Longtime state lawmaker C.B. Embry dies at 81

Following a battle with cancer, longtime Western Kentucky state lawmaker and public official C.B. Embry died late Thursday.

Embry was 81 years old, and had just resigned from his post earlier this week.

Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Crofton, first tweeted the news on Friday morning.

Embry, who did not seek reelection for his seat this year, received praise on the Senate floor for his service during the recent legislative session.

“C.B. Embry is the epitome of a committed public servant who traveled back and forth to Frankfort, scheduling his treatments around our floor and committee activity,” Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said. “He remained faithful to the office he was elected to and exercised the duties in which he dedicated his life. It has been an honor to serve in the Senate with such a dedicated person.”

According to a Senate GOP press release, Embry wore several different professional and public service hats throughout his life. He was at one point a newspaper manager and small business owner. Embry was elected mayor of Beaver Dam in 1973, a county judge-executive in 1982 and later to the House of Representatives in 2002. His career in the Senate began in 2014.

Westerfield said Embry “did more to engage with his constituents than any other legislator.”

“He was a principled leader, quiet, and consistent. His service and kindness will be greatly missed,” Westerfield said.

In the Senate, Embry’s 2015 advocacy for a bill that requiring transgender students to use the bathroom of their biological sex or separate facilities drew significant attention. That effort failed. Among other pieces of legislation, Embry also passed a bill requiring veterinarians to report animal abuse.

Many of Kentucky’s highest-ranking politicians spoke highly of Embry’s legacy in response to the legislator’s death.

“C.B. was the senior statesman in Kentucky’s statehouse, valued deeply by his colleagues for both his great work – especially on behalf of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens – and for his fine character. Faith and family were his guiding light throughout his career,” U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said in a statement.

Gov. Andy Beshear said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of Embry’s passing.

“He was loyal to the people of Western Kentucky and his contribution to the legislature over the last 20 years is immeasurable – he will be greatly missed,” Beshear wrote.

Embry’s Senate District 6 had moved to a different part of the state during this year’s redistricting process due to population shifts in his native Western Kentucky. The district is now located in the suburban greater Louisville area, including Oldham and Trimble counties as well as a part of outer Jefferson County.

Republican Lindsey Tichenor will be the only name on the ballot, but Democratic challenger Brian Easley has launched a write-in campaign for the seat.

“It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the good people of District 6,” Embry wrote in his resignation letter. “During my time in the Senate, I can truly say that I and my colleagues worked each day to make Kentucky an even greater state. I will miss my colleagues and staff in the Kentucky Senate, and will cherish the long-lasting friendships.”