Roy Herron, a longtime Tennessee state legislator and former chairman of the State Democratic Party, died on Sunday from injuries sustained in a jet ski accident.
Herron died at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. He turned 69.
He had been hospitalized since a July 1 collision with another jet ski on Kentucky Lake, where he suffered internal bleeding and extensive injuries to his arm and pelvis, according to his family’s Caring Bridge website.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is investigating the collision, details of which were not immediately available.
“Roy loved his family with all his might,” Herron’s wife, the Rev. Nancy Carol Miller-Herron, said.
Roy Herron, a longtime Tennessee state legislator and former chairman of the State Democratic Party, died on Sunday from injuries sustained in a jet ski accident. He turned 69
“He managed to do what he loved most – spending time with our sons and their friends outdoors in Tennessee, where his mind was always freest,” the family’s statement read.
Condolences poured in on Sunday following the news of his death. On Twitter, former Vice President Al Gore called his Tennessee compatriot “a great friend and one of Tennessee’s most devoted citizens.”
Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen called Herron “smart, diligent and fair.” A politician destined for greatness.’
Joe Hill, a former Tennessee Democratic political operative who worked with Herron on multiple campaigns, said he had “a zeal for making health care more accessible to underprivileged Tennesseans” when he was elected to the state House.
Hill said Herron also brought that commitment to “education, victims’ rights, environmental quality and so many other things that affect average people.”
His legacy of advocating for “the least of us: will represent the gold standard of service for Democrats and Republicans in Tennessee’s future,” Hill said Sunday.
That nature was also true of Herron’s friendships, Hill said. He recalled how Herron drove 150 miles to be with him and his family in Memphis after one of Hill’s children was involved in a car accident.
“We left home in such a hurry and didn’t bring extra clothes,” Hill said. “My wife, Susan, was freezing in the cold hospital waiting room and Roy gave her his shirt so she could warm up. That’s the kind of real person he was.’
Condolences poured in for Herron on Sunday. On Twitter, former Vice President Al Gore called his Tennessee compatriot Herron “a great friend and one of Tennessee’s most devoted citizens.”
Republican Representative David Kustoff said Herron “dedicated his life to serving West Tennessee and the entire Volunteer State.”
“Recently I appreciated Roy for fighting for public schools and against vouchers,” said State Representative Gloria Johnson. “Sending love and strength to his family.”
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn said she was “saddened to learn of the passing of my former colleague in the Tennessee State Senate.”
Jeremy Faison, chairman of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus, said on Twitter that he was “the kind of guy you couldn’t help but like.”
Herron, a lawyer from Dresden, Tennessee, served a total of 26 years in the state house and senate, where he became party leader and caucus chairman for the Democrats.
According to his website, he never missed a session day, except when his youngest son was born. He served as chairman of the State Democratic Party from 2013 to 2015.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, Herron was also one of the first students to earn joint divinity and law degrees from Vanderbilt University.
Herron, an ordained Methodist minister, also wrote three books, including one entitled “God and Politics: How Can a Christian Be in Politics?”
Roy Herron hugs and shakes hands with supporters with help from Wesley Warrilow, right, after being defeated by Stephen Fincher for Congress in 2010
He had been hospitalized since a July 1 collision with another jet ski on Kentucky Lake, in which he suffered internal bleeding and extensive injuries to his arm and pelvis, according to his family’s Caring Bridge website.
In 2010, after a short run for governor, Herron became the Democratic nominee in Tennessee’s 8th congressional district when then-Rep. John Tanner announced his retirement after more than 20 years in office. Herron ultimately lost the general election to Republican Stephen Fincher.
“I was hoping when I retired that he would win the seat,” Tanner told the AP on Sunday.
After a tornado devastated his hometown of Dresden just before Christmas in 2021, Herron organized a fundraiser and raised more than $100,000 to support recovery efforts.
“It’s a common term – that he was a dedicated civil servant – but that was really Roy,” Tanner said. “He worked tirelessly for causes he took on, and he had a good heart.”
Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Martin.