William Edward Haslam[1] (/ˈhæzləm/; born August 23, 1958) is an American billionaire businessman and politician who served as the 49th governor of Tennessee from 2011 to 2019.

Haslam then left Pilot and from 1999 to 2001 was the CEO of the e-commerce and cataloging division at the department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue.

A 2015 Forbes article estimated Haslam's net worth at $2 billion, making him the nation's wealthiest elected official at that time.

[9] Following his university graduation, he returned to Knoxville to work for Pilot in hopes of learning more about the business world before entering the seminary, and eventually decided to stay with the company.

[10] Along with historical preservation efforts, Haslam helped spur residential and retail growth in the downtown area, mainly by offering developers tax subsidies.

Congressman Zach Wamp received $1.2 million, while Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons reported $416,000 at that time.

[18] Among Democratic candidates, businessman Mike McWherter raised $650,000 at the mid-year, followed by former State House Majority Leader Kim McMillan's $180,000.

[26] In the general election on November 4, 2014, Haslam defeated Democratic nominee Charles Brown with over 70% of the vote and won every county.

[27] Haslam stated that job creation and long-term economic growth were his top priority as governor, followed by education reform and workforce development.

[31] On May 23, 2011, Haslam signed a bill overturning a Nashville ordinance that barred discrimination against the hiring of homosexuals for any companies awarded city contracts.

[34] Other legislation signed by Haslam included a tort reform measure that limits non-economic damages in civil suits,[35] a bill that lifted the cap on the number charter schools in the state and opened enrollment in charter schools to more students,[36] and a bill that allows college students to use Hope Scholarship funds during summer semesters.

[39] In both cases, the arrests were thrown out by General Sessions Night Court Commissioner Tom Nelson, who ruled that the state had no authority to set a curfew for Legislative Plaza.

[40] Haslam stated the curfew was necessary due to deteriorating sanitary conditions and safety issues on the Plaza,[39][41] though critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed a lawsuit in federal court on October 31 to halt the arrests, have stated that the curfew is a violation of the protesters' civil rights.

[43] He also signed the "Fast Track" bill, which provided cash grants to companies seeking to expand or relocate to Tennessee.

[44] Tennessee was granted a waiver requested by Haslam from certain portions of the federal government's No Child Left Behind standards.

[49] In early April, he initiated the "Meth Stops Now" campaign, aimed at informing the public of the consequences of methamphetamine manufacture.

[52] The bill also makes it easier for executive branch employees to be hired and fired, establishes merit raises for high performing workers, and gives preference to veterans in job openings where applicants have equal qualifications.

[54] Other bills signed by Haslam in May included a measure requiring drug testing for welfare recipients, a measure providing grants to companies to pay for training expenses for recently laid-off workers,[55] and a bill requiring Amazon.com to start collecting sales taxes on online purchases by 2014.

[59] In April 2014, Haslam signed into law a measure allowing prosecution of a new mother with criminal assault if she had used narcotics during pregnancy.

The law has been criticised as discriminatory against women from poor rural areas with limited access to healthcare and addiction treatment facilities.

[66] Haslam favors a conservative state budget that keeps taxes low in order to create and maintain a business-friendly environment.

[28] While he largely supports budget cuts, Haslam has suggested that the Republican Party is too often focused on scaling back government rather than making it work.

[74][75] The Tennessee Promise program, launched in 2014, provides two years of tuition-free access for high school graduates to attend community or technical college.

[74][76] The Tennessee Reconnect program provides tuition-free access for most of the state's adults to earn an associate degree or technical certificate.

This law will make it more difficult for same-sex couples to adopt children, pleasing socially conservative groups like the Family Action Council of Tennessee.

LGBT organization GLAAD issued a statement that Governor Haslam "has now placed the future of the state’s economy and the well-being of the LGBTQ community in jeopardy.”[73][77] Haslam has said he favors cracking down on businesses that employ illegal immigrants, and suggested he would sign a law requiring law enforcement officers to check the citizenship status of arrested individuals they suspect might be in the country illegally, if passed by the state legislature.

[73] On January 11, 2012, Bill Haslam endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination in the 2012 United States presidential election.

"[69] After US Senator Lamar Alexander announced that he would not seek re-election in 2020, speculation began to arise that Haslam would run for the seat.

[80] Haslam, whose brother, Jimmy, co-owns the NFL's Cleveland Browns with his wife, Dee, reached an agreement with the franchise's present ownership group, which is chaired by Herbert Fritch and includes at least 17 others.