Senator Jeff Yarbro Contact information

Jeff Yarbro was born on February 16, 1977, in Dyersburg, Tennessee. His father, Paul Yarbro, worked as a farmer, while his mother, Joetta, served as a sexual abuse investigator for the state. As a child, Jeff attended public schools.

After graduating from high school in 1995, he pursued higher education at Harvard University, where he earned a B.A. in government with honors. During his time at Harvard, he met his future wife while on the campaign trail. Both of them went on to pursue law degrees at the University of Virginia.

In law school, Jeff Yarbro served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Law Review and received the Thomas Marshall Miller Prize upon graduation. He then clerked for Judge Gilbert Merritt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Yarbro began practicing law at the firm Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville. His work there included defending an inmate on death row, which gained recognition for the firm’s outstanding service to the indigent. His legal practice focused on civil and appellate litigation, consumer financial services, constitutional law, and public contracts.

In the political arena, Yarbro worked on the New Hampshire Primary and served as an assistant to the chief political strategist for Democratic candidate Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000. He also played a key role in Harold Ford Jr.’s 2006 run for the United States Senate.

In 2010, Yarbro ran for public office and came within seventeen votes of defeating the forty-year incumbent Senator Douglas Henry. He eventually won the 2014 Democratic primary in Tennessee’s 21st district and joined the 109th General Assembly as a state senator. Yarbro’s commitment to public service extended beyond politics; he served as an education policy adviser to Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and received the PENCIL Foundation’s Volunteer of the Year award for his work in public education.

Elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 2014, Jeff Yarbro has represented over 200,000 Nashvillians in the legislature. In 2018, he was elected Democratic Leader. Additionally, in 2023, Yarbro ran for Mayor of Nashville in the election, finishing in fourth place.

Jeff Yarbro’s journey from public schools to Harvard, his legal career, and his dedication to public service exemplify his commitment to making a positive impact on his community and the state of Tennessee.