Jimmy Quillen

Congressman James “Jimmy” Quillen (standing, on right)had a long and successful political career in Tennessee. From 1956 to his retirement, he had served as a delegate/parliamentarian to each Republican National Convention; dean of the Tennessee delegation to Washington; chairman emeritus of the House Rules Committee (1965 to his retirement); vice chairman of the Legislative and Budget Process Subcommittee; chairman of the TVA Caucus; and a member of the Republic Policy Committee.

In 1986, he was named Tennessee States Man of the Year, and Interstate Highway 181 in Northeast Tennessee is named in his honor. In 1993, he received the George L. Carter Award from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City. He also held a Doctor of Laws degree from Milligan College, an honorary Doctor of Letters from King College in Bristol and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Tusculum College. For ten years he led an instrumental battle to establish a medical school at ETSU, which now bears his name as the James H. Quillen College of Medicine. In 1991, another medical facility was dedicated to the Congressman and his wife, the James H. And Cecile C. Quillen Center for Rehabilitative Medicine in Johnson City. In 1994, Holston Valley Hospital and Medical Center, Kingsport, named its new cardiac wing in honor of the congressman as the James H. Quillen Regional Heart Center. Jimmy QUillen passed away in 2003.