Robert Ashton Everett (February 24, 1915-January 26, 1969) was a Democratic Congressman from Tennessee from February 1, 1958 until his death. Everett was a native of Obion County, Tennessee, being born on a farm near Union City. He was a 1936 graduate of Murray State College (now Murray State University) and was elected to the Obion County Court (now called County Commission) that year. In 1938 he was elected Obion County Circuit Court Clerk. During World War II, he served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945. After the war he was an administrative assistant to Senator Thomas Stewart from 1945 to 1949, and to Governor Gordon Browning from 1950 to 1952. Afterwards, he became executive secretary of the Tennessee County Services Association.
In 1958, Everett entered the contest for the Eighth Congressional District seat of Jere Cooper, who had died in office. He won the special election and served the balance of Cooper's term and five subsequent ones, dying in the first month of his seventh term. Like the voters of his district, he was predominantly a conservative, largely reflecting the views of his party's Southern wing.
Everett died in Nashville, Tennessee. He is buried at East View Cemetery in Union City.
This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
