Johnny Hayes succumbs to cancer at age 67

Updated with visitation and funeral information

Email | Print By Ken Whitehouse

Johnny H. Hayes

UPDATE:

Visitation:  Monday, September 22, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Bethpage United Methodist Church, 3140 Highway 31E, Bethpage, Tennessee.
 
Funeral Service:      Tuesday, September 23, 10:00 a.m.at Gallatin First United Methodist Church, 149 West Main Street, Gallatin, Tennessee. 
 
Graveside Service:  Wednesday, September 24,  11:00 a.m. eastern time at the Sherwood Memorial Gardens, 3176 Airport Highway, Alcoa, Tennessee.
 
The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to either the Johnny H. Hayes Scholarship Fund through the Tennessee Tech University Foundation at P.O. Box 1915, Cookeville, Tennessee 38505; or Bethpage United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 100, Bethpage, Tennessee 37022.
 
 
Directions to Bethpage United Methodist Church (from Nashville)

Take I-65 North

Exit on Vietnam Veterans Blvd   (386North)

Do not take any exits, VVB is now completed into Gallatin, it does become 2 lanes as you come into Gallatin and the name changes to 174 East

When 174 ends, turn right onto 25 East

Cross railroad tracks and get in left lane

Turn left in front of the Krystal. This will be 31E

Go 9.2 miles. The church will be on the right

As originally posted:

Johnny H. Hayes, a Tennessee Democratic political giant at the state and national levels, passed away today at age 67. For the past few years, he had been battling cancer.

He will be remembered for his effective public-sector leadership, as one of the country's premier campaign fundraisers, and to his friends as someone who always stood by you no matter what.

During the 2000 presidential campaign of his friend Al Gore, Hayes served as national finance director. Unofficially, however, he served as the patriarch of the campaign for political operatives from all over the country.

He took interest in what rank and file Gore staffers were doing, how they were doing, and were they doing it right. He made sure that they had places to eat and sleep and stood up for them when other senior level campaign officials questioned their resolve.

It was during this campaign that I got to really love and know Johnny. We had met when he served as Commissioner of Economic and Community Development for then Governor Ned McWherter, but didn't really become good friends until the 2000 campaign.

During the Gore campaign, I butted heads a number of times with the national campaign leaders. It was Johnny who always stood up for me and it didn't matter if I was right or wrong. On more than one occasion my obstinacy was enough for campaign superiors from other parts of the country to say I should be fired. It was Johnny that stopped them every time.

Later, when I worked with him on Governor Phil Bredesen's 2002 campaign, Johnny once again played the role of campaign patriarch. He made sure that everyone doing a job knew its value and its purpose and that it was appreciated. Appreciation is something that many people forget in politics, Johnny never did.

Not long into Bredesen's first term as governor, I began to face health issues of my own. I was unable to concentrate and work effectively to put it mildly. While I had the tremendous support of my mother, sisters, and brother at this time, Johnny was there too. He made sure that I was not forgotten, picking up the loose ends that had slipped through the cracks.

He didn't ask for anything in return. He never sought any sort of recognition, he was just a quiet guiding force that helped me through one of the darkest periods of my life.

I know I am not alone, there are too many other people that Johnny helped. More often than not, he would gruffly say, "Now, don't tell anybody...this is just between you and me." Today there are a lot of people remembering those words, and they will gladly break that promise to honor him in their remembrances.

In politics you have "political father's" or "political mother's." They are the people who show you the ropes and how to be professional, they teach you the ethics of what is a hard game. They don't take the place of your real parents, but they are the ones in politics that others look to if you get out of line. Johnny was one of those people that you proudly claimed lineage to, if he vouched for you then there was no question about your ethic and loyalty.

While many can and will claim to be part of his political family, his real family was where his heart was. The love of his life was Mary Howard Hayes. She was his strength and inspiration, you knew it when you saw them talking in person or when you saw him talking to her by telephone from an abandoned truck stop in Iowa that had been converted into a Gore phone bank headquarters.

Both Johnny and Mary Howard would always swell with pride when you asked about any of their three children, Craig, Amy and Mary Kate, or three grandchildren, Austin, Ashley and Miller. Family was their foundation and it was apparent to all.

There are many other aspects of Johnny's life and work that should be remembered and lauded. His work for his church, his community, and his championing social and economic justice. Posted below is a copy of the obituary as provided by the Hayes family, what it says there and what I wrote above can't even begin to do Johnny's life justice.

Simply put, Johnny Hayes was a gallant man. Somebody ought to put that on a campaign button.

Johnny Hayes SUCCUMBS TO CANCER At 67

Noted Business and Political Leader

Sideview, Tn., September 20, 2008 - Johnny Hayes, one of Tennessee's most influential leaders in business and politics, died Saturday (September 20) on his Sumner County farm after a long battle with cancer.  He was 67 years of age.

While Hayes was well-known as a successful business owner, the top fundraiser for both Governor Phil Bredesen and Vice President Al Gore, a member of Governor Ned McWherter's cabinet, and a director of the Tennessee Valley Authority, he is perhaps most recognized for his willingness to provide help to anyone who asked it of him.  It was not unusual for Hayes to be juggling phone calls with a CEO or high-ranking government official on one line while also talking on another line to a neighbor who had run out of gas or a church member who couldn't pay their utility bills.

Over his long career in public and private life, Hayes developed a unique and larger than life identity as a man known for his irrepressible optimism, good-natured style, and a keen ability to offer simple, common sense guidance on difficult and challenging problems.  A common element of every endeavor of Johnny Hayes --- whether public or private --- was that it was oriented around trying to help other people accomplish their goals.

Hayes was born in Alcoa, Tennessee, to Harold and Elizabeth Hayes.  Hayes grew up there, along with his brother, Steve Hayes who still lives in Alcoa, and his sister, Libby Breeding who resides in Maryville, Tennessee.  He was a 1958 graduate of Alcoa High School.

Hayes' career started after he graduated from Tennessee Technological University in 1961 and moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee, where he founded an independent insurance agency called Newman, Hayes & Hogan, later to become Newman, Hayes & Dixon.  That firm grew into one of the largest and most successful agencies in the area before he sold his interest in 1989.  Hayes also operated a livestock operation, breeding and raising grand champion red Angus cattle.

A political science major in college, Hayes had a deep interest in politics and its ability to change people's lives for the better.  He put that passion into action by working to elect candidates who shared his beliefs.  Hayes deserves significant credit for helping launch the political career of Al Gore and for many of the successes Gore enjoyed during his time in elected office.  Hayes served as Gore's finance chairman during his first race for Congress in 1976.  He filled that same role in every subsequent Gore campaign, culminating with his service as National Finance Chairman for the Gore 2000 Presidential Campaign.

One of Hayes' first forays into public service outside of political campaigns came when Governor Ned McWherter appointed him to his cabinet as the Commissioner of Employment Security in 1991.  McWherter later asked Hayes to continue serving in his cabinet as the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development.  Hayes did not know it at the time, but the skills and passion he developed in these roles --- as someone who knew how to create jobs and provide greater opportunity for people --- served him well in his next role.

In 1993 President Bill Clinton nominated Johnny Hayes to serve on the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  Hayes left a legacy at TVA of putting people back in the process. He was instrumental in efforts to strengthen TVA's relationships in the seven-state region, something that was accomplished in part because of the sheer power of his personality.

One of Hayes' closest political relationships was with Governor Phil Bredesen.  Hayes served as Bredesen's finance chairman in his narrow 2002 campaign victory and again in 2006 when he helped engineer Bredesen's historic ninety-five county win.  Hayes also shared a close relationship with First Lady Andrea Conte, particularly when they discovered their mutual love for growing tomatoes.

Over the course of his political involvement Hayes began collecting political memorabilia.  Over the last four decades he assembled one of the most impressive collections in the nation.

The issue of immigration policy was of particular importance to Hayes over the last few years of his life.  He was a fierce defender of individuals who were motivated by a desire to pursue their dreams and provide for their families, and he stood out as a voice of reason as a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment swept the country.  Earlier this year Hayes was given the American Dream Award by the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition for his support of initiatives dedicated to making Tennessee "a more welcoming and hospitable place."  Hundreds of people turned out for the event to show their appreciation for his political courage and his principled views.

Politics and government always loomed large in Hayes' life, but nothing was more important to him than his family and his faith.

He is survived by his wife Mary Howard Reese Hayes; three children, Craig Hayes of Gallatin, Amy Hayes of New York, and Mary Kate Mouser of Nashville; and three grandchildren, Austin Hayes, Ashley Hayes, and Miller Mouser.

Hayes was a member of Bethpage United Methodist Church where he served on the Administrative Board and as Sunday School Superintendent for 18 years.  Hayes put his unique fundraising abilities to work for his church in a variety of situations.  Whether the need was a new sanctuary or a new community playground or simply helping members who found themselves in financial distress, Hayes found a way to address the need.

Over the course of his life Hayes developed a following among friends and admirers that is rarely seen.  He had an uncanny ability to connect with people and develop deep and lasting bonds.  More than fifty years after graduating from high school, Hayes was still in touch with every one of his living classmates and could tell you where they lived and worked.  People of all walks of life wanted to know him.  His laugh and his smile were infectious, and his word was his bond.  He was the rare person who on any given day was sought out by the most powerful people in the nation and the most fragile and oppressed in the community.  The weak and strong knew that if they asked Johnny Hayes to do something for them, he would give it his all.

Services are currently being scheduled.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to either the Johnny H. Hayes Scholarship Fund through the Tennessee Tech University Foundation at P.O. Box 1915, Cookeville, Tennessee 38505; or Bethpage United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 100, Bethpage, Tennessee 37022.