riley carlisle darnell (may 13, 1940 – october 2, 2020) was an american democratic politician, he was the tennessee secretary of state from 1993 to 2009. he was born in clarksville, tennessee. from 1971 to 1981, he was a member of the tennessee house of representatives. between 1981 to 1993, he was a member of the tennessee senate.