Jeanne Stephenson Bodfish (January 7, 1920 — October 31, 2012) was an American politician who served as the 31st

Comptroller of the Treasury of Tennessee The Comptroller of the Treasury of Tennessee is an office established by Chapter 12 of the Public Acts of 1835-36 of Tennessee's General Assembly. Later, in 1870, the position of Comptroller became mandatory by the state constitution. The office h ...

from 1953 to 1955. Bodfish was Tennessee's first and only female Comptroller of the Treasury.

Biography

Bodfish was born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

in 1920 to Margaret and Jay Stephenson. She studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

and

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. Bodfish was a political science instructor at

from 1950 to 1952. In 1953, Bodfish was elected by the

Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title ...

to become the

. She only served one term of two years. Bodfish died on October 31, 2012, survived by her two children.

Family and legacy

Bodfish married Robert Valentine Bodfish in 1945. They had two children: Jayne and John. The 108th

General Assembly of Tennessee The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title ...

recognized Bodfish's "insightful decisions on governmental accountability" and how they impacted the government of Tennessee for the sixty years following her election in 1953.

References

1920 births 2012 deaths Comptrollers of the Treasury of Tennessee Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee Vanderbilt University alumni University of Chicago alumni {{Tennessee-politician-stub