John Grisham, Jr. was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1955. Twelve years later, his father, a cotton farmer, moved with his family to Southaven, Mississippi. Grisham graduated from Southaven High School in 1973.

He attended Northwest Junior College, Senatobia, Mississippi; Delta State University, Cleveland, Mississippi; and finally enrolled in the accounting program at Mississippi State University. He received a B.S. in accounting in 1977.
Grisham then studied tax law at the University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi. He soon discovered that he did not enjoy his chosen specialty.

Once again he changed course and turned his attention to criminal law. In 1981, he earned his law degree and soon after opened a law practice in Southaven. As a criminal lawyer he had opportunity to experience the drama and pathos of the courtroom. He also saw lawyers and judges at their best and worst.

In l983, the voters of Mississippi's Seventh District sent Grisham to Jackson as their State Representative. By his second term he held the vice chairmanship of the Apportionment and Elections Committee as well as memberships on the Insurance, Judiciary A, and Military Affairs Committee. Grisham, however, missed the company of his family and was frustrated by the frequent inactivity of the state legislature. Boredom and his sense of humor were evident when Grisham introduced a resolution-commending singer Herbert Khaury, better known as Tiny Tim.


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