By Ray Hill The 1974 Tennessee gubernatorial campaign took a heavy toll on the finances of several aspirants. Dortch Oldham, who had run in the Republican primary, acknowledged spending perhaps $300,000 of his own money to fund his campaign. Oldham said, “I don’t believe anybody would do that if he ever sat down before the […]
By Ray Hill Clifford Davis had first been selected by E. H. Crump, the undisputed political boss of Shelby County, to go to Congress in a 1940 special election. Davis had remained in Congress since that time and his congressional career had likely been saved when he was shot on the floor of the House […]
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 was pushing a bill vital to the Tennessee Valley Authority, a […]
By Ray Hill Edward H. Crump, long the political boss of Memphis and Shelby County, began to seriously fade in the summer of 1954. Increasingly weakened by heart disease, the Memphis Boss had been active in politics almost to the end. When former governor Prentice Cooper began sounding out a possible race against Senator Estes […]
By Ray Hill “To the victor belong the spoils” is a quote frequently attributed to Andrew Jackson, but it was Senator William L. Marcy, a Democrat from New York, who actually said it. If General Jackson was not the source of the quote, he made it a reality when he became President of the United […]
By Ray Hill Ridley Mitchell, the colorful congressman from Tennessee’s Fourth District, suddenly found himself embroiled in a debate with fellow Representative John J. Cochran of Missouri, an effective and acerbic speaker. The topic was the seemingly unimportant removal of Bedford County in Mitchell’s Congressional district to the jurisdiction of the federal court in Winchester, […]
By Ray Hill Tennessee Congressman Ewin L. Davis, a veteran of fourteen years, had lost his seat to freshman legislator J. Ridley Mitchell in the 1932 Democratic primary. Mitchell’s district had been dismembered by the Tennessee General Assembly causing Mitchell to move from Crossville to Cookeville. Mitchell, remaining the underdog for most of the campaign, […]
Remembering Jake Butcher By Ray Hill rayhill865@gmail.com For those wanting an opportunity to bask in the limelight, it would be well to remember the glare burns far more frequently than it shines. That thought was rekindled yet again in my mind with the passing of Jake Butcher. Media across Tennessee have recounted Butcher’s public career; […]
By Ray Hill When the Tennessee General Assembly reduced the number of Tennessee’s congressional seats from ten to nine, Congressman J. Ridley Mitchell had been displaced. Mitchell’s home county of Cumberland had been placed in the heavily Republican Second District, which was represented by GOP Congressman J. Will Taylor. “Hillbilly Bill” Taylor was considered unbeatable […]
By Ray Hill Every ten years legislative and Congressional districts must undergo some changes; redistricting always poses a danger to incumbents. It is not uncommon for a sitting congressman to run for higher office when faced with the elimination of his district. Congressman Albert Gore’s district was carved up in 1952, but he was already […]
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