ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Jim Sells, Tennessee’s longest-serving mayor, who led his town for nearly half a century, has died, Gov. Bill Lee announced on Thursday.
Gov. Lee called Sells a “dedicated public servant who faithfully served Tennesseans for decades.” The website for Rogersville, the town which Sells served, says it was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of frontiersman Davy Crockett.
Rogersville Mayor Jim Sells was a dedicated public servant who faithfully served Tennesseans for decades.@MariaLeeTN & I ask the people of TN to join us in mourning Mayor Sells, the longest-serving mayor in TN history. https://t.co/h98GD1WglRpic.twitter.com/PEBbwMtyZ2
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) January 15, 2026
According to an obituary and local outlet The Rogersville Review, the former mayor died on Tuesday at 80 years old. The obituary states that Jimmy Lee “Jim” Sells had lived in Rogersville since he was a child…