Jim Posey

James Emmitt “Jim” Posey Sr. (November 19, 1944 – May 31, 2016) was a Scott County elected official and cabinet-maker who spent four years as Trustee in the 1990s.

Biography

Born Nov. 1944, Jim Posey was the son of Leon Posey Sr. (1919-1999) and Littie Hughett (1926-1989). His father was a World War II veteran.

The Posey family has deep roots in the Stanley Creek area of eastern Scott County, where Jim Posey’s great-grandfather, Benjamin F. Posey, lived prior to his death in 1926.

Jim Posey was one of four children. His siblings included Leon “Buck” Posey Jr., Carolyn Botts and Rhonda Posey.

Posey married Betty Sue Carson. They had four children: James Emmitt Posey Jr., Terence Jerome “Terry” Posey, Troy Dale Posey and Jonathan Euell Posey.

Professional Life

Posey served as Scott County Trustee from 1990 to 1994. He was elected in August 1990, replacing C.J. Thompson, who retired after 20 years in office. He won in a four-way race to replace Thompson, finishing with 1,203 votes. Sandra B. Phillips finished with 1,135 votes, while Joe Stephens had 1,071 votes and Paul E. Bilbrey had 1,013 votes. William Jake Sharp finished with 834 votes and Frazier Reagan had 711 votes. Also running were J.D. Murley, with 501 votes, and Donald Gene Cook, with 352 votes.

In the 1994 election, Posey was defeated by Phillips, 2,202 to 1,984. Also running in that race were former Register of Deeds James L. Byrd and Oneida businessman Mearle Marcum, who received 1,896 votes and 1,484 votes, respectively.

Posey ran for Trustee again in the 1998 election, but finished a distant fifth. Jimmy D. Byrd won election that year with 1,796 votes, while Steve D. Thompson finished second with 1,615 votes and Charles Duvall finished third with 1,565 votes. The incumbent, Phillips, finished with 1,093 votes, and Posey had 836 votes. Keith A. Jeffers finished with 529 votes.

Besides serving as Trustee, Posey owned and operated Posey Cabinet Shop for more than 50 years. His father originally owned the shop, and the two worked side-by-side for 38 years until his father’s death in 1999.

Death

Posey died on May 31, 2016 at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He was 71 at the time. A funeral service was held on June 4, 2016 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in the Buffalo community with Rev. Larry Ellis and Rev. Jerry Massengale officiating. He was buried at Owens-Posey Cemetery on Stanley Creek.