This article will answer every question you have about Bill Lee. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.
- What does Lee do for a living?
- Who are Lee’s parents and siblings?
- What are Lee’s interests and hobbies?
- Is Lee married or does he have a girlfriend/boyfriend?
- Does Lee have any children?
- Where is Lee now?
- How tall is Lee?
- How much money does Lee earn?
- What is Lee’s net worth?
N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.
Who is Bill Lee?
William Byron Lee abbreviated as Bill Lee is a prominent American businessman, cattle farmer, former mechanical engineer, and politician serving as the 50th governor of Tennessee since 2019. Elected in 2018 he is a member of the Republican Party. Before indulging in politics, he led various positions at the Lee Company, a business operated by the Lee family; and from 1992 to 2016, he was the company’s president and chief executive officer.
How Old Is Bill Lee?
He is 63 years old as of November 2022, having been born on October 9, 1959, in Franklin, Tennessee, U.S. Lee shares his birthdate with celebrities such as; Bella Hadid, Landon Barker, John Lennon (1940-1980), Mariah Jade, Tyler James Williams, and many more.
Bill Lee Family
Who are Bill Lee’s Parents?
He was born to Wallace Lee (Father) and Ann Lee (Mother).
Does Bill Lee have Siblings?
He has a sister by the name of Cynthia Lee.
Bill Lee Education
He received his high school education at Franklin High School where he graduated. After graduating from high school, he attended Auburn University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1981.
Bill Lee’s Marital Status
He is married to the love of his life Maria Lee, they married in October 2008. However, he was previously married to the love of his life Carol Ann Lee, they married in 1984 until Carol’s death in 2000.
Bill Lee Kids
He has four kids. Two daughters by the name Jessica Lee Stowell (born in 1986) and Sarah Kate Lee (born in 1995). And two sons by the name of Jacob Lee and Caleb Lee.
Bill Lee Career
An Early Career
From 1992 until 2016, he was named president and CEO of his family’s home services and construction company, Lee Company. And briefly served as chairman.
A Career in the 2018 Election
He announced his candidacy for the 2018 election for governor of Tennessee in April 2017. As a self-described social conservative, he also targeted pro-business Republicans. In the Republican primary election, he ran against Congresswoman Diane Black, Randy Boyd, and state House Speaker Beth Harwell. Lee went on and won the August 2 primary with 291,414 votes (36.8%) to Boyd’s 193,054 (24.3%), Black’s 182,457 (23.0%), and Harwell’s 121,484 (15.3%). In the November 6 general election, he defeated the Democratic nominee, former Nashville mayor Karl Dean. Receiving 1,336,106 votes (59.5%) to Dean’s 864,863 (38.5%). Previously, he chaired and served on the committee of the Tennessee Prayer Breakfast.
A Career Tenure as Governor
He was sworn in on January 19, 2019, and delivered his first State of address to the Tennessee General Assembly in March 2019.
Abortion
In January 2020, he proposed a bill to ban abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The legislation was among the nation’s strictest abortion bans and was similar to six-week abortions that were blocked by courts in Mississippi, Ohio, and other states. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, he supported Tennessee’s near-total ban on abortion which provides no exception for rape, incest, or the mother’s health.
Health Career and Leave
He opposes the expansion of TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program, as allowed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As governor, he has rejected proposals to expand TennCare. Moreover, he has supported calls from dentists to extend TennCare to pregnant women who need dental care.
Budget and Economy
In 2019, he proposed repealing Tennessee’s 10% amusement tax on the gym, fitness center, and health club fees, arguing that the tax discourages Tennesseans from being physically active. Moreover, he supported a Tennessee delegation in September 2020 that traveled to Beijing to enhance trade and economic linkages between the state and the People’s Republic of China.
Education
In a March 2019 “State of West Tennessee” address, he proposed creating more charter schools and that the state use $25 million to help traditional public schools when they lose students. The following year in February, “stet of West Tennessee” addressed he proposed investing $70 million to equip teachers with professional development, materials, and other tools to help increase the state’s literacy rate. He then announced in April 2019, that Tennessee would temporarily reinstate paper-based assessments for students taking the TNReady test. In May 2019, he signed into law a school voucher bill that created a program to provide public funds to families for private school tuition and costs, starting in the 2020-21 fiscal year. That same year in July, he signed a bill into law that calls for school districts across the state to establish threat assessment teams to address potential threats to school safety.
Race Relations and Floyd Protests
Lee went on to sign an order proclaiming Nathan Bedford Forrest Day in July 2019, as required by Tennessee law. In December 2019, he proclaimed December 1 Rosa Parks Day, to commemorate the start of the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. The following year in May, after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd. Lee then condemned the officers involved saying “police brutality is not law enforcement”. He then signed into law a bill in August 2020, increasing the severity of penalties for a number of protestant-related offenses.
Capital Punishment
Since resuming executions in 2018, he supports capital punishment and Tennessee has executed seven people. Another notable person executed under Lee is Nichols Todd Sutton. He was then sentenced to life after taking 3 lives from 1979 to 1980.
Guns
With the support of Republican state legislators, in 2019, he loosened Tennessee’s handgun law. Thus allowing “concealed-carry-only” handgun permits to be obtained without requiring applicants to show an ability to fire a weapon. In April 2021, Lee went on and signed into law a “permitless carry” bill; the legislation allows most adults 21 and older (as well as military personnel ages 18–20) to carry handguns (open and concealed) without a background check or required training.
A Career in the 2020 Presidential Election
On September 18, 2020, after Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Ginsburg died. Several weeks before the presidential election, Lee supported Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacant seat, citing his position on abortion. After Joe Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election, he was one of many Republican officials nationwide and in Tennessee who refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory amid Trump’s false claims of fraud.
Social Issues
He identifies himself as a social conservative. And he emphasized his Christian faith, creating an office devoted to “faith-based” initiatives and declaring October 10 an official voluntary day of prayer and fasting.
LGBT Issues
He supports allowing religious foster care and adoption agencies to prohibit same-sex married couples from adopting children. In January 2020, he signed into law a bill that assures continued taxpayer funding of faith-based foster care and adoption agencies even if they exclude LGBT families and others based on religious beliefs. He then signed legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in sports opposite to their biological sex on March 26. This made Tennessee the third state to do so. In May 2020, he signed a controversial “bathroom bill” that proposed transgender people from accessing public school bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
Marijuana and Gambling
As a candidate for governor, he opposed medical marijuana legislation and marijuana decriminalization. He then went on and continued to oppose marijuana decriminalization even as governor. Saying in 2019, “I have said before and still believe that we should not decriminalize marijuana… I think that’s not good for our state”. Lee allowed a sports betting legalization bill to become law without his signature in 2019.
COVID-19 Pandemic
In response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases, on March 12, 2020, he issued an executive order declaring a temporary state of emergency in Tennessee to “facilitate the treatment and containment of COVID-19”. As the number of COVID-19 cases grew, in March 2020, he urged school districts to close through March to prevent the further spread of the disease. The following month, as the number of COVID-19 cases, continued to grow, he asked all school districts to close for the remainder of the school year. After a member of Lee’s security detail tested positive for COVID-19. in October 2020, he said that he and his wife would quarantine at home, likely for two weeks. In November 2021, he signed a bill into law that restricted the ability of localities to implement public health restrictions such as mask mandates.
Other
In February 2020, he signed a bill making Tennessee’s official nickname the “Volunteer State”. The following year, he appointed John DeBerry as his senior advisor. In 2022, he signed a bill into law that prohibits localities in Tennessee from using ranked-choice voting.
A Career in the 2022 Reelection Campaign
Lee announced in September 2020, that he would run for reelection in 2022. In the Republican primary, he was unchallenged, and on August 21, he was endorsed by former president Trump. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Jason Martin.
Bill Lee Height and Measurements
Adding up to his well-built body is a height of 5ft 8inches (1.73m) and a weight of 70kg (154lbs).
Bill Lee’s Salary and Net Worth
His salary is not mentioned on the internet but has an estimated net worth of between $1 and $5 million.
