by Ray Hill | Jul 19, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill For twenty years, James Willis Taylor was the Congressman from Tennessee’s Second Congressional district. J. Will Taylor, popularly known to many of his constituents as “Hillbilly Bill,” was a power in both the national Republican Party and the...
by Ray Hill | Jul 12, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Long forgotten by most, John Ridley Mitchell was a member of Congress for eight years and twice a viable candidate for statewide office in Tennessee. J. Ridley Mitchell was a formidable politician and a wily practitioner of the art of politics....
by Ray Hill | Jul 5, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Long forgotten by most, the late Congressman Robert Ashton “Fats” Everett was one of the more colorful from the political pages of Tennessee’s history. Everett was by any measure a political professional well before he ever was elected to Congress....
by Ray Hill | Jun 21, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill For more than two decades, Finis James Garrett represented a West Tennessee district in Congress. Garrett was a talented politician and his rise was meteoric. Winning a seat in Congress when he was barely twenty-eight years old, he rose to become...
by Ray Hill | Jun 14, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Someone once said. “Write what should not be forgotten” and ironically, I have forgotten who said it. Ewin Lamar Davis is little remembered today, but during his time he was an interesting figure and led a productive life. Born in Bedford County,...
by Ray Hill | Jun 7, 2015 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Very few people remember Samuel Davis McReynolds, who was a long-time Congressman representing Tennessee’s Third District, which includes Chattanooga; yet during his time, he was a highly influential member of the House of Representatives. Quite likely,...