Bill Rawlins, longtime AP state government reporter, dies in Nashville at 82

AP’s longtime Tenn. government reporter dies at 82

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bill Rawlins, known for his scoops and praised by the Tennessee legislators he covered during 46 years with The Associated Press, has died. He was 82.

His death early Monday in Nashville was confirmed by his wife, Suzanne. She didn’t specify a cause.

The last 42 years of his career were spent in Tennessee, culminating in two decades reporting from the state Capitol.

He retired in 1994. Shortly before his retirement, a General Assembly resolution honored his “unswerving commitment to fair and accurate reporting.” It joked that smoke sometimes seemed to rise from his pad as he rapidly took notes.

In 1976, he scooped dozens of reporters from around the country at the Republican National Convention with first word that President Gerald Ford had chosen Sen. Bob Dole as his running mate.