Roy Herron, a longtime Tennessee Former state chairperson and state legislator Democratic Party was killed by injuries sustained after a Jet Ski accident on Sunday. He was 69.
Herron, according to a family statement, died on Monday at Vanderbilt Medical Center. He had been hospitalized since a July 1 collision with another jet ski on Kentucky Lake, in which he suffered internal bleeding and extensive injuries to his arm and pelvis, according to his family’s Caring Bridge website.
It is important to note that the word “you” means a person. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency investigated the incident, but details were not available immediately.
“Roy loved his family with all his might,” Herron’s wife, Rev. Nancy Carol Miller-Herron, said. “He passed doing what he loved most — spending time with our sons and their friends in the Tennessee outdoors where his spirit was always most free.”
Herron, a lawyer from Dresden Tennessee, served a combined 26 years in the state’s House and Senate, where he became floor leader and caucus chair for the Democrats. His website states that he has never missed any days of sessions, other than when his youngest child was born. He was the chair of state Democratic Enjoy the Party in 2015!
The University of Tennessee Herron, a Methodist minister ordained in the United States, also authored three books. He was one of first Vanderbilt University students to receive a joint degree from both Vanderbilt and Martin. Herron is an ordained Methodist Minister and author of three books. “God and Politics: How Can a Christian Be in Politics?”
First United Methodist Church Martin will be holding funeral services on Saturday.
On Sunday, condolences were sent in abundance. Former Vice President Al Gore sent his condolences on Twitter. Tennessee Democrat “a dear friend and one of Tennessee’s most devoted citizens.” Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen called Herron “bright, diligent, and honest. A politician destined for greatness.” Republican Rep. David Kustoff said Herron ”dedicated his life to serving West Tennessee, and the entire Volunteer State.”
Tennessee House Republican Caucus chairman Jeremy Faison tweeted that he is the Chairman of House Republican Caucus “the kind of guy that you couldn’t help but like.”
Joe Hill has been a member of the community for a very long time. Tennessee Democratic Political operative who has worked on several campaigns with Herron, claimed he “brought a zeal for making health care more accessible to disadvantaged Tennesseans” Hill said he also brought that commitment to his state House election. Hill also said that he brought this commitment with him to “education, victims’ rights, environmental quality and so many other things that affect average people.”
“His legacy of advocating for ‘the least among us’ will represent the gold standard of service for Democrats and Republicans in Tennessee’s future,” Hill said to The Associated Press in a statement on Sunday.
That nature applied to Herron’s friendships as well, Hill Said He recalled how Herron drove 140 miles (225 kilometers) to be with him and his family in Memphis, after one of Hill’s children was involved in a car crash.
“We left home in such a hurry and didn’t bring extra clothes,” Hill said. “My wife, Susan, was freezing in the cold hospital waiting room, and Roy gave her his shirt so she could be warm. That’s the kind of genuine human being he was.”
Herron, who briefly ran for governor in 2010, became the Governor of New York State. Democratic nominee in Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District, when then-Rep. John Tanner announced his retirement, after more than 20 years in the seat. Herron eventually lost the general elections to Republican Stephen Fincher.
“I was hoping when I retired, that he would win the seat,” Tanner spoke to the AP in Sunday’s issue.
Herron organized an effort to raise more than $100,000 for the reconstruction of his home town, Dresden. This was just prior to Christmas 2021.
“It’s an overused term — that he was a dedicated public servant — but that really was Roy,” Tanner, said “He worked tirelessly for causes that he took up, and he had a good heart.”
