was the founder of the National Life and Accident Insurance Co., and his father, Douglas Selph Henry Sr., served in the Tennessee Senate.
[4] Henry served as a member of the United States Army in the Philippines for over two years during World War II.
[1] Henry graduated with a BA in French, Greek, and Latin from College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University.
[4] Returning to the political arena in 1970,[2] Henry was elected 11 consecutive times to the Tennessee State Senate, most recently narrowly defeating challenger Jeff Yarbro in the 2010 primary by just 17 votes.
[6] When the Republicans became the majority in the state Senate in 2007, they called Henry the “chairman emeritus” of the body's Finance Committee out of respect.
[1] After his district was drastically altered by the Republican Legislative majority, Henry announced he would not seek re-election in 2014, instead opting to retire.
[1] The mayor of Nashville, Megan Barry, praised his "high standard for decorum and decency in public life" while Vanderbilt University's chancellor Nicholas Zeppos called him "a distinguished public servant, esteemed Vanderbilt alumnus, generous benefactor and dear friend.