidate". WPLN News.
  12. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Side by Side. June 16, 2022.
  13. ^ Wegner, Rachel (January 27, 2022). "Tennessee school board's removal of Holocaust book 'Maus' draws international attention". The Tennessean. USA TODAY Network. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Harris, Gerald (January 27, 2022). "Tennessee lawmakers react to McMinn County schools removal of prominent Holocaust book from curriculum". WKRN. Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

External links

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