Justin Potter Wilson (born January 4, 1945) is an American lawyer and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician who was the 34th Comptroller of the Treasury of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. He has been Tennessee deputy governor, a federal judicial nominee to the

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of K ...

, and an adjunct professor at

Vanderbilt University Law School Vanderbilt University Law School (also known as Vanderbilt Law School or VLS) is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law School has consiste ...

Early life and education

Born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, in 1945, Wilson earned a bachelor's degree from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1967, a J.D. degree from

in 1970, an L.L.M. in taxation from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

in 1974, and a master's degree in criminal justice from the unaccredited Kennedy-Western University in 1995.Comptroller of the Treasury
, ''

Tennessee Blue Book The ''Tennessee Blue Book'' is an official government manual for the U.S. state of Tennessee, published by the Secretary of State of Tennessee. The ''Blue Book'' is typically published on a biennial basis. Its contents include details on the organ ...

2009-2010'', page 107.

Career

Private practice of law

Wilson is a member of the bar in the states of Tennessee and New York. He practiced law with the

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

law firm of Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP from 1976 until 1996. He rejoined the firm in 2003 and resigned in 2009 when he became state comptroller.

Government service

From 1996 until 2003, Wilson was deputy governor to Tennessee Governor

Don Sundquist Donald Kenneth Sundquist (born March 15, 1936) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 47th Governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003. Prior to his governorship, he represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the Unit ...

, in which position he was the governor's chief policy advisor. He also served as a commissioner of the

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is a Cabinet-level agency within the government of the U.S. state of Tennessee, headed by the Tennessee Commissioner of Environment and Conservation. The Department of Conservation ...

.Justin P. Wilson, Adjunct Professor of Law, Comptroller, State of Tennessee
Vanderbilt University Law School website, accessed October 28, 2011 As a top policy advisor to Governor Sundquist, Wilson focused on environmental issues. He was honored as the state's Conservationist of the Year in 1997. The

Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park The Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, commonly known as the Cumberland Trail, is a Tennessee hiking trail following a line of ridges and gorges along the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains in Tennes ...

was renamed in his honor in 2002 in recognition of his environmental work, which included cleanup of pollution in the Pigeon River and negotiating land donations from the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina ...

.Cumberland Trail Renamed for Sundquist Aide Justin Wilson
, Chattanoogan, Sep 23, 2002 He was named the Tennessee Conservation League's "Conservationist of the Year" in 1997. He battled

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

smog Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and '' fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odor. The word was then inte ...

rules Tennessee Governor Talks of Revolt on E.P.A. Smog Rules
by Robyn Meredith, New York Times, Mar 15, 1998 and toxic waste incineration at

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research and ...

, and negotiated water allocation of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

with the TVA. On January 15, 2009, Wilson was elected Tennessee state comptroller 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 ...

. He was awarded the honorific title of Comptroller Emeritus after retiring on January 13, 2021.

Judicial nomination

On March 20, 1992, President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

nominated Wilson to a seat on the

that became vacant after Judge

Robert B. Krupansky Robert Bazil Krupansky (August 15, 1921 – November 8, 2004) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern Dis ...

assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

. Wilson received a rating of "qualified" from the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

.Ratings of Judicial Nominees, 102nd Congress
American Bar Association, accessed October 28, 2011 Wilson's nomination languished in the

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

-controlled U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, which never held a hearing. Wilson's nomination expired with the end of Bush's presidency. Several years later, Judge

Karen Nelson Moore Karen Nelson Moore (born November 19, 1948) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Her chambers are in Cleveland, Ohio. Education Moore received he ...

was confirmed to the seat to which Wilson had been nominated.

Professional activities

Wilson is or was a member of the Financial Advisory Board of the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

and chairman of the Nashville Electric Board, Davidson County Metropolitan Health Board, Community Health Agency of Nashville and Davidson County, and the Committee of Visitors of the

Blair School of Music The Blair School of Music, located in Nashville, Tennessee, provides a conservatory-caliber undergraduate education in music performance, composition, or integrated music studies (theory and history) within the context of a major research univer ...

of Vanderbilt University. He also has served as foreman of the Davidson County Grand Jury and as a member of the executive committee of

Meharry Medical College Meharry Medical College is a private historically black medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, it was the first me ...

Personal life

Wilson is married to Barbara Engelhardt. They have two sons, Walter and Wesley. Wilson also has two sons, Justin Potter Wilson, Jr and Whitney Danner Wilson, from a previous first marriage to Donna Danner Wilson.

References

External links

Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Justin P. 1945 births 21st-century American politicians American lawyers Living people Stanford University alumni State cabinet secretaries of Tennessee Tennessee Republicans Vanderbilt University Law School alumni Comptrollers of the Treasury of Tennessee