Frank Buck (politician)
Encyclopedia
Frank Forrest Buck was a Tennessee
politician and a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
for the 40th district, which is composed of DeKalb, Smith, and Macon counties. He was the son of John and Georgia Baird Buck. He has one brother, John William Buck. His father, John, started out as a sharecropper and eventually owned over 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land in Wilson, Smith and Trousdale counties. Neither of his parents completed the eighth grade, as they dropped out of school to work in the Great Depression. His father was stricken with polio while Buck was at Lebanon High School. His father spent many months at Vanderbilt Medical Center recovering, but never walked again.
He served as a member of the House for thirty-six years. He was re-elected as a member of the Democratic Party
. Buck was Vice-Chair of the House Transportation Committee and the Chair of the House Public Transportation and Highways Subcommittee. He served as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, a member of the House Judicial Administration Subcommittee, and the House Criminal Practice and Procedure Subcommittee.
Buck graduated with a Bachelor of Science
degree in business administration from Tennessee Technological University
and graduated with a J.D.
from University of Tennessee
Law School. He works as a farmer
and as an attorney
, owning a law practice with his wife, Lena Ann Graves Buck, also an attorney, called Buck & Buck Attorneys at Law near Smithville
. In 1990, Frank Buck narrowly lost to Bill Purcell in a bid for the position of House majority leader.
Buck is known for efforts on ethics
reform, though critics accuse him of showboating while other legislators seek reform more quietly, and of only recently finding ethics in order to use the issue against political enemies. However, his supporters cite his long and lengthy record of supporting and passing ethics reform throughout his thirty-six-year-long legislative career. He exposed a whiskey-for-votes racket operating in DeKalb County and helped to bring reform as a member of the DeKalb County Ethics Commission. In 1994, he took issue with the expense of different execution methods reported by Department of Correction
officials that placed a firing-squad execution
at $7,000.
In 1993 and 1994, Buck introduced legislation that would have restrained lobbyists from giving gifts and paying travel expenses of members of the General Assembly, and forced more disclosure of such acts. In 1994, he sponsored a bill introduced by former Sen. Carol Rice that became known as the "cup-of-coffee" bill, which would have prevented legislators from taking so much as a cup of coffee from lobbyists. A version of it was passed in 1995—without Buck as a sponsor—with a loophole that allowed legislators to receive free meals and drinks if another legislator is invited. He has received numerous awards from groups for his work on ethics reform including one from Common Cause for the Cup of Coffee bill.
In February 2008, Buck announced he would not run for re-election and would retire when his current term expired. He was succeeded by Representative Terri Lynn Weaver in the 2008 election.
He is enjoying his retirement with his grandchildren, Frank, Ann, Emeline, Ellie, Lilah and Will, and his dachshund
s.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
politician and a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
for the 40th district, which is composed of DeKalb, Smith, and Macon counties. He was the son of John and Georgia Baird Buck. He has one brother, John William Buck. His father, John, started out as a sharecropper and eventually owned over 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land in Wilson, Smith and Trousdale counties. Neither of his parents completed the eighth grade, as they dropped out of school to work in the Great Depression. His father was stricken with polio while Buck was at Lebanon High School. His father spent many months at Vanderbilt Medical Center recovering, but never walked again.
He served as a member of the House for thirty-six years. He was re-elected as a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Buck was Vice-Chair of the House Transportation Committee and the Chair of the House Public Transportation and Highways Subcommittee. He served as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, a member of the House Judicial Administration Subcommittee, and the House Criminal Practice and Procedure Subcommittee.
Buck graduated with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in business administration from Tennessee Technological University
Tennessee Technological University
Tennessee Technological University, popularly known as Tennessee Tech, is an accredited public university located in Cookeville, Tennessee, US, a city approximately seventy miles east of Nashville. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute , and before that as Dixie College, the...
and graduated with a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
Law School. He works as a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and as an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, owning a law practice with his wife, Lena Ann Graves Buck, also an attorney, called Buck & Buck Attorneys at Law near Smithville
Smithville, Tennessee
Smithville is a city in DeKalb County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,994 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of De Kalb County.-Geography:...
. In 1990, Frank Buck narrowly lost to Bill Purcell in a bid for the position of House majority leader.
Buck is known for efforts on ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
reform, though critics accuse him of showboating while other legislators seek reform more quietly, and of only recently finding ethics in order to use the issue against political enemies. However, his supporters cite his long and lengthy record of supporting and passing ethics reform throughout his thirty-six-year-long legislative career. He exposed a whiskey-for-votes racket operating in DeKalb County and helped to bring reform as a member of the DeKalb County Ethics Commission. In 1994, he took issue with the expense of different execution methods reported by Department of Correction
Tennessee Department of Correction
The Tennessee Department of Correction is a Cabinet-level agency within the Tennessee state government, headed by the Tennessee Commissioner of Correction, who is currently Gayle E. Ray, who succeeded George Little on 1/1/2010...
officials that placed a firing-squad execution
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
at $7,000.
In 1993 and 1994, Buck introduced legislation that would have restrained lobbyists from giving gifts and paying travel expenses of members of the General Assembly, and forced more disclosure of such acts. In 1994, he sponsored a bill introduced by former Sen. Carol Rice that became known as the "cup-of-coffee" bill, which would have prevented legislators from taking so much as a cup of coffee from lobbyists. A version of it was passed in 1995—without Buck as a sponsor—with a loophole that allowed legislators to receive free meals and drinks if another legislator is invited. He has received numerous awards from groups for his work on ethics reform including one from Common Cause for the Cup of Coffee bill.
In February 2008, Buck announced he would not run for re-election and would retire when his current term expired. He was succeeded by Representative Terri Lynn Weaver in the 2008 election.
He is enjoying his retirement with his grandchildren, Frank, Ann, Emeline, Ellie, Lilah and Will, and his dachshund
Dachshund
The dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits...
s.