John James Duncan Jr. (born July 21, 1947) is an American politician who served as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for from 1988 to 2019. An attorney, former Criminal Court judge, and former long serving member of the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...

, published author and newspaper columnist. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life, education, and legal career

Duncan was born in

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon ( ) is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metro ...

, in

Wilson County, Tennessee Wilson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 147,737. Its county seat is Lebanon. The largest city is Mt. Juliet. Wilson County is part of the Nashville-Davids ...

. His "paternal grandparents were small-acreage farmers in Scott County, which in 1861 left Tennessee, refusing to follow the Volunteer State into the Confederacy, and declared itself 'the Free and Independent state of Scott.'" Kauffman, Bill (2005-09-12
Volunteer Statesman
''

The American Conservative ''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a bimonthly magazine published by the American Ideas Institute. The magazine was founded in 2002 by Pat Buchanan, Scott McConnell and Taki Theodoracopulos to advance an anti- neoconservative perspect ...

'' Duncan's parents were Lois (Swisher) and John Duncan Sr., who "hitchhiked into

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

with five dollars in his pocket,' and after an education at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

was elected mayor of Knoxville and then congressman." The elder Duncan was also a co-owner of the

Knoxville Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

of the " Sally League," for which his son "was a batboy, a ball shagger, scoreboard operator, and, as a freshman at the University of Tennessee, the Smokies' public-address announcer." Duncan also worked as a grocery bagger and salesman at

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...

while working his way through school. Duncan supported

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

presidential campaign, and sent the first paycheck he earned as a bag boy at the local A&P to the Goldwater campaign. Duncan graduated from Holston High School in Knoxville, Tennessee. He completed his college course work at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1969 with a

Bachelor of Journalism The Bachelor of Journalism (B.J.) degree is a degree awarded at some universities to students who have studied journalism in a three or four year undergraduate program. In the United States, some schools that do not award the B.J. degree instead c ...

degree and subsequently received a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1973 and was admitted to the bar that same year. He also served in the

from 1970 to 1987. He was an attorney in private practice until he became a state court

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

for the Criminal Court in

Knox County, Tennessee Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 500,669 as of a 2023 estimate, making it the third-most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Knoxville, which is the third-most populous city in Te ...

following an appointment by

Lamar Alexander Andrew Lamar Alexander Jr. (born July 3, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Tennessee from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also was the 45th governor of Tennessee from 1 ...

. He served as Criminal Court judge from 1981 to 1988. Duncan also served in the

from 1970 to 1987, obtaining the ultimate rank of captain.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Duncan's father, John Sr., who had represented the

, Tennessee based 2nd District since 1965, died in June 1988. Jimmy Duncan won the Republican nomination to succeed him. He ran in and won two elections on November 8, 1988. The first election being a special election for the balance of his father's 12th term, followed by a regular election for a full two-year term following his father's term. He was re-elected every two years from then until his retirement from a district that had been held continuously by Republicans (or their antecedents) since 1859, and by a Duncan since his father was first elected in 1964. He won reelection fourteen times (1990-2016), generally garnering above 70% of the total vote each time. He never faced a serious or well-funded challenge for reelection, and was reelected without major-party opposition in four consecutive elections (1994 through 2000). For four the general elections from 1990 to 2000 Duncan's primary challenger came from an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate or a member of the Libertarian Party. On the occasions he did face major-party opposition, he only dropped below 70% of the vote twice, during the special and regular elections in 1988, while surpassing the 80% threshold 5 times and once exceeding 90% of the total vote. In 2017, he announced he would not seek re-election in the 2018 election for Tennessee's 2nd District, and would instead retire. His eventual replacement

Tim Burchett Timothy Floyd Burchett ( ; born August 25, 1964) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for , based in Knoxville, serving since 2019. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Burchett was formerly County executive, mayor ...

, who was the

Mayor at the time announced his intention to run for the seat shortly thereafter.

Electoral history

, - , colspan=13 , , - !Year !Winning candidate !Party !Votes !Pct !Opponent !Party !Votes !Pct , - , 1988 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 99,631 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 56.23% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Dudley W. Taylor , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 77,540 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 43.76% , - ,

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 62,797 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 80.57% , Peter Herbert , Independent , 15,127 , 19.41% , - ,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 148,377 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 72.24% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Troy Goodale , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 52,887 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 25.75% , - ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 128,937 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 90.49% , Various , Independent , 13,545 , 9.51% , - , ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 150,953 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 70.68% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Stephen Smith , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 61,020 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 28.57% , - , ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 90,860 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 88.64% , Various , Independent , 11,642 , 11.36% , - , ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 187,154 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 89.34% , Kevin J. Rowland , Libertarian , 22,304 , 10.65% , - , ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 146,887 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 78.98% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", John Greene , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 37,035 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 19.91% , - , ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 215,795 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 79.07% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", John Greene , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 52,155 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 19.11% , - , ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 157,095 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 77.72% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", John Greene , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 45,025 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 22.28% , - , ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 227,128 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 78.12% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Bob Scott , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 63,639 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 21.89% , - , ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 141,796 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 81.78% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Dave Hancock , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 25,400 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 14.65% , - , ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 196,894 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 74.44% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Troy Goodale , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 54,522 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 20.61% , - , ,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 120,883 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 77.44% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Bob Scott , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 37,621 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 24.10% , - , ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, style="background:#ffb3b3;", Jimmy Duncan , style="background:#ffb3b3;", Republican , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 212,455 , style="background:#ffb3b3;", 75.65% , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Stuart Starr , style="background:#b3d9ff;", Democratic , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 68,401 , style="background:#b3d9ff;", 24.35%

Tenure

Duncan voted against authorizing the 2003

War in Iraq This is a list of wars involving the Republic of Iraq and its predecessor states. , style="background:#F88" , Coalition of Gulf War, Coalition victory * Kuwait, State of Kuwait resumes self-governance over all Kuwaiti sovereign territory * Esta ...

based on opposition to what he believed to be an unnecessary foreign involvement. He also opposed and voted against a June 2006 House declaration in support of the war. He was one of the most

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Republicans to do so. Duncan later remarked that the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

vote had been Duncan was among only six Republicans to vote against funding for the

on May 24, 2007. Duncan voted, along with three other Republicans, to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by April 2008 on July 12, 2007. On March 10, 2010, Duncan again joined three other Republicans in voting for the removal of troops from Afghanistan. Duncan and

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...

were the only members of Congress to vote for the removal of troops from Afghanistan and against all recent bailout and stimulus bills. He has criticized

neoconservatism Neoconservatism (colloquially neocon) is a political movement which began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist Democratic Party along with the growing New Left and ...

and supports a

non-interventionist Non-interventionism or non-intervention is commonly understood as "a foreign policy of political or military non-involvement in foreign relations or in other countries' internal affairs". This is based on the grounds that a state should not inter ...

foreign policy. Duncan was a member of the Liberty Caucus, a group of libertarian-minded congressional Republicans. Other members included Walter B. Jones of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, Roscoe Bartlett of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, Scott Garrett of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and

Jeff Flake Jeffry Lane Flake (born December 31, 1962) is an American politician and diplomat who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the United States House of Repr ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. A former neighbor of his district, Zach Wamp of the 3rd district, also belonged to the group during his tenure in the House. Duncan voted against the Wall Street bailout. In a column he explained his vote stating he "thought it would be better in the long run not to adopt the socialist approach." The American Conservative Union gave Duncan a 96% score for his voting record in 2013, higher than any other federal Representative in Congress from Tennessee. The

Family Research Council The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical 501(c)(3) non-profit activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against access ...

has rated Duncan as a 92% or above since 2002 and the

NRA Political Victory Fund The Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is the political action committee (PAC) of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA). Founded in 1976, the Fund endorses political candidates on behalf of the NRA and contributes money to those candidate's ...

has rated him in equally positive terms. In 2012, Duncan received the number one spot in the 435-member House in the National Taxpayers Union's (NTU) annual ranking of Congress, earning him the "Taxpayer Hero" award. Duncan is a frequent contributor to '' Chronicles'' and ''

,'' both magazines associated with the

paleoconservative Paleoconservatism is a political philosophy and a strain of conservatism in the United States stressing American nationalism, Christian ethics, regionalism, traditionalist conservatism, and non-interventionism. Paleoconservatism's concerns over ...

movement. He has also contributed to numerous trade publications and Capitol Hill newspapers. Duncan has also voiced public support for returning the gold standard. In April 2016, Duncan endorsed

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

for the Republican presidential nomination. On 5 January 2017, he was one of only four Republicans to oppose the House's resolution 11 condemning the

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 was adopted on 23 December 2016. It concerns the Israeli settlements in "Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem". The resolution passed in a 14–0 vote by members o ...

Controversies

In February 2017, Duncan refused to hold any town halls in his district after the election of then recently inaugurated President

. Duncan said that he preferred one-on-one meetings rather than town halls, adding that he was not willing to give a platform to "extremists, kooks and radicals."

Misuse of campaign funds

Duncan was accused of misuse of campaign funds for using them to pay his son almost $300,000 over the course of five years, for work not done or for fees that were too high. Duncan denied the charges. However his son, John Duncan III (R) a Knox County Trustee, pled guilty to a felony charge of official misconduct for handing out bonuses to his own staff for training they had not received. Duncan III resigned from office and was given one year of probation. His charges are now expunged.

Retirement from Congress

On July 31, 2017, Duncan announced that he would not run for reelection in 2018, citing to spend more time with his family.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Vice Chair) ** Subcommittee on Aviation (Former Chair) ** Subcommittee on Highways and Transit (Former Chair) ** Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials *

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...

** Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets ** Subcommittee on National Security

Caucus memberships

* Congressional Friends of Scotland Caucus (Founding Co-chairman) * Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus * Liberty Caucus *

United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus The U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus, founded in September 2003, is a bipartisan congressional organization with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advan ...

* Sportsmen's Caucus * Veterinary Medicine Caucus * Congressional Constitution Caucus * Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus * U.S.-Japan Caucus

Post-congressional career

Following his retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives Duncan published a book about his life and career titled "From Batboy to Congressman." He also is a regular columnist for a

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

in Knoxville.

Personal life

Duncan and his wife Lynn ( Hawkins) were married in 1978. They have four children and eight grandchildren. Lynn died in August 2021. He married Vickie Dowling in May 2022. He is also the brother of Tennessee State Senator Becky Duncan Massey. After retiring from Congress, Duncan relocated from his home in Knoxville to Bean Station in neighboring Grainger County.

References

External links

* *
John Duncan articles at lewrockwell.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Jimmy 1947 births Living people 20th-century Presbyterians 21st-century Presbyterians American nationalists American Presbyterians George Washington University Law School alumni The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company People from Lebanon, Tennessee Politicians from Knoxville, Tennessee Presbyterians from Tennessee Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Sears Holdings people Tennessee lawyers Tennessee state court judges University of Tennessee alumni 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives