Bill Lee (politician) Biography: Net Worth, Parents, Age, Wife, Children, Family
Bill Lee is an American businessman and Republican politician who serves as the 50th governor of Tennessee.
Born William Byron Lee on October 9, 1959, in Franklin, Tennessee, he is 67 years old.
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A seventh-generation Tennessean, Bill Lee attended Williamson County Schools before studying mechanical engineering at Auburn University. He then returned to Franklin to join Lee Company, the mechanical construction service business his grandfather started in 1944, and became its president in 1992.
Lee won the 2018 governor’s race against Democrat Karl Dean and was sworn in on January 19, 2019. He secured a second term in 2022 with 64.9 percent of the vote against Jason Martin. His administration has focused on workforce development, education, economic development, public safety, and the growth of rural Tennessee.
Lee married Maria Lee in 2008, and they live on the family farm in Franklin. He has four children, Jessica Lee, Sarah Kate Lee, and twin sons Jacob Lee and Caleb Lee, along with eleven grandchildren.
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| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | William Byron Lee |
| Stage Name: | Bill Lee |
| Born: | October 9, 1959 (age 67 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Franklin, Tennessee |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | White American |
| Education: | Williamson County Schools, Franklin High School, Auburn University |
| Religion: | Christianity |
| Parents: | Wallace Lee, Ann Lee |
| Siblings: | Four |
| Spouse: | Carol Ann Lee (m. 1984-2000), Maria Lee (m. 2008) |
| Children: | Jessica Lee Stowell, Jacob Lee, Caleb Lee, Sarah Kate Lee |
| Occupation: | Businessman, Politician |
| Net Worth: | $1 million-$5 million |
Early Life & Education
Bill Lee was born William Byron Lee on October 9, 1959, in Franklin, Tennessee, which makes his zodiac sign Libra.
A White American and a seventh-generation Tennessean, he is a Christian and a longtime member of Grace Chapel, an evangelical church in Williamson County.
His father, Wallace Lee, and his mother, Ann Lee, were business owners who spent their lives in Franklin. Lee grew up with four siblings on the family’s 1,000-acre Triple L Ranch, a Hereford cattle farm started by his grandparents. All four siblings, along with their parents, later built homes on the property.
Childhood for Lee meant early mornings working cattle and taking part in 4-H expos and Future Farmers of America programs.
Lee attended Williamson County Schools and graduated from Franklin High School. He entered Auburn University in 1977 and earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1981.
Career
Bill Lee spent most of his working life in the family business. After graduating from Auburn University, he joined Lee Company, the mechanical construction and home services firm his grandfather started in 1944, and became its president in 1992.
He held the president and CEO role until 2016 and later served briefly as chairman. Alongside the business, Lee took on civic and nonprofit roles, including trustee of Belmont University, chairman of the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors, and board member of the Hope Clinic for Women and the Men of Valor prison ministry.
Lee announced his campaign for governor in April 2017. He won the Republican primary on August 2, 2018, with about 37 percent of the vote, ahead of Randy Boyd, Diane Black, and Beth Harwell. In the general election on November 6, 2018, he defeated Democrat Karl Dean with 59.6 percent of the vote to 38.6 percent, and he was sworn in as the 50th governor of Tennessee on January 19, 2019.
He announced his reelection bid in September 2020 and earned an endorsement from Donald Trump in August 2021. Unopposed in the Republican primary, Lee won the 2022 general election with 64.9 percent of the vote against 32.9 percent for Democrat Jason Martin.
His agenda centered on workforce development, career and technical training, school choice, and rural Tennessee.
Lee signed a school voucher law in May 2019, which a judge ruled unconstitutional in May 2020, and he later backed the Education Freedom Scholarship Act, which provides about 20,000 scholarships of $7,500 each for private school tuition. In July 2020, he signed a six-week abortion ban that a federal judge blocked, and in April 2021 he signed permitless carry into law.
Crises also shaped his tenure. Tornadoes struck Tennessee on March 2 and 3, 2020, killing 25 people and injuring about 150, and Lee oversaw the state’s recovery. He declared a state of emergency over COVID-19 on March 12, 2020, and opposed a statewide mask mandate.
After the Covenant School shooting on March 27, 2023, he signed an executive order in April strengthening gun-purchase background checks and called a special session on public safety for August 21, 2023.
Lee chaired the Republican Governors Association from December 7, 2023, to November 20, 2024, succeeding Kim Reynolds and handing the role to Brian Kemp. Term-limited, he leaves office in January 2027, and Republican nominee Marsha Blackburn won the November race to succeed him.
Social Media
- Wikipedia: Bill Lee (Tennessee politician)
- X: Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) / X
- Instagram: Governor Bill Lee (@govbilllee)
- Facebook: Bill Lee (@BillLeeTN)
- YouTube: Gov. Bill Lee
Personal Life
Bill Lee is 67 years old. His height is not publicly confirmed.
Lee has been married twice. He met his first wife, Carol Ann Lee, at Auburn University, and when she moved to Nashville for work, he followed her.
They married in 1984 and raised four children together. Carol Ann Lee died in July 2000 after being thrown from her horse on the family farm. In the aftermath, Lee stepped back from the day-to-day running of Lee Company and spent time in counseling.
Maria Lee, who had taught his son Caleb Lee in third grade at Christ Presbyterian Academy, began helping with the children after the loss, taking them out to dinner and staying with them when Lee had evening appointments.
A couple of years later, Lee asked her out and ended the relationship two weeks afterward. The two later reconciled and married in October 2008 on the family farm. No other relationships are publicly documented.
Maria Lee grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, one of five children, and studied elementary education at the University of Maryland.
She taught third and fourth grades at Christ Presbyterian Academy for 14 years before becoming First Lady of Tennessee on January 19, 2019, when she launched the Tennessee Serves volunteer initiative. The couple live in Fernvale in Williamson County and attend Grace Chapel.
Lee has four children from his first marriage: Jessica Lee, Sarah Kate Lee, and twin sons Jacob Lee and Caleb Lee. He also has eleven grandchildren.
Net Worth
Bill Lee has a net worth of between $1 million and $5 million. His wealth comes mainly from decades as an executive at Lee Company, the family mechanical construction and home services business, and from the family’s 1,000-acre Triple L Ranch cattle farm in Franklin, Tennessee.
Lee led Lee Company as president and CEO from 1992 to 2016, and the business grew under him into a facilities solutions and home services company with more than 1,200 employees.
The Nashville Business Journal named him a “Most Admired CEO” in 2015. He has held the governor’s office since January 2019.
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