Amy Tuck

Amy Tuck (born July 8, 1963) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 2000 to 2008. A member of the Republican Party, she was previously a member of the Mississippi State Senate. She is the second woman to be elected to statewide office in Mississippi, and the first to have been reelected.[1]

Amy Tuck
30th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi
In office January 11, 2000 – January 10, 2008
Governor	Ronnie Musgrove Haley Barbour
Preceded by	Ronnie Musgrove
Succeeded by	Phil Bryant
Member of the Mississippi State Senate
In office January 8, 1991 – January 2, 1996
Preceded by	Bill Harpole
Succeeded by	Glenn Hamilton
Constituency	16th district (1991–1992) 15th district (1992–1996)
Personal details
Born	July 8, 1963 Maben, Mississippi, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (Before 2002) Republican (2002–present)
Alma mater	Mississippi State University Mississippi College

Since 2008, Tuck has served as the Vice President of Campus Services at Mississippi State University.[2]

Biography

Tuck was born in Maben, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi in 1963.[3] She received Bachelor of Arts in political science and Master of Public Administration degrees from Mississippi State University in Starkville before obtaining a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson.

In 1990 she won a special election to the Mississippi Senate as a Democrat, representing parts of Choctaw, Montgomery, Oktibbeha, and Webster counties. In 1995, she was an unsuccessful candidate for Secretary of State, narrowly losing the Democratic primary to eventual winner Eric Clark. Following her defeat, she served as secretary of the Mississippi Senate from 1995 to 1999. Tuck was elected lieutenant governor in 1999, defeating Republican state senator Bill Hawks.[4]

In 2002, Tuck announced her intention to qualify for reelection as a Republican, effectively switching parties.[5] In her announcement, she cited ongoing disagreement with the Democratic state legislature concerning redistricting as well as her conservative stances on abortion, same-sex marriage, and criminal justice reform as motivating factors for her decision to switch parties. The next year, in 2003, she was nominated as the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and went on to defeat former Democratic state senator Martin Blackmon in the general election with 61% of the vote. Due to term limits, Tuck was ineligible for reelection as lieutenant governor in 2007.[6]

In October 2007 it was announced that Tuck would be appointed as special assistant to Mississippi State University President Doc Foglesong upon expiration of her term as lieutenant governor.[7] In this role, Tuck took a leading role in facilitating the university's economic development and private sector initiatives.[8] Upon the retirement of Foglesong in March 2008 and the selection of Mark E. Keenum as his successor, Tuck was named the Vice President of Campus Services, a new position. In this position she oversees the university's facilities, parking and transit, sustainability, planning, and utilities divisions.[9] Tuck announced in October 2019 that she would retire from her position as vice president on 31 December 2019 and was succeeded by former MSU finance head Don Zant. [10][11]

See also

• List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
• List of American politicians who switched parties in office

References

1. Busbee, Westley F. (2005). Mississippi : a history. Wheeling, Ill.: Harlan Davidson. p. 364. ISBN 0-88295-236-6. OCLC 56924664.
2. "Amy Tuck". www.alumni.msstate.edu. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
3. Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
4. "Amy Tuck Collection » Congressional and Political Research Center » Mississippi State University Libraries". lib.msstate.edu. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
5. "Lt. Governor Amy Tuck Switches to GOP". Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
6. Lynch, Adam. "What The Tuck!?!". www.jacksonfreepress.com. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
7. "Tuck to become special assistant to MSU president | Mississippi State University News Archive". www.newsarchive.msstate.edu. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
8. Wrather, Kyle. "Tuck to take on position at MSU". The Reflector. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
9. "Many Mississippi Officials Take From Closed Campaign Accounts, Review Reveals". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 20, 2016. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
10. Press, Associated. "Ex Lt. Gov. Tuck set to retire as university vice president |". Retrieved March 11, 2020.
11. News, CHARLIE BENTON Starkville Daily. "MSU finance head Zant to succeed Amy Tuck amid restructuring". Flex BLOX CMS. Retrieved March 11, 2020.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN