KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A history-making Knox County jurist has died.
Retired Knox County Chancellor Sharon J. Bell, a longtime Republican, was 80. Family members told WBIR they learned of her death Sunday in Knoxville.
An attorney, Bell served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1978-82. She then became a Knox County General Sessions Court judge, serving four years.
In 1986, Bell was elected in Knox County as the first woman chancellor in the state. She retired from the bench in 2006.
In recent years, Bell had served as a hearing officer in Merit System Council hearings.
Bell was businesslike and to the point as chancellor. If you addressed her as judge, she might very well remind you of her correct title.
Along with the routine matters of Chancery Court, such as adoptions and family law, Bell handled more high-profile issues including a fight over public records held by the Knox County Sheriff's Office and a dispute over the role of the county law director with the school board.
Longtime Chancellor John Weaver told WBIR on Tuesday he and fellow chancellors were saddened by her passing.
"She was an outstanding jurist, a cherished colleague and a mentor. She was a pioneer for women in the law as the first woman chancellor in the state of Tennessee," Weaver told WBIR. "She brought her experience as a former state legislator and General Sessions Court judge to the Chancery Court bench.
"She served as an example for men and women jurists alike with her firm but fair administration of the law. Most of all she was a close and dearly loved friend of all of us in Chancery Court."
Bell received an undergraduate degree in economics from Auburn University and a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Tennessee Courts pays tribute to Bell's accomplishment on its website, noting she talked about it in a past interview with the Knoxville Bar Association.
"It just seemed like a normal progression,” she said. “When it dawned on me that I would be the first and only female chancellor, I guess I have to say it was somewhat underwhelming because I wasn’t running as a woman or to make a statement. I just thought I belonged there as much as anybody else.”