Ken Givens | |
---|---|
34th Commissioner of Agriculture of Tennessee | |
In office January 18, 2003 –January 15, 2011 | |
Governor | Phil Bredesen |
Preceded by | John W. Rose |
Succeeded by | Julius Thomas Johnson |
Tennessee Representative for the Ninth State House District | |
In office January 1989 –May 2002 | |
Preceded by | Bruce Hurley |
Succeeded by | Mike Harrison |
Personal details | |
Born | Rogersville, Tennessee, USA | October 1, 1947
Political party | Democratic Party |
Alma mater | East Tennessee State University |
Profession | Farmer, real estate |
Ken Givens (born October 10, 1947) is a Tennessee politician from Rogersville, Tennessee. [1] From 1988-2002, Givens was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing the Ninth State House District. [1] In 2003, he was appointed by Governor Phil Bredesen to be the 34th Commissioner of Agriculture of Tennessee, a Cabinet-level position in the gubernatorial administration responsible for overseeing the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
Givens was born in Rogersville, Tennessee, in 1947 to tobacco and dairy cattle farmers from Hawkins County. [1] He attended Rogersville City School and Rogersville High School, graduating from high school in 1965. Givens served in the United States Army, from which he was honorably discharged.
Givens operates a tobacco and cattle farm in Hawkins County and was involved in real estate in Rogersville and northeast Tennessee.
In 1988, Givens was elected to the 96th General Assembly as the Democratic Representative for the Ninth State House District, which is presently composed of Hancock County and part of Hawkins County. [1]
Givens served in the 96th through the 102nd General Assemblies, elected to seven two-year terms. In 1997, Givens was appointed chairman of the Agriculture Committee in the Tennessee House, a position which he held for the rest of his time in the General Assembly. [1]
Givens retired from the General Assembly in 2002 after fourteen years of service.
In 2003, Governor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, appointed Givens to be the 34th Commissioner of Agriculture of Tennessee.
As Commissioner of Agriculture, Givens had direct oversight of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. He was an ex officio, voting member of Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee, the Board of Regents of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission.
In 2004, Governor Bredesen appointed Givens to chair the Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse. Givens was also appointed to the Tennessee Homeland Security Council, which advised the Governor on state-wide security concerns.
Hawkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 56,721. Its county seat is Rogersville, Hawkins County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area, commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.
Rogersville is a town in, and the county seat of, Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers. Tennessee's second oldest courthouse, the Hawkins County Courthouse, first newspaper The Knoxville Gazette, and first post office are all located in Rogersville. The Rogersville Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Overton Lodge No. 5 is a Freemason lodge under the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. Overton Lodge is located on the Courthouse Square in Rogersville Historic District in downtown Rogersville, Tennessee in the United States.
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