By Ray Hill James Davis Porter served two terms as governor of Tennessee and remained one of the most notable of the Volunteer State’s citizens.  Lawmaker, judge, chief executive, highly successful businessman and college president, James D. Porter lived a full and...

By Ray Hill There was a time when John H. Savage was one of the most prominent men in Tennessee.  With his long, wavy locks of hair and a moustache that drooped below his chin, Savage resembled a mix between an outlaw and a Chinese Mandarin, especially with his dark,...

By Ray Hill Warren Robinson Austin served in the United States Senate before resigning his seat to accept an appointment from a president of the other political party to become America’s ambassador to the United Nations. Prior to his election to the Senate, Austin had...

By Ray Hill Readers will likely be surprised to learn that I frequently write columns well in advance of their publication. As this is written, President-elect Donald Trump is naming various nominees to the sundry offices and departments of the federal government....

By Ray Hill Eleanor Roosevelt was no ordinary First Lady.  Separated from her husband, at least emotionally if not literally, by past mistakes, Mrs. Roosevelt set out to recreate herself while living in the White House.  If her husband was known worldwide, then quite...

  By Ray Hill Edward Eugene Cox represented Georgia’s Second Congressional District for more than 25 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. In time, Cox would become one of the most powerful members of Congress. Those who knew him well described the fiery...

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 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 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 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...