J. Chris Newton (born November 9, 1970) is an American politician who served as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. A Republican, he represented the 22nd district, which includes Meigs, Polk, and parts of Bradley counties. He resigned in 2005 after being charged in Operation Tennessee Waltz.

J. Chris Newton
Newton being filmed unknowingly as part of Operation Tennessee Waltz
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 22nd district
Succeeded byEric Watson
Personal details
Born (1970-11-09) November 9, 1970 (age 54)
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceTurtletown, Tennessee[1]
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga (B.Sc.)

Background

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J. Chris Newton was born on November 9, 1970. He received a Bachelor of Science in political science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He worked as a sales manager.[2]

Newton was first elected in 1994, taking office the following January as part of the 99th General Assembly.[2] In May 2005, Newton, along with several fellow lawmakers, was arrested and charged with bribery in the Operation Tennessee Waltz scandal.[3]

He announced his resignation on September 1, 2005 under pressure from the state Republican Party,[4] and on February 22, 2006, was sentenced to one year in prison.[5] He served nine months in the minimum security prison camp at the United States Penitentiary in Atlanta.[6] He was the only Republican charged in the operation.[7]

As of 2015, Newton was reported to be working as a businessman in the Cleveland area.[7]

Personal life

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Newton was married to Ginger Newton. Newton was also married to Angela Newton. As of August 2019, he is married to Brittany Sorayah (Kubba) Newton[2] He is a Baptist.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "J. Chris Newton". capitol.tn.gov. Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  2. ^ a b c "J.Chris Newton". legislature.state.tn.us. Tennessee General Assembly. Archived from the original on 1997-07-21. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  3. ^ Emery, Theo (January 11, 2006). "Tennessee Takes Up an Overhaul of Ethics Rules". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Chris Newton Moves Up Resignation". Chattanoogan.com. September 1, 2005.
  5. ^ "Newton sentenced in Tennessee Waltz case". WMC-TV. February 22, 2006. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  6. ^ "TN Waltz defendant Chris Newton out of jail and living in halfway house". WMC-TV. January 26, 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Tennessee Waltz scandal: Where are they now?". The Tennessean. May 25, 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2020.