By Ray Hill There are few people in our community who haven’t either heard of or visited the magnificent Biltmore House. Biltmore was the vision of George Washington Vanderbilt II, the grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. George Vanderbilt’s father, William, was the richest man on earth at the time of his death in 1896 with […]
By Ray Hill Almost entirely forgotten today, Benton McMillin was one of the most popular politicians in Tennessee for decades. McMillin served in Congress for twenty years, two terms as Tennessee’s governor, and went on to serve as a diplomat. McMillin’s wife, Lucille, was also an accomplished lady who enjoyed a political career of her […]
By Ray Hill Political success can come quickly and just as quickly be snuffed out. Rush D. Holt of West Virginia is a prime example of stunning political success at an early age, his electoral career squandered either through insistence upon remaining true to his principles or due to petty feuds and his own eccentricities, […]
By Ray Hill Nathan L. Bachman is little remembered today, but was a highly regarded jurist and a popular United States Senator from Tennessee. Bachman was born August 2, 1878 into a prominent family. He attended at least three colleges before setting out to earn a law degree. Bachman went to the University of Tennessee […]
By Ray Hill John Sherman Cooper was one of the most enduring and popular public figures in Kentucky in the post World War II era and he was, of all things, a Republican. Cooper was among those titanic figures that dominated Kentucky politics for decades, including Senator and Vice President Alben Barkley and […]
By Ray Hill Congressman Ross Bass and Governor Frank Clement were fighting a close race for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate in 1964 to complete the remaining two years of the late Estes Kefauver’s term. While there had been few real differences between the two leading candidates for the nomination, the race […]
By Ray Hill Few Tennesseans today remember Ross Bass who served the Volunteer State in Congress for a decade, as well as a brief term in the United States Senate. Bass was a participant in some of Tennessee’s fiercest political wars and served in Congress during a time when Tennessee was undergoing a profound change […]
By Ray Hill The South produced a number of successful demagogues, not the least of which was James K. Vardaman, a governor and senator from Mississippi. At the height of his career, Vardaman was unquestionably the most popular politician in Mississippi. James Kimble Vardaman was born July 26, 1861, just as the Civil War commenced. […]
By Ray Hill An imposing statue dominates the State Capitol in Nashville, yet few recognize the figure staring off into the distance, overlooking the street where he was murdered in downtown Nashville. Edward Ward Carmack was by profession a newspaperman, but he was also a successful politician, serving as a Congressman and U. S. […]
By Ray Hill Hill McAlister was governor of Tennessee during one of the most difficult times in our state’s history; McAlister was chief executive of the Volunteer State during the Great Depression. Born July 15, 1875, McAlister was the son of a local judge and attorney and enjoyed a reasonably comfortable upbringing. He attended Vanderbilt […]
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