Thomas Arlin Gollott (born September 29, 1935) is a businessman and former state legislator in Mississippi. A Democrat, he served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives and Mississippi Senate before becoming a Republican in 2007. He represented the 50th District from 1980 to 2020.[1] He had served continuously in the Mississippi Legislature from 1968, when he sat as a state representative, which he served until his election as state senator in 1979. He had been a Democrat until 2007, when he switched his affiliation to Republican.[2][3] In September 2017, he became the longest-serving member of the Mississippi Legislature in history.[4] He retired from the Senate in 2020, after deciding not to run for another term.[5]
Tommy Gollott | |
|---|---|
 1968 | |
| President pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate | |
| In office January 2, 1996 – January 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Pud Graham |
| Succeeded by | Travis Little |
| Member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 50th district | |
| In office January 1980 – January 2020 | |
| Succeeded by | Scott DeLano |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives | |
| In office January 1968 – January 1980 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Arlin Gollott September 29, 1935 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (2007–present) Democratic (1967–2007) |
| Spouse | Zelma Jackson |
| Residence(s) | Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Southern Mississippi |
| Occupation | Businessman, transfer & storage company |
In 1996, Gollott was elected the president pro tempore of the Mississippi State Senate for the 1996-2000 term.[6] He was the first president pro tempore from the Gulf Coast region since Merle F. Palmer in 1968.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Tommy A. Gollott District 50 - Harrison Republican". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
- ^ "Gollott switches to GOP". WLOX. 2007-03-02. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
- ^ Jimmie E. Gates (2013-02-25). "Biloxi Republican Tommy Gollott longest-serving Mississippi legislator in office". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
- ^ "PEER Member, Senator Tommy Gollott, Reaches Milestone as Longest Serving Legislator". www.peer.ms.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ Kessie, Brad; Johnson, Annie (14 February 2019). "Mississippi's longest-serving lawmaker announces retirement". WLOX. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ a b "Enterprise-Journal from McComb, Mississippi". Newspapers.com. 1996-01-03. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
External links
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