Phil Bredesen Bio
Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. (born November 21, 1943) 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 previously served as the 66th mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999. Bredesen is the founder of the HealthAmerica Corporation, a managed-care company he sold in 1986, and he later chaired Silicon Ranch Corporation, a solar power developer.
After leaving the governorship, Bredesen ran as the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 2018, losing to Republican Marsha Blackburn. He is widely described as a moderate Democrat who combines fiscal conservatism with socially liberal positions. He is the last Democrat to win or hold statewide office in Tennessee.
Early Life and Background
Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. was born in Oceanport, New Jersey, the son of Norma Lucille (Walborn) and Philip Norman Bredesen. His parents later divorced, and his mother worked as a bank teller while raising him. During his childhood, his grandmother, who earned a living through sewing, lived with the family. He spent his formative years in Shortsville, New York, a small community about 30 miles from Rochester.
Bredesen attended Red Jacket Central Elementary and Secondary School in the adjoining village of Manchester, New York. He went on to receive a scholarship to Harvard University, where he graduated with an undergraduate degree in physics. His science training would later shape his analytical approach to business and government, giving him a reputation as a data-driven problem solver.
Path to US Politics
Bredesen’s first exposure to national politics came in 1968, when he worked on the presidential campaign of Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, who was seeking the Democratic nomination. The following year, Bredesen launched his own political campaign, running for the Massachusetts State Senate. He was defeated by the popular Republican incumbent, Ronald MacKenzie, in his first electoral test.
After this loss, Bredesen shifted his focus to the private sector. He joined the pharmaceutical firm G.D. Searle & Company in 1971 and moved to London in 1973 to manage one of its divisions. In 1975, Bredesen moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he founded HealthAmerica Corp., a managed-care insurance company. The success of that venture gave him the financial independence and name recognition needed to return to public life.
Phil Bredesen Career
Early Career (1987–1990)
Bredesen entered electoral politics in 1987, when he ran for mayor of Nashville. He finished second out of ten candidates with 30 percent of the vote, trailing 5th District Congressman Bill Boner, who won 46 percent. Because no candidate reached the threshold for an outright victory, Bredesen and Boner faced each other in a runoff, which Boner ultimately won by emphasizing his Nashville roots against Bredesen’s Northern background.
Later that December, Bredesen entered the Democratic primary for the 5th District congressional seat left open by Boner’s mayoral victory. He finished a distant second behind Bob Clement, the son of former Governor Frank G. Clement. These early defeats gave Bredesen valuable campaign experience and set the stage for his successful 1991 mayoral run.
Mayor of Nashville Breakthrough (1991–1999)
Ahead of the 1991 mayoral race, incumbent Bill Boner declined to seek reelection amid personal controversy. Bredesen won the election decisively, defeating Councilwoman Betty Nixon by a wide margin. During his two terms as mayor, he added more than 440 new teachers, built 32 new schools, and renovated 43 others while implementing a back-to-basics curriculum focused on reading, math, and writing fundamentals.
His administration also oversaw major economic development achievements. The NFL’s Houston Oilers, now the Tennessee Titans, were brought to Nashville with a new stadium, and the city was awarded its first NHL expansion franchise, the Nashville Predators, along with the construction of Bridgestone Arena. Bredesen also championed a new downtown library, the renovation of the entertainment district, and the establishment of two new parks. He chose not to run for a third term in 1999.
Governor of Tennessee Era (2002–2011)
After an unsuccessful 1994 gubernatorial run, Bredesen won the 2002 election for governor, narrowly defeating Republican Van Hilleary. He took office during a fiscal crisis, signing a 9 percent across-the-board spending cut in 2003 to address an $800 million budget shortfall. He reformed the troubled TennCare program, removing 191,000 Medicaid-eligible patients and reducing program costs by more than $500 million by 2006.
Bredesen was easily reelected in 2006, winning 68.6 percent of the vote and sweeping all 95 Tennessee counties while setting a state record for gubernatorial votes. He established the Tennessee Lottery to fund college scholarships, expanded pre-kindergarten statewide, launched the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, and raised teacher pay above the Southeastern average. During his tenure, more than 2,889 companies expanded or relocated to Tennessee, bringing over 104,000 jobs and $12.8 billion in investment.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of Bredesen’s most talked-about moments came in 2007, when he proposed a privately funded $4.8 million dining room upgrade at the Governor’s Mansion. Critics dubbed the project “Bredesen’s Bunker,” and the controversy became a defining media story of his second term. He also gained national attention in 2018 when singer-songwriter Taylor Swift made her first political endorsement in support of his Senate campaign.
Phil Bredesen Career Wins
Phil Bredesen won his most prominent elections while serving as a moderate Democrat in traditionally conservative territory. His career victories include two terms as mayor of Nashville and two terms as governor of Tennessee, making him one of the most successful Democrats in modern Tennessee history.
Mayoral and Gubernatorial Highlights
Bredesen won the 1991 Nashville mayoral race with 78,896 votes, defeating Betty Nixon’s 30,282. He then won the 2002 Tennessee gubernatorial election with 837,284 votes to Van Hilleary’s 786,803, and followed it up with a historic 2006 reelection, capturing 1,247,491 votes against Jim Bryson’s 540,853. These wins established Bredesen as a rare statewide Democratic victor in the South.
Other Wins & Achievements
In the 2018 Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Bredesen won decisively with 91.50 percent of the vote, gathering 348,302 ballots. Although he lost the general election to Marsha Blackburn, his primary success reflected his enduring appeal among Tennessee Democrats. He is also the founder of HealthAmerica Corporation and the post-2018 renewable energy startup Clearloop.
Phil Bredesen Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Bredesen was raised by his mother, Norma Lucille (Walborn), a bank teller, after his parents divorced. His father, Philip Norman Bredesen, and his grandmother, who worked as a seamstress, also shaped his early years in Shortsville, New York. His family background emphasized self-reliance and hard work, values that would later define his political and business philosophy.
Personal Life
Bredesen married Susan Cleaves in 1968, and the couple divorced in 1974 without having children. Later that same year, he married Andrea Conte in Wheatley, Oxfordshire, England. Bredesen and Conte have one son, Ben. Bredesen is a licensed pilot, a hunter, an outdoorsman, and a painter whose artwork was occasionally featured on official Governor’s holiday cards. He identifies as Presbyterian and resides in Nashville, Tennessee.