by design | Apr 5, 2026 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Contrary to what we are led to believe, not everything is big in Texas. Morris Sheppard, who served more than 38 years in Congress for the Lone Star State, was a diminutive 5’4. Yet in fractious Texas, where bare-knuckled politics were commonplace,...
by design | Mar 29, 2026 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Elective political careers frequently have a short expiration date, while others keep going until they literally drop. Much of the longevity depends upon circumstance, timing, luck and ability. Some political careers are the result of careful planning and...
by design | Mar 22, 2026 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill The route to high public office is different for every person. For Harley Martin Kilgore, it was like a rocket ship to outer space, rising from an obscure local judge of the criminal court to the United States Senate in a matter of months. Few...
by design | Mar 15, 2026 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill William S. Vare was a very rare species, a Republican big-city political boss. Vare rose to the heights of politics in Pennsylvania and occupied a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for 14 years. The GOP machine in Philadelphia was notorious in the...
by design | Mar 8, 2026 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Most of history is unknown, and it is always fun for me to dust off certain tales and people and share those stories. Largely forgotten today, James Graves Scrugham lived an interesting and productive life. At various times, he was an engineer, a...
by design | Mar 1, 2026 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Readers are likely not familiar with Edouard V. Izac, who led a life filled with adventure and heroism, service and sacrifice, danger and deprivation. When he died, Izac was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the First World War. A graduate...
