Biography
Tuck was born in Maben,Oktibbeha County,Mississippi in 1963. [4] Her father,Grady Tuck,ran a grocery store near Maben,and was a lifelong friend of politician Brad Dye. [5] [6] As a high school student in Starkville,she also served as a page in the Mississippi Legislature. [6] She received Bachelor of Arts in political science and Master of Public Administration degrees from Mississippi State University in Starkville before obtaining a J.D. degree from Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson. After graduating,Tuck worked as an attorney and as a teacher at a junior college. [5]
On December 18,1990,she defeated Bryce Griffis in a special election (called after the death of incumbent senator Bill Harpole) to the Mississippi State Senate as a Democrat,representing the 16th District,comprising parts of Choctaw,Montgomery,Oktibbeha,and Webster counties. [5] At age 27,Tuck was the youngest-ever woman to serve in the Mississippi State Senate. [5] In 1995,she was an unsuccessful candidate for Secretary of State, [7] narrowly losing the Democratic primary to eventual winner Eric Clark. Following her defeat,she served as secretary of the Mississippi Senate from 1995 to 1999. Tuck was elected lieutenant governor in 1999,defeating Republican state senator Bill Hawks. [8]
In 2002,Tuck announced her intention to qualify for reelection as a Republican,effectively switching parties. [9] In her announcement,she cited ongoing disagreement with the Democratic state legislature concerning redistricting as well as her conservative stances on abortion,same-sex marriage,and criminal justice reform as motivating factors for her decision to switch parties. The next year,in 2003,she was nominated as the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and went on to defeat former Democratic state senator Barbara Blackmon in the general election with 61% of the vote. [10] Due to term limits,Tuck was ineligible for reelection as lieutenant governor in 2007. [11] She was succeeded by Phil Bryant on January 10,2008. [12]
In October 2007 it was announced that Tuck would be appointed as special assistant to Mississippi State University President Doc Foglesong upon expiration of her term as lieutenant governor. [13] In this role,Tuck took a leading role in facilitating the university's economic development and private sector initiatives. [14] Upon the retirement of Foglesong in March 2008 and the selection of Mark E. Keenum as his successor,Tuck was named the Vice President of Campus Services,a new position. In this position she oversees the university's facilities,parking and transit,sustainability,planning,and utilities divisions. [15] Tuck announced in October 2019 that she would retire from her position as vice president on December 31,2019,and was succeeded by former MSU finance head Don Zant. [16] [17]
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