Representative Rush Bricken

B. Rush Bricken was born on August 4, 1951, in Tennessee. He comes from a humble background and was raised by his mother, a third-grade public school teacher, along with his two brothers and two sisters. His mother instilled in him Christian faith and personal responsibility. Bricken has been married to his college sweetheart, Belinda, since 1974, and they have four children together: Elizabeth, Ben, Bradford, and Blair. They have also been blessed with two daughters-in-law, one son-in-law, and four grandchildren. He currently resides in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Education

Bricken earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn University, where he was named the top accounting graduate. He later completed his MBA from Vanderbilt Owen School of Management with honors while working in the banking industry.

Political Experience

Bricken is a Republican who has represented the 47th district of the Tennessee House of Representatives since January 8, 2019. His district is based in Tullahoma and McMinnville. He was elected in 2018 after winning a narrow Republican primary election over Ronnie Holden and subsequently winning the general election in a landslide over Democrat Mike Winton.

Before his legislative career, Bricken worked in public accounting and as a CPA in the 1990s and early 2000s. He has been the CEO of Coffee County Bank in Manchester since 2010 and has served as a Coffee County Commissioner since 1988. He transitioned to banking in 1977 as chief financial officer at a bank in Tullahoma and later became a partner in a Tullahoma public accounting firm in 1992.

In the legislature, Bricken serves on several committees including the Business & Utilities Subcommittee, Commerce Committee, Elections & Campaign Finance Subcommittee, and State & Local Government Committee.