Bryan Terry

Bryan Terry (born October 27, 1968) is an American doctor and politician from the state of Tennessee. A Republican, he has represented the 48th district of the Tennessee House of Representatives, based in eastern Murfreesboro, since 2015.^[1][2] He is the only Native American serving in the chamber.

Bryan Terry
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 48th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 13, 2015
Preceded by	Joe Carr
Personal details
Born	(1968-10-27) October 27, 1968 (age 56)
Nationality	American Choctaw
Political party	Republican
Residence(s)	Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Education	University of Oklahoma (BS) University of Oklahoma College of Medicine (MD)
Website	Official website Campaign website

Early life

Terry was born in Oklahoma, where he went into his family's auto salvage business. After attending the University of Oklahoma and the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Terry worked as a doctor in both Oklahoma and Tennessee, including caring for victims of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.^[3]

Career

In 2014, Joe Carr, representative for the 48th district of the Tennessee House of Representatives, announced he would challenge Senator Lamar Alexander in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. Despite being outspent, Terry won a highly contested primary to succeed Carr, earning 34% of the vote to his two opponents' 33%.^[4][5] Terry went on to win the general election easily.

Terry has not faced significant opposition since in his heavily Republican seat, winning handily in 2016 and 2018.^[6]

In 2023, Terry supported a resolution to expel three Democratic lawmakers from the legislature for violating decorum rules. The expulsion was widely characterized as unprecedented.^[7]

In 2025, Terry sponsored HB1044, which was substituted by SB955: Medical Ethics Defense Act and went into effect on April 24, 2025. The bill established that "a healthcare provider, including a healthcare professional, healthcare institution, or healthcare payer, has the right to not participate in or pay for a healthcare procedure, treatment, or service that violates the conscience of the healthcare provider." On July 20, 2025, the Nashville Banner reported that a 35-year old woman was denied prenatal care by her physician "because they objected to the fact that she wasn't married, nor did she plan to be" as a direct result of this bill.

Personal life

Terry lives in Murfreesboro with his wife, Cheryl, and their 2 children. He is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation.^[3]