Fitzhugh was born in Brownsville, Tennessee, in 1950 and raised in Ripley, Tennessee. He graduated from Ripley High School in 1968, where he played varsity baseball, football, and basketball. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance. While at UT, he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and played centerfield on the UT Freshman Baseball Team. Fitzhugh graduated from law school at UT in 1975. He served four years active duty in the Air Force as a Captain in the Judge’s Advocate General Corp., serving at bases in North Carolina and England. In 1980, Fitzhugh returned to practice law in Ripley where he worked until joining the Bank of Ripley in 1992. He currently serves as the Bank of Ripley's CEO. Fitzhugh has been married to Pam Chism for 45 years. They have two children and five grandchildren. Fitzhugh is active in the Tennessee Banker’s Association, where he previously served as Chairman of the statewide organization. He also remains active in the legal community where he was formerly a member of the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility. Recently, Fitzhugh was inducted as a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation. An Eagle Scout, Fitzhugh has been an assistant scoutmaster since 1981. He was awarded the Silver Beaver Award and is a Brotherhood Order of the Arrow member and has completed Woodbadge training. Fitzhugh is a 30+year Life Sponsor of Ducks Unlimited and a former District and Zone Chairman. He was a fourth generation member of First Baptist Church in Ripley, where he served as a Deacon. In 2010, he was a finalist for the presidency of the University of Tennessee.
Education
Fitzhugh graduated from Ripley High School in 1968. He then attended the University of Tennessee where he received a B.S. in Banking and Finance in 1972. He received a Juris Doctor in 1975 from the University of Tennessee School of Law.
Political career
Fitzhugh was a Municipal Judge for the City of Gates, Tennessee from 1990 to 1992. Fitzhugh was first elected to the Tennessee House in 1994, taking office in 1995. He served in that position until 2019, representing the 82nd District. Fitzhugh was elected by the Democratic caucus to serve as House Minority Leader in December 2010 and prior to that served as the Chairman of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee. Fitzhugh declined to run for Governor of Tennessee in the 2014 gubernatorial election. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 2018, losing to former Nashville mayor Karl Dean in the primary on August 2, 2018.
Legislation
On June 4, 2007, Fitzhugh voted in favor for SB 2326 which increased the Cigarette Tax from 20 cents to 60 cents per pack. It passed the Tennessee House of Representatives 59-37. He sponsored and passed the largest tax reduction in the State's history in the reduction of the sales tax on food. He was instrumental in passage of the Complete College Act, led the fight for expansion of Medicaid and the rejection of vouchers for Tennessee schools. Following the 2012 meningitis related death of a local university student, Fitzhugh & State Senator Lowe Finney filed the which required students living in on-campus housing to be immunized against the disease. The bill passed and was signed into law by Gov. Bill Haslam on June 4, 2013. Tennessee was previously one of 31 states that allowed a rapist, whose crime resulted in pregnancy, to sue the survivor for custody of said child. In 2015, Fitzhugh introduced HB 554/SB 1121 which sought to terminate the parental rights of a rapist upon conviction for that crime from which a child resulted. The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously. It was signed into law by Gov. Bill Haslam on April 16, 2015.
