Steve Southerland (born March 8, 1955) is a Republican member of the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue rega ...

representing the 1st district, which encompasses Cocke County, Greene County,

Hamblen County Hamblen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,499. Its county seat and only incorporated city is Morristown. Hamblen County is the core county of the Morristown Metropolitan ...

, and part of Sevier County.Senate biography
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Biography

Early life

Steve Southerland was born on March 8, 1955. He attended Walters State Community College. He became a mortgage broker.

Career

He was elected to the 103rd - 110th

General Assemblies A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

. He is Vice-Chair of the Senate Commerce, Labor and Agriculture Committee. He serves as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, the Senate Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee, the Senate Ethics Committee, and the Joint Fiscal Review Committee. He is currently the Senate Deputy Speaker, Republican Caucus

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

, and he has been appointed to the Financial Services Standing Committee of the National Conference on State Legislatures. In a March 2004 interview with ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

'', Steve Southerland stated that he is against

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

and he does not believe that

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

s and

domestic partnership A domestic partnership is a legal relationship, usually between couples, who live together and share a common domestic life, but are not married (to each other or to anyone else). People in domestic partnerships receive benefits that guarantee ...

s should be allowed in Tennessee. He is a member of the Morristown Area

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ...

, the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

and the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...

. He attends a

Baptist church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul comp ...

Personal life

He is married to Cheri Southerland, and they have two daughters, Mattea and Mara. He is not related to former U. S. Representative Steve Southerland.

References

Republican Party Tennessee state senators Living people 1955 births 21st-century American politicians Walters State Community College alumni {{tennessee-politician-stub