Introduction
Bill Haslam is an American businessman and politician who served as Tennessee’s 49th governor from 2011 to 2019. Haslam, a member of the Republican Party, served as the 67th mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, in the past. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he earned a degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He began his business career by joining his father, the founder of Pilot Corporation, Jim Haslam. Haslam rose to the position of president of Pilot Corp in the 1990s, after his brother Jimmy Haslam became the company’s chief executive officer.
Haslam then left Pilot and served as the CEO of the e-commerce and cataloging division at Saks Fifth Avenue from 1999 to 2001. He later served on the board of directors for Harold’s Stores, Inc. after serving as a consultant for Saks. He is a co-owner of the Tennessee Smokies, a minor league baseball team. In the 2003 Knoxville mayoral election, he was elected mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee with 52% of the vote. He was reelected as mayor of Knoxville in 2007 with 87% of the vote and served until 2011. In January 2009, following the expiration of Governor Phil Bredesen’s term, Haslam declared his candidacy for the office.
He defeated U.S. Representative Zach Wamp and Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey in the Republican primary with 47% of the vote and defeated Democratic businessman Mike McWherter in the 2010 general election with 65% of the vote. According to a 2015 Forbes article, Haslam’s net worth was $2 billion, making him the wealthiest elected official in the country at the time. He was the wealthiest state governor in America until January 2019, when Illinois’s Democrat J. B. Pritzker took office. Haslam became a visiting professor of political science at Vanderbilt University in the fall of 2019.
Early existence
Bill Haslam
Value of $2.5 billion
Occupation Entrepreneur, Former Governor Age 63
Height 1.85m
2022 Bill Haslam net worth
William Edward Haslam was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States on August 23, 1958 (he is 63 years old). He is the third child of Jim Haslam, the founder of Pilot Corporation, the parent company of the Pilot Flying J chain of convenience stores and travel centers, and Cynthia Haslam (Allen). For decades, Jim Haslam has been a Republican Party fundraiser, University of Tennessee donor, and trustee. Haslam attended Knoxville’s Webb School, where he became involved with the Christian organization Young Life. In 1980, he graduated from Emory University with a bachelor’s degree in history.
Bill Haslam is a member of the Sigma Chi International Fraternity’s Beta Chi chapter. Haslam began working part-time for his father’s company as a teenager. He intended to teach history and become a minister in the future. After graduating from college, he returned to Knoxville to work for Pilot in order to gain business experience prior to entering seminary. He ultimately decided to remain with the company. In 1995, he was promoted to president of the company (with his brother serving as CEO and his father as chairman).
In 1999, Bill Haslam became the chief executive officer of the e-commerce and catalog division at Saks Fifth Avenue. He left Saks in 2001 and joined the board of Harold’s Stores Inc., a Dallas-based clothing chain, later that year. Haslam is one of the owners of the Tennessee Smokies, an East Tennessee minor league baseball team. In 2012, his brother, the current chief executive officer of Pilot Flying J, Jimmy Haslam, became the majority owner of the Cleveland Browns.
Bill Haslam, the current mayor of Knoxville, declared his candidacy for mayor in 2002, inspired in part by a conversation he had with Bob Corker, the then-mayor of Chattanooga and later United States senator. Although Knoxville’s mayoral elections are nominally non-partisan, it was widely known that Haslam was a Republican when he ran for office. Haslam dismissed Rogero’s attack as “petty, personal politics”
On September 30, 2003, Haslam defeated Rogero with a 52% to 46% margin of victory. Haslam was inaugurated in December of 2003. Haslam appointed Rogero director of community development in 2006, later stating he was inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s decision to appoint former campaign rivals to his cabinet after reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals. In 2007, he was re-elected with 87% of the vote against Isa Infante and Mark Saroff.
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His accomplishments as mayor include the preservation of the historic S&W Cafeteria in downtown Knoxville, the construction of a new movie theater (the Regal Riviera) in the city’s downtown, and the revitalization of the historic Bijou Theatre. In 2008, President George W. Bush appointed him to a four-year term on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Along with historical preservation efforts, Haslam aided residential and retail expansion in the downtown area by primarily offering tax subsidies to developers. He assisted in the implementation of a master plan for the development of the South Knoxville riverfront, for which the Tennessee Chapter of the American Planning Association awarded him the Outstanding Planning Award. The balanced budget policy implemented by the Haslam administration doubled the city’s savings during his first term.
On January 6, 2009, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced his intention to run for Tennessee Governor in 2010. Between January and July 1 of 2009, his campaign received $3.9 million in contributions, substantially more than his Republican primary opponents. At that time, the lieutenant governor received $1,3 million, the congressman received $1,2 million, and the district attorney general of Shelby County reported $416,000. Among Democratic candidates, businessman Mike McWherter raised $650,000 by midyear, followed by former State House Majority Leader Kim McMillan, who raised $180,000.
Former U.S. Senator Howard Baker and Congressman Jimmy Duncan both endorsed Haslam. The Tennessean wrote, “Despite their different party affiliations, Haslam appears most likely to ride on the pro-business coattails of Governor Phil Bredesen.” Haslam raised $1,8 million on the Republican side between July 1, 2009 and January 15, 2010. Ramsey raised $1,412,593 including a $200,000 loan, Wamp raised $1,373,078 including a $61,000 loan, and Gibbons raised $225,218. State Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle raised $741,485, including a $300,000 personal loan, during the six-month period, followed by McWherter with $402,868, and McMillan with $159,000.
He ran on his executive experience as mayor of Knoxville and president of a major corporation. His opponents attacked him as an oil executive, particularly in light of price-gouging allegations leveled against Pilot in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s fuel shortages, and criticized his refusal to disclose information regarding his income while employed by Pilot. Haslam won the Republican primary for governor on August 5, 2010, with nearly 48% of the vote, compared to 29% for Wamp and 22% for Ramsey. The Democrats nominated Mike McWherter, the son of former Governor Ned McWherter, after several prominent elected officials declined the nomination.
On November 2, 2010, Haslam defeated Democratic candidate Mike McWherter to win the governorship with 65 percent of the vote to McWherter’s 35 percent. Additionally, the Republicans increased their majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, giving the Republican Party complete control of the state government for the first time since 1869. Bill Haslam declared his intention to seek re-election in 2014. In the Republican primary, he defeated three other candidates with 88% of the vote. Haslam defeated Democratic nominee Charles Brown in the general election on November 4, 2014, with over 70% of the vote.
Bill Haslam stated that his top priorities as governor were job creation and long-term economic growth, followed by education reform and workforce development. Haslam signed a $30.8 billion state budget on June 16, 2011, a 3.9% decrease from the previous year’s budget. The budget included a 1.6% pay increase for state employees, as well as the elimination of over 1,300 positions, grants to facilitate the construction of Electrolux and Wacker Chemie factories near Memphis and Cleveland, and $10 million for the Memphis Research Consortium. The budget bill also included an amendment severing all state funding for Planned Parenthood, but the measure was nullified by an amendment inserted by an unidentified legislator, a situation that Haslam vowed to rectify in 2012.
Haslam signed a bill repealing a Nashville ordinance prohibiting discrimination against the hiring of homosexuals by companies awarded city contracts on May 23, 2011. On June 1, Haslam signed a bill requiring voters to present photo identification at polling places, a measure that proponents claim prevents voter fraud, but opponents have criticized as an attempt to disenfranchise traditionally Democratic voting blocs. On June 2, Haslam signed a bill replacing the collective bargaining rights of public school teachers with “collaborative conferencing,” effectively bypassing the Tennessee Education Association.
Bill Haslam also signed a tort reform measure that limits non-economic damages in civil lawsuits, a bill that lifted the cap on the number of charter schools in the state and allowed more students to enroll in charter schools, and a bill that permits college students to use Hope Scholarship funds during summer semesters. In October 2011, Haslam authorized the implementation of a curfew on Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville, where several hundred Occupy Nashville protesters (part of the larger Occupy Wall Street movement) were camping.
In the early morning hours of October 28, 29 protesters were arrested for refusing to comply with the order, and 26 protesters were arrested the following day. In both instances, General Sessions Night Court Commissioner Tom Nelson ruled that the state lacked the authority to impose a curfew on Legislative Plaza and overturned the arrests. Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit on October 31 to halt the arrests, have stated that the curfew violates the protesters’ civil rights.
Haslam signed a $31 billion budget bill for 2012 that included $50 million in tax cuts, $560 million for construction projects, a 2.5% pay raise for state employees, and additional funding to offset expected tuition increases at state colleges. In June, Haslam signed legislation eliminating the state’s gift tax, reducing the state’s inheritance tax, and lowering the grocery sales tax. In addition, he signed the “Fast Track” bill, which provided cash grants to companies expanding or relocating to Tennessee.
Haslam was granted a waiver from certain portions of the federal No Child Left Behind standards for the state of Tennessee. Haslam argued that the Adequate Yearly Progress model of the law labeled some state schools as failing despite the fact that these schools had made significant progress. In May, he signed a bill granting state schools $37 million in grants. Haslam proposed a reform of the state’s higher education system in July in an effort to increase the number of college graduates in high-paying fields.
In March 2012, the legislature passed a bill protecting instructors who challenge scientific theories in the classroom, such as the theory of evolution and global warming. The measure was criticized by critics as a “monkey bill” that was merely an attempt to allow creationism to be taught in science classes. Haslam refused to sign and veto the bill, effectively allowing it to become law. He criticized the bill for creating confusion rather than clarity, but noted that the legislature had passed it with a large majority and argued that the bill would have no impact on the state’s science curriculum.
On March 8, 2012, Bill Haslam instructed his Health and Wellness Task Force to focus on the growing obesity problem in Tennessee, noting that nearly one-third of Tennesseans are obese. Beginning in early April, he launched the “Meth Stops Now” campaign to educate the public about the consequences of methamphetamine production. In May, he signed legislation aimed at preventing the abuse of prescription drugs.
Haslam signed the Tennessee Excellence, Accountability, and Management (“TEAM”) Act on April 24, 2012, which established a new hiring system for state agencies and revamped the evaluation standards for state employees by placing a greater emphasis on job performance as opposed to seniority. In addition, the bill makes it easier to hire and fire employees of the executive branch, establishes merit raises for high-performing employees, and gives preference to veterans over applicants with equal qualifications for job openings.
In May 2012, Bill Haslam signed legislation prohibiting sex education instructors from promoting “gateway sexual activity.” Proponents of the bill argued that it was necessary to clarify the definition of abstinence, while opponents argued that the bill’s language was overly vague and could be interpreted to include kissing and holding hands. Haslam also signed in May a measure requiring drug testing for welfare recipients, a measure providing grants to companies to cover training costs for recently laid-off workers, and a measure requiring Amazon.com to begin collecting sales taxes on online purchases by 2014.
After the General Assembly adjourned permanently in May, Haslam issued his first veto as governor. He vetoed a controversial bill that would have ended Vanderbilt University’s “All Comers” policy, which required religious groups at the university to allow any student to join, regardless of the student’s religious affiliation. Since the legislature was no longer in session, the veto could not be overridden. Haslam stated that he disagreed with the policy but that he did not believe it was appropriate for the government to intervene in the policies of a private institution.
Haslam announced in December 2012 that Tennessee would not implement a provision of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) that permits a state-run health insurance exchange. Haslam had considered a state-run exchange for several weeks, but argued that the federal government had not provided sufficient information regarding the program’s costs, and that what had been provided were subject to change draft proposals. “I am increasingly convinced that they are making this up as they go along,” he said.
In April 2014, Bill Haslam signed into law a measure permitting the criminal assault prosecution of a new mother who had used narcotics during pregnancy. The law has been criticized for being discriminatory towards women from impoverished rural areas with limited access to healthcare and addiction treatment facilities. In Madisonville, Monroe County, the first woman prosecuted under this law was arrested in July 2014. In April 2016, Haslam vetoed a bill that would have made the Bible Tennessee’s official book. The bill, sponsored by Republican State Senator Steve Southerland of Morristown, was approved by both the State House and Senate. If signed by Haslam, Tennessee would have been the first state to adopt the Bible as its official book.
The bill was vetoed by Bill Haslam on April 14, 2016. In the State House, an attempt to override the veto failed after 43 votes fell short of the necessary 50 votes. Bill Haslam will serve on the sixteen-member search committee charged with finding a new chancellor for the Tennessee Board of Regents. He will continue to contribute to the Board’s reorganization, which includes the implementation of the FOCUS Act. In April of 2017, Haslam signed into law the IMPROVE Act. The bill, titled “Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads, and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy,” reduced the state sales tax on food from five to four percent, increased the gasoline and diesel fuel taxes by six and ten cents, respectively, increased the tax on natural gas by eight cents, raised vehicle registration fees, and instituted a new $100 annual fee for electric vehicles. Its primary objective was to fund a backlog of 962 highway projects totaling $10 billion. In 1986, then-governor Lamar Alexander launched a similar program called the Better Roads Program.
In May 2017, Haslam signed into law HB 1111/SB 1085. Human Rights Campaign viewed the bill as an attempt to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges and undermine same-sex marriage in Tennessee. The Tennessee Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) criticized Haslam for signing the bill into law.
Political positions
Bill Haslam supports a fiscally conservative state budget that maintains low tax rates in order to foster a business-friendly environment. While he generally supports budget cuts, Haslam has asserted that the Republican Party focuses excessively on reducing the size of government rather than making it effective. “In the end,” he said, “I believe the most conservative principle is providing a dollar’s worth of value for every dollar of tax paid.”
Haslam was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition until early 2009, when he resigned and joined the National Rifle Association. As a candidate for governor, Haslam stated he would sign a constitutional carry bill; however, as governor, he has opposed such legislation. Haslam opposes abortion. As governor, Haslam implemented education reform programs that made higher education tuition-free. Launched in 2014, the Tennessee Promise program provides high school graduates with two years of tuition-free access to community or technical college. The Tennessee Reconnect program allows the majority of the state’s adults to earn an associate degree or technical certificate without paying tuition.
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He framed the education reforms within the context of economic development, as the state sought to increase the skills of its workforce in order to attract businesses. Bill Haslam is opposed to same-sex marriage, but he has stated he would not discriminate against gay employees. In May of 2017, he signed a bill mandating the use of the so-called “natural and ordinary meaning” of words in state statutes and government documents unless otherwise defined. This law will make it harder for same-sex couples to adopt children, which will please socially conservative organizations such as the Family Action Council of Tennessee. The latter vigorously advocated for the passage of this bill to ensure that Tennessee courts only accept a ‘traditional’ definition of family. Governor Haslam “has now placed the future of the state’s economy and the well-being of the LGBTQ community in jeopardy,” according to a statement from the LGBT organization GLAAD.
Bill Haslam has stated that he favors cracking down on businesses that employ illegal immigrants and hinted that he would sign a law requiring law enforcement officers to check the citizenship status of suspects who may be in the country illegally if it were passed by the state legislature. Bill Haslam endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination in the 2012 United States presidential election on January 11, 2012. This announcement followed Romney’s victory in the January 10 primary in New Hampshire.
Haslam’s father was the Romney campaign’s Tennessee state co-chairman. Haslam stated in a 2013 interview with Politico that many of the state legislature’s more controversial measures, such as the 2012 law protecting teachers who dispute evolution in the classroom, were “frustrating and distracting.” In his travels across the state, he observed, “those are not the issues I hear people discussing.” Following the announcement that US Senator Lamar Alexander would not seek re-election in 2020, rumors began to circulate that Bill Haslam would run for the seat. In July of 2019, Haslam announced that he would not do so.
Bill Haslam’s wife, Crissy Garrett, is his spouse; they were married in 1981. He and his wife, whom he met at Emory University, have one son, two daughters, and eight grandchildren. Bill Haslam is a Presbyterian and a longtime member of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, a Knoxville congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. In Nashville, he attends Christ Presbyterian Church. Since 2011, Haslam has been a member of the Young Life Board of Trustees. Midway through 2022, Bill Haslam and his wife Crissy Garrett are still happily married and raising their children and grandchildren.
Bill Haslam’s wealth
What is Bill Haslam’s net worth? The estimated net worth of Bill Haslam is approximately $2.5 billion. His primary source of income comes from his business and political careers. Bill Haslam’s monthly salary and career earnings exceed $150 million annually. His successful career has afforded him a luxurious lifestyle and exotic automobile excursions. He is one of the wealthiest and most successful businessmen in America. Bill Haslam has an attractive height of 1.85 meters and a healthy weight that complements his personality.