Douglas Henry

Douglas Selph "Duck" Henry Jr. (May 18, 1926 – March 5, 2017) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the longest-serving member of the Tennessee legislature. He was a member of the Tennessee Senate, representing the 21st district (part of Davidson County). He served as a state senator beginning with his election to the 87th General Assembly, prior to which he was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives during the 79th General Assembly.

Early life Henry was born on May 14, 1926, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Kathryn Craig Henry and Douglas Selph Henry Sr. He grew up in Belle Meade, Tennessee, where he was raised as a Presbyterian. His grandfather, Cornelius Abernathy (C.A.) Craig. was the founder of the National Life and Accident Insurance Co., and his father, Douglas Selph Henry Sr., served in the Tennessee Senate. and graduated from the Montgomery Bell Academy in 1941.

Henry served as a member of the United States Army in the Philippines for over two years during World War II.

In the 1970s, Henry smoked marijuana outside the state of Tennessee to experience it before he could vote on a decriminalization bill in the senate.

End of legislative service

When the Republicans became the majority in the state Senate in 2007, they called Henry the “chairman emeritus” of the body's Finance Committee out of respect. Despite being from the minority party, his views within the committee were given disproportionate weight. Yarbro, Henry's challenger in 2010, defeated current Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancini in the 2014 primary and is the current Senator from the 21st District.

By the time he retired, he was the longest-serving member of the Tennessee legislature,

Personal life With his wife, Loiette Hume "Lolly" Henry,

Henry's body was to lie in state in the Tennessee State Capitol on March 9, 2017, which has not happened since Governor Austin Peay in 1927. His funeral was planned to be held at the Downtown Presbyterian Church on March 10, 2017.