Travis Childers - Early Life, Education and Career

Early Life, Education and Career

Childers was born in Booneville in Prentiss County, Mississippi on March 29, 1958. He is the son of John Wayne and Betty (née Smith) Childers. His father, John Wayne Childers (a native of Glen), died when his son was 16 years old; in high school he worked nights and weekends at the first convenience store in Booneville to support his mother, Betty, and sister, Tammy. He is of French, Italian, Swiss, English, Chickasaw, and Choctaw descent.

Childers attended Northeast Mississippi Junior College and then the University of Mississippi, where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1980.

While a student at Ole Miss, Childers became licensed as a Real Estate Salesperson by the Mississippi Real Estate Commission (MREC) and consequently became a Realtor. After graduating he joined Robert Davis' real estate business in Booneville and worked there throughout the 1980s. Eventually he became licensed as a Real Estate Broker by MREC prior to his ownership of Travis Childers Realty & Associates, a successful Northeast Mississippi real estate firm. He also owns, with his wife Tami, Landmark Community, a personal care home, and Landmark Nursing Center, an 80-bed skilled care facility and Alzheimer's disease unit.

In 1991, Childers was elected Prentiss County Chancery Clerk. He was re-elected five times (with 75 percent of the vote the final time). In 2001-2002, Childers served as president of the Mississippi Chancery Clerks Association.