Kent Williams (politician)

rdf:langString Kent Williams (politician)

rdf:langString Kent Williams

rdf:langString Kent Williams

rdf:langString Tennessee

rdf:langString Independent

rdf:langString Republican

rdf:langString Gayle Williams

rdf:langString Tennessee

rdf:langString Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives

rdf:langString Kent Williams (born June 23, 1949) was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, first elected in 2006 to the Tennessee House of Representative as a Republican from the House District 4 (then entirely then Carter County in 2006 and subsequently reelected to the House in 2008. Williams was the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives during the 106th Tennessee General Assembly (2009—2010). During January 2009, Williams, together with all 49 House Democrats (including former Elizabethton resident Rep. Gary Odom), cast the last tie-breaking vote from the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives to become the first elected Republican Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives since 1969. The Tennessee Republican Party State Executive Committee, still stinging over the unanticipated election defeat of Rep. Jason Mumpower as the next Speaker of the House, voted to eject Williams as a bona fide member of the Tennessee Republican Party. In response, Speaker Williams then chose "Carter County Republican" as his new party designation and was later reelected to a third term in the Tennessee House of Representatives by Carter County voters over the Republican Party primary winner. Williams was re-elected to the House as an independent in 2010 and 2012. He did not stand for re-election to the Speakership. On August 29, 2013, Williams announced he would not run for re-election in 2014.