Buncombe Bob: Sen. Robert Reynolds of North Carolina By Ray Hill Robert Rice Reynolds was the most unlikely of United States senators.  Oft-married and openly for the repeal of prohibition in a dry state, this near perennial candidate had lost every election he had...

The Gentlewoman From Ohio: Frances Payne Bolton By Ray Hill Frances Payne Bolton was the first woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio.  Mrs. Bolton was also the first congresswoman to be asked to serve as a delegate to the United Nations.  The...

The Gentlelady From Massachusetts: Edith Nourse Rogers   By Ray Hill Edith Nourse Rogers’ record as the longest-serving female member of Congress was only broken by Marcy Kaptur of Ohio in 2012. During the 35 years she served in the House of Representatives, few...

George Holden Tinkham of Massachusetts By Ray Hill One of the most interesting aspects of the U.S. House of Representatives is the fact that it really is the People’s House. The framers of the Constitution intended it to be the People’s House and they succeeded. Some...

‘Martin, Barton and Fish’ Hamilton Fish of New York By Ray Hill During his time, Hamilton Fish was one of the more controversial members of Congress. A genuine war hero who was roundly hated by internationalists in the United States and was a burr under the saddle of...

Matriarch of the Living Wage: Mary Teresa Norton of New Jersey By Ray Hill The first woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives was Jeanette Rankin of Montana, a Republican. Miss Rankin was first elected in 1916. The first woman elected to the House as a...

Tarheel Statesman: Cameron Morrison of North Carolina By Ray Hill Since 1900, only three men have served as a congressman, governor and United States senator from North Carolina: Cameron Morrison, Clyde Hoey and William B. Umstead. Only Clyde Hoey was elected to all...

Southern Statesman: Lee S. Overman of North Carolina By Ray Hill Lee Slater Overman was a fixture in North Carolina politics from the turn of the century until his death. White-haired and portly, Overman dressed the part of a Southern statesman and was an adept...

Owen Brewster of Maine By Ray Hill Ralph Owen Brewster was a fixture in Maine politics for decades.  A frequently controversial figure, Brewster was elected to every important office within the gift of the people of Maine.  Owen Brewster was one of the few individuals...

A Senate Tragedy: The Death of Lester Hunt By Ray Hill It is not highly unusual for political contests to bring out the absolute worst in an individual or individuals.  Perhaps it is not as omnipresent as much as many cynical members of the public suspect, but...