MS 169
| MS 169 | |
| AUTHOR : | Tanner, John S. September 22, 1944 |
| TITLE : | John Tanner Congressional Collection |
| DATES : | 1989 - 2011 |
| SIZE : | 147 boxes; 12 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 5 inches 4 boxes; 12 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches 2 boxes; 10 x 15 x 12 inches |
| ARRANGEMENT : | Legislation, district files, and correspondence. Arranged by size of the collection, subject and date. Inventory available online. |
| CONTENTS : | Collection consist of Congressman John Tanners' correspondence, records and other documents while serving as a Representative fro the 8th Congressional District of Tennessee from 1988 to 200?. The collection also contains information related to Congressman Tanners service to the North Alantic Treaty Organization (NATO). |
| HISTORY NOTE : | Tanner was born in Halls, Tennessee, the son of Edith Adell (Sumners) and Emerson Beck “Buzz” Tanner. He grew up in Union City, Tennessee. Following graduation from the University of Tennessee, he served in the United States Navy from 1968 to 1972. He was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1976, replacing Larry Bates, who mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge against U.S. Congressman Ed Jones. When Jones retired in 1988, Tanner won the Democratic nomination for the seat and handily defeated Republican nominee Ed Bryant, who went on to represent the neighboring 7th District from 1995 to 2003. Tanner was reelected in 1990 with no major-party opposition, a feat he repeated in 1992. In 1998, he was completely unopposed. Tanner announced on December 1, 2009 that he would not seek re-election in 2010 and would retire after 11 terms in Congress. As a Congressman, Tanner has sponsored a bill to repeal the inheritance tax (which was vetoed by President Clinton) and he is in favor of a balanced budget. Tanner was a founder of the Blue Dog Democrats. Tanner is strongly in favor of balancing the budget and paying down the national debt. Tanner was one of the few Democrats in the House to vote in favor of CAFTA and has long distanced himself from the majority of his party on issues such as bankruptcy law and lawsuit reform. He voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment, the ban on "partial-birth" abortions, limiting death penalty appeals, and has voted against most gun control measures. On other issues he is more liberal: he often votes with his party on separation of church and states issues, and has consistently voted against the Flag Desecration Amendment. Tanner voted with the majority of his party to expand stem cell research and against renewing the controversial portions of the Patriot Act. He also supports affirmative action and public education. Tanner received much of his knowledge of politics as a youth from his father E.B. "Buzz" Tanner who was successful in the financial and insurance business. He became a member of a highly political and influential law firm out of law school in his home town community and soon ran for office as a state legislator in the House of Representatives. |
| SUBJECT : | Politicians - Tennessee Politics - Tennessee West Tennessee - Politics and government West Tennessee - History - Sources Tanner, John 1944 United States - Politics and Government - 1989 - 2011 Legislators - United States Legislation - NATO, Blue Dog Democrates, Reelfoot Lake |
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