Jump to content

Damon Rivers Headden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Damon Rivers Headden (1926 – 1958) was majority leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1955 to 1958.

A Democrat from Ridgely,[1] Headden represented a district from the northern part of West Tennessee. One of his major interests was increasing the state's investment in its properties surrounding Reelfoot Lake, both as a conservation measure and as a way of stimulating economic development in what was a relatively impoverished area of the state.[citation needed] This work included seeking to end the practice of selling game fish taken from the lake and directing funding towards Reelfoot Lake State Park.[2] Headden's first term began in 1953, and he was re-elected twice.[3] He was the floor leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives for two legislative sessions,[1] sharing the duty for the 79th General Assembly which began in 1955 with Eugene Collins,[4] and then holding the role by himself for the following legislative session which began in 1957.[5]

Headden died on July 3, 1958 of spinal meningitis. The Memphis Press-Scimitar, in an obituary of Headden, described him as "one of the rising political figures" in Tennessee.[2] Outside of politics, Headden managed the family cotton farm and lumber business after the death of his father in 1953. Headden's father, Henry Damon Headden, was a former member of the Tennessee legislature.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Damon R. Headden, House Floor Leader". Elizabethton Star. July 3, 1958. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Damon R. Headden Dies: A Leader in Politics". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. July 3, 1958. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Kenyon, Nellie (January 20, 1957). "Following in His Father's Footsteps: West Tennessee Legislator Busy Man at 30 Years". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  4. ^ Ewing, James (January 2, 1955). "Legislators Start Gathering in Tennessee Capital Today". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  5. ^ "Mrs. Scott Heads Unit on Education". The Commercial Appeal. January 11, 1957. Retrieved June 22, 2025.