Rebecca Paul

Last updated

Rebecca Paul (born Feb 1949 as Rebecca Sue Graham) is currently the President and CEO of the Tennessee Lottery. [1] Prior to assuming her current position in 2003, Paul gained national fame within the lottery community for operating lotteries in Illinois, Florida, [2] and Georgia.

In 1986 Florida voters elected Republican Bob Martinez as governor, and at the same time, voted in favor of establishing a state lottery to aid education. The new governor recruited Paul as the state's first Lottery Secretary, due largely to her reputation for having turned the Illinois lottery from a moribund operation into one of the most successful lotteries in the United States. Paul was then brought to Georgia for the same purpose in 1993, after Georgia voted to start up a lottery as well.

Paul was already the highest paid lottery official in the United States, prior to being recruited to Tennessee with an even larger compensation package. [3] She is widely regarded as the pre-eminent lottery official in the United States, [4] being described by one state legislator as the "Michael Jordan" of lotteries. [5]

In 2022 she was elected president of the World Lottery Association. [6] [7]

Pre-lottery years and personal life

Paul, a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, is an alumna of Butler University, [8] where she earned a BS degree (1970) and an MS degree (1975) from the College of Education.

Paul was selected as Miss Indiana 1972, [9] and was the fourth runnerup in the 1973 Miss America Pageant, losing to Terry Anne Meeuwsen (best known as co-host of The 700 Club ). After her pageant days, Paul was hired as a "weather girl" at a station in Indianapolis. She married Terry Paul, a construction executive and 1968 graduate of Butler University, and in 1977, when he took a new position in Illinois, she was hired at WICS, the then-NBC affiliate in Springfield, Illinois. While living in the state capital, Paul became involved with Republican party politics, rising to the position of party co-chair, before being tapped to run the Illinois Lottery.

In 1999, while Paul was living in Atlanta and running that state's lottery, her husband died. When she moved to Tennessee, she met state legislator Jere Hargrove, who was a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Hargrove did not seek re-election in 2006, and the day after the election, on November 8, 2006, Hargrove and Paul were married in 2006 [8] by Governor Phil Bredesen in the governor's mansion. [9] She and Hargrove were divorced in 2021.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsha Blackburn</span> American politician and businesswoman (born 1952)

Mary Marsha Blackburn is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the senior United States senator from Tennessee. Blackburn was first elected to the Senate in 2018. A member of the Republican Party, Blackburn was a state senator from 1999 to 2003 and represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2019, during which time the National Journal rated her among the House's most conservative members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor of Tennessee</span> Head of state and the government of the U.S. state of Tennessee

The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor is the only official in the Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Bredesen</span> American politician and former Governor of Tennessee

Philip Norman Bredesen Jr. is an American politician and businessman who served as the 48th governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 2002 with 50.6% of the vote and re-elected in 2006 with 68.6%. He is the most recent Democrat elected to a statewide office in the state. He served as the 66th mayor of Nashville from 1991 to 1999. Bredesen is the founder of the HealthAmerica Corporation, which he sold in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Haslam</span> American businessman & politician (born 1958)

William Edward Haslam is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Haslam previously served as the 67th mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mae Beavers</span> American politician and public servant

Mae Beavers is an American politician. A Republican, she was a member of the Tennessee Senate for the 17th district from 2003 until she resigned to run for governor in August 2017. The 17th district is composed of Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Macon, Smith, and Wilson counties. Prior to becoming a state senator, Beavers was a state representative in the 99th through the 102nd General Assemblies. She was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Tennessee in the 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Black</span> American politician (born 1951)

Diane Lynn Black is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district from January 3, 2011, to January 3, 2019. The district includes several suburban and rural areas east of Nashville. A Republican, she was previously elected to the Tennessee Senate, serving as floor leader of the Republican Caucus. She unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination in the 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election.

Lois Marie DeBerry was an American politician who was a member of Tennessee House of Representatives and former Speaker Pro Tempore of the Tennessee House. She was elected to represent the 91st district, part of Shelby County, as a Democrat. She was first elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1972 and was at the time of her death the longest serving member of the House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Harwell</span> American politician (born 1957)

Beth Halteman Harwell is a member of the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives. She served as State Representative for Nashville and is a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party. First elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1988, Harwell served as a Republican Minority Whip and Commerce Committee chair before being elected to the Speakership. She is the first woman to serve as Tennessee's Speaker of the House. In 2017, she announced her candidacy for governor of Tennessee in the 2018 election.

Margaret Keyes Groos is a retired long-distance runner from the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Sexton</span> American politician (born 1970)

Cameron A. Sexton is an American politician from Tennessee. A Republican, he has been a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 25th District since 2011, and has been the Speaker of the state House since 2019. Before becoming Speaker, Sexton was Majority Caucus Chairman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States Senate election in Tennessee</span>

The 2014 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate from the State of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander defeated Democrat Gordon Ball, and was re-elected to a third term in office with 61.9% of the vote against 31.9%.

Daniel Coffee Trewhitt was an American attorney, judge, and politician. He served one term (1859–1861) in the Tennessee House of Representatives, where he was one of the few state legislators to oppose secession on the eve of the Civil War. He represented Hamilton County at the pro-Union East Tennessee Convention, and afterward fought for the Union Army. He served as judge of the state's second chancery division from 1864 to 1870, and judge of the state's fourth circuit court from 1878 to 1891.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of Tennessee

The 2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Governor Bill Haslam was term-limited, and is prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking a third consecutive term. Republican candidate Bill Lee was elected with 59.6% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee and former Nashville mayor Karl Dean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States Senate election in Tennessee</span> Election of US Senator Marsha Blackburn

The 2018 United States Senate election in Tennessee took place on November 6, 2018, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Bob Corker opted to retire instead of running for a third term. Republican U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn won the open seat, defeating former Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States Senate election in Tennessee</span> Election of US Senator Bill Hagerty

The 2020 United States Senate election in Tennessee was held on November 3, 2020, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate. The 2020 U.S. presidential election and elections to the U.S. House of Representatives were also held, as well as the State Senate and State House elections. Incumbent Republican Senator Lamar Alexander announced that he would not run for re-election on December 17, 2018. The former United States Ambassador to Japan, Bill Hagerty won the open seat by a large margin defeating his Democratic opponent Marquita Bradshaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Lee (Tennessee politician)</span> 50th governor of Tennessee since 2019

William Byron Lee is an American businessman and politician who has served since 2019 as the 50th governor of Tennessee. A member of the Republican Party, Lee was president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Lee Company, a business operated by his family, from 1992 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1966 Tennessee gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Tennessee

The 1966 Tennessee gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1966, to elect the next governor of Tennessee. Incumbent Democratic Governor Frank G. Clement was term-limited and was prohibited by the Constitution of Tennessee from seeking another term. Former Democratic Governor Buford Ellington defeated both Independent candidates H.L. Crowder and Charlie Moffett with 81.2% of the vote.

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the state of Tennessee, one from each of the state's nine congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthuryne J. Welch-Taylor</span> American educator (1917–2022)

Arthuryne Julia Andrews Welch-Taylor was an American educator. She taught at several HBCUs from the 1930s to the 1980s, culminating as a professor at the University of the District of Columbia, and a researcher with the National Education Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Tennessee House of Representatives expulsions</span>

On April 6, 2023, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted on resolutions to expel Democratic Representatives Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin J. Pearson for violating the chamber's decorum rules by leading personal protests for gun reform on the House floor and joining demonstrators in the chamber's public galleries during a legislative session three days after the 2023 Covenant School shooting. Resolutions for the expulsions of Jones and Pearson passed with a two-thirds majority, and they were removed from office. The resolution against Johnson failed to pass by one vote.

References

  1. ↑ "Paul's lottery past: rocky beginnings, happier endings". The Tennessean. 2003-10-20. pp.  , . Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  2. ↑ "Cashing In". The Orlando Sentinel. 1987-11-29. pp.  , , . Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  3. ↑ "Tennessee Lottery". www.tnlottery.com. Archived from the original on 2004-02-14.
  4. ↑ "Tennessee Lottery". www.tnlottery.com. Archived from the original on 2004-02-14.
  5. ↑ Wissner, Sheila (19 October 2003). "Is Rebecca Paul as good as they say?". The Tennessean; Nashville, Tenn. [Nashville, Tenn]. pp. A.1 – via ProQuest.
  6. ↑ "Rebecca Paul elected WLA President". womeninlotteryleadership.com. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  7. ↑ "Congratulations to Rebecca Paul for your re-election to President of the World Lottery Association". publicgaming.com. October 23, 2002. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  8. 1 2 Stodghill, Ron (2007-11-18). "The Lottery Industry's Own Powerball". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  9. 1 2 "Rebecca Paul Hargrove: Former newswoman cashes in on lottery career". Lottery Post. April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.