By Ray Hill Bill Brock formally announced his bid for a second term in Congress on June 1, 1964. Within weeks of Brock’s reelection announcement, “Bookie” Turner announced he was withdrawing from the Congressional race. Turner said he had only taken the plunge as a...
Bill Brock of Tennessee, Part Three
By Ray Hill Senator Gore admitted if the Republicans fielded a strong candidate his reelection campaign would be “a tough race.” Gore also opined Bill Brock would likely be the strongest candidate the Republicans could run against him, but the senator said he...
Ned Carmack, Part II
By Ray Hill W. “Ned” Carmack’s campaign for the United States Senate ended on a dusty road in rural West Tennessee under circumstances never resolved. Carmack’s wife Charlotte arrived to whisk him home to Murfreesboro, where Carmack spent some time in a hospital....
Ned Carmack I
By Ray Hill Edward Ward Carmack, Jr. possessed a name made famous by his father. E. W. Carmack had been a congressman, United States senator and only just barely missed having been elected governor; the elder Carmack had also been a newspaper editor who deftly used...
The Fall of Governor Henry Horton
By Ray Hill Henry Hollis Horton had once been one of the luckiest men in Tennessee politics. Horton had little political experience after beginning a law practice in Marshall County. Horton served a single term in the Tennessee House of Representatives and had been...
Clyde Roark Hoey of North Carolina
By Ray Hill For decades, Clyde Roark Hoey was one of North Carolina’s most personally popular politicians. Even well before his death, Clyde R. Hoey was something of a caricature. Always immaculately dressed, Hoey favored a frock coat and bat-wing collar long after...
The Last Vestige of the Crump Machine: Clifford Davis, Part II
By Ray Hill Congressman Clifford Davis of Memphis had served in the House of Representatives since 1940 and in 1959 was the chairman of the House Public Works Committee. A relatively obscure committee to most folks, it became of prime importance to Tennessee. Davis...
The One Man Army: Sergeant Jake Lindsey
By Ray Hill Jake Lindsey epitomized much about how Americans saw themselves when he joined the army in February of 1940. Lindsay, a resident of the tiny hamlet of Lucedale, Mississippi, joined the armed forces well before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The...
Ray Blanton, Part 5
By Ray Hill Ray Blanton had achieved his long sought after goal of winning statewide office in Tennessee with his victory in the 1974 general election. Blanton had defeated Republican Lamar Alexander decisively in winning the governorship. Ray Blanton had always...
Ray Blanton, Part 4
Ray Blanton emerged from the 1974 primary as the Democratic nominee for governor of Tennessee. It had been a contentious primary in with twelve men competing for the nomination. Blanton had barely edged banker Jake Butcher to be the nominee. The Republicans had their...
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Edward Hull Crump: The Boss, Part VII
By Ray Hill Despite...
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The U.S. Senate In The Age of McKellar: 1917 – 1953
By Ray Hill Kenneth...
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The Senator’s Secretary: D. W. McKellar
By Ray Hill...
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A Feudin’ Son of Tennessee: Kenneth McKellar Chapter 1
By Ray Hill It will...
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A Feudin’ Son of Tennessee: Kenneth McKellar Chapter 2
By Ray Hill Kenneth McKellar...
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A Feudin’ Son of Tennessee: Kenneth McKellar, Chapter 3
By Ray Hill Even as a...