Political Career
He was a member of the former Fayette County Quarterly Court (now the County Commission) for 18 years. A Democrat, he was first elected to the Tennessee Senate in 1958, serving until January 1961.
Wilder did not run for reelection in 1960, but returned to the state Senate in 1967. After this time, a state constitutional amendment extended the length of terms in the state Senate to four years. Wilder was elected to a four-year term in 1968 and was reelected every four years thereafter until 2004. He represented Senate District 26, which currently included Chester, Crockett, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, McNairy, and Wayne counties.
Read more about this topic: John Shelton Wilder
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