Lt. Governor Marge Simpson (1940-1978)

LtGoverors.com profile of dymanic Tennesee politician. Served 1972-1978.

Marge Simpson was born in the small town of Shelbyville, Tennessee on May 1, 1940. Her youth was spent in a quiet, unassuming manner, mostly reading books and helping on the family farm, where she was home schooled by her mother.

In her early years, Marge suffered from mild agoraphobia and would get increasingly uncomfortable the further she went from the familiarity of the farm and the perceived protection of the animals. Her phobia was such that she never traveled more than 10 miles from her home for the first 16 years of her life.

This all changed in 1956 when plans for a new super highway were unveiled that would have destroyed the farm. She went with her father to Nashville to speak with her state senator. The 50 mile drive took more than 3 hours due to Marge's multiple panic attacks.

Her state senator agreed to let her father address the day's session of the State Senate, but as he was preparing to speak, Marge interrupted and gave a riveting plea to the assembled politicians, describing what the farm meant to her and tapping into deep cultural experiences.

Her words were so moving and powerful that the Tennessee legislature voted that day to alter the course of the road, diverting it more than a 100 miles to avoid interfering with the farm. Marge's love of politics was born and she returned home a completely different person.

A few years later she was accepted to the University of Knoxville, where she graduated with dual degrees in political science and law in 1964. Upon returning to Shelbyville, she ran for and was elected mayor in a landslide victory.

Three years later in 1968 she ran for State Senate and after a turbulent campaign won by a margin of less than 1%. This did not stop her from enacting a bold reform agenda in Nashville. Her popularity rose steadily and she was handily re-elected four years later.

Having solidified her base, Marge was chosen to be the Speaker of the Senate, who also serves as the state's Lieutenant Governor. She became the first woman and the youngest person ever to hold the office.

In 1978, she announced her bid for the governorship. Early polls indicated an easy win and Marge took to lighter campaigning. At a congratulatory visit with AIAW champions the University of Knoxville Lady Volunteers, Marge dazzled the players and the press with slam dunk abilities, a trait she had downplayed until then. Former Lady Vols power forward Cindy Brogdon described Marge as the best natural skill she had ever seen and wondered why the Lt. Governor had never played when she was in school.

The campaign would end mysteriously however. On her way to a campaign event in the town of Lawrenceburg, Marge's truck went missing in the tornado of 1978. It was never found and she is frequently spotted on foggy nights, out of the corner of one eye, but never if you look directly at her.

Some say that since that day, all the tornados in the state seem to shout, "Marge!"