‘The Uncrowned King of the Senate’ Robert S. Kerr of Oklahoma By Ray Hill Robert Samuel Kerr once, as a very young man, stated his life ambitions: “A family, to make a million dollars and to be Governor of Oklahoma - - - in that order.”  And he accomplished his goals...

Cordell Hull and Reciprocal Trade By Ray Hill Tariffs are much in the headlines these days, and it occurred to me that it would be an appropriate time for a column relating to reciprocal trade treaties.  Many readers may not know that it was a Tennessean who was...

George W. Malone of Nevada By Ray Hill With the defeat of U.S. Senator Tasker L. Oddie in 1932, Nevada became a solidly Democratic state during the Age of Roosevelt.  Nevada was represented in the United States Senate by Key Pittman and Pat McCarran.  The two were a...

The Senator From Washington State Harry P. Cain Harry Pulliam Cain was not an easy man to pin down.  Perhaps it was a contrarian nature or his affinity for being unpredictable, but Harry Cain was a study in contradictions.  As a member of the United States Senate,...

The Gentleman From Michigan: Charles E. Potter By Ray Hill History is full of obscure figures, but it is also like a dusty old closet that is full of interesting things once opened and examined.  Charles Potter looked like a small-town accountant with his horn-rimmed...

The Gentleman From Ohio John Martin Vorys By Ray Hill From 1932 through 1937, American voters consistently voted to approve the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. If Roosevelt did not resolve every problem, he gave people hope that the worst days were...

The Fall of Congressman John Jennings, IV By Ray Hill Congressman John Jennings, the incumbent from Tennessee’s Second Congressional District, was fighting an increasingly bitter reelection battle inside the Republican primary.  The contest was more personal than it...

The Fall of Congressman John Jennings, III By Ray Hill John Jennings had represented Tennessee’s Second Congressional District since 1940 and as 1950 dawned, the congressman faced the greatest threat to his continued tenure in office in a decade. Carroll Reece, who...

The Fall of Congressman John Jennings, II By Ray Hill Guy Smith, editor of the Knoxville Journal, was left seething with anger following the 1948 election. For the first time since 1916, Tennessee Republicans had nominated serious candidates for both the governorship...