For outstanding service to journalism in Tennessee, Thomas Edward Humphrey III is inducted into the 2017 class of the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame.
For more than 30 years Mr. Humphrey served as Nashville bureau chief for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Although he is supposedly retired, he continues to report on Tennessee state government and politics through his daily blog "Humphrey on the Hill," hosted by the Tennessee Journal, and through occasional articles in the News Sentinel and other publications.
Known for being tough but fair, Mr. Humphrey earned the respect of many legislators even when he was asking questions they really didn't want to answer. He took seriously the responsibility of journalists to question political leaders and to hold government officials accountable.
Prior to joining the News Sentinel in 1984, Mr. Humphrey worked for United Press International, including an eight-year stint in its Nashville bureau where coverage of state government and politics was also part of his duties.
He could be just as tough on editors, calling them "droolers," when they got in the way of a story.
Mr. Humphrey is a native of Columbia, and is a graduate of Maury County public schools. He also graduated from the University of Tennessee, and the Nashville School of Law. He is also an Army veteran, fisherman, hunter, husband, father of five and grandfather of ten.
Throughout his long and distinguished career, Mr. Thomas Edward Humphrey III has brought great credit to himself, the field of journalism, his community, and the state of Tennessee.
