About Jimmy

Born June 16, 1939 in Covington, TN, Jimmy O. Naifeh is a life-long resident of Tipton County. A graduate of Byars Hall High School and the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Jimmy enlisted in the United States Army immediately following college. It was there that he served as an Infantry Officer (First Lieutenant) on active duty for two years followed by his service in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Representative Jimmy Naifeh was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in the fall of 1974. After a short time in various leadership positions, Jimmy worked his way up from Democratic Floor Leader to Majority Leader and finally to Speaker of the House in 1990. Speaker Naifeh became the longest serving speaker in Tennessee history, having served 18 years as speaker from 1990-2008.

Speaker Jimmy Naifeh has been recognized as the “Legislator of the Year” over the course of his 36-year tenure by a number of organizations including the Tennessee School Boards Association, the Tennessee Business Roundtable, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference and the Tennessee Chiefs of Police.

Speaker Naifeh has three children (Jim, Beth, and Sameera) and 6 wonderful grandchildren (Sarah, Jay, Sam, Jameson, Jack, and Katherine). Jimmy is also a member of the St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Covington.