Fedex founder Smith named delegate to GOP convention

By Bartholomew Sullivan, Memphis Commercial Appeal
July 22, 2008

WASHINGTON — FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith will be an at-large delegate at the Republican National Convention in September and Memphian John Ryder will serve on the convention's Rules Committee, the Tennessee Republican Party announced today.

The Rules Committee appointment was certified by the Republican National Committee late last week, the Tennessee party's state director, Randy Stamps, said today. The convention gets under way Sept. 1 in St. Paul, Minn.

In addition to Smith and Ryder, the 9th Congressional District delegates will be Ken Hall, the marketing director for a Memphis architecture firm and a self-described "absolute novice," who will be attending his first convention; lawyer and former Shelby County Commissioner Buck Wellford and businessman Mark While.

Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons, Annabel Woodall and Anne Conrad were named alternate delegates.

In Seventh Congressional District now represented by Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Beale Street impresario John Elkington will be a delegate and State Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, and Shelby County Commission chairman David Lilliard of Germantown will be alternates.

The honorary chairman of the Tennessee delegation will be Sen. Lamar Alexander. Blackburn will serve as an at-large delegate.