Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 2002 with 50.6% of the vote and re-elected in 2006 with 68.6%. He served as the 66th mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999. Bredesen is the founder of the HealthAmerica Corporation, which he sold in 1986. He is the last Democrat to win and/or hold statewide office in Tennessee.
Official portrait, 2008
Official portrait of Phil Bredesen, hanging in the Tennessee State Capitol
Bredesen in 2003
Bredesen at the 2008 Governor's Luncheon
The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor is the only official in the Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state.
Governor of Tennessee
John Sevier, Tennessee's first governor
Former Governor Sam Houston
James K. Polk