By Ray Hill Andrew Jackson May was a colorful Democrat whose career was derailed by corruption.  The backwoods lawyer from rural Kentucky was one of the fiercest critics of the Tennessee Valley Authority in the House of Representatives.  May was a man who relished...

By Ray Hill Kentucky was not quite so solidly a Democratic state as many of its sister border and southern states; Republicans could periodically win statewide elections, but Democrats held a strong advantage in most state, local and federal elections in the Bluegrass...

By Ray Hill For decades, Tennessee was either a largely or solidly Democratic state, especially in statewide elections.  Democrats also dominated the congressional seats from Tennessee save for the First and Second Congressional Districts.  Tennessee had only once...

By Ray Hill For the better part of two decades, Monrad C. Wallgren was one of Washington State’s most popular politicians.  The people of Washington elected Wallgren to hold the highest offices within their gift, electing him to the U.S. House of Representatives, the...

By Ray Hill Clarence Cleveland Dill lived a very long and productive life.  Throughout the seasons of Dill’s life, he was a country schoolteacher, newspaper reporter, congressman, U.S. senator and successful attorney.  Amiable, intelligent and passionate, Clarence C....

By Ray Hill Long forgotten by most, the late Congressman Robert Ashton “Fats” Everett was one of the more colorful politicians from the political pages of Tennessee’s history.  Everett was, by any measure, a political professional well before he ever was elected to...

By Ray Hill Described as a “charismatic populist” by the Washington Post, Arch Alfred Moore Jr. was the most durable Republican during a time when West Virginia remained a solidly Democratic state. Moore was also the founder of a new political dynasty that still...

By Ray Hill During his brief political career, Lewis Schwellenbach was a national figure. Loud and partisan, Schwellenbach’s failed campaign for governor of Washington State led to his election to the United States Senate at the height of the New Deal in 1934. Coming...

Where Did the Portrait Go? By Ray Hill I am a BIG believer in preservation of historical artifacts, documents, photos and memorabilia, and I think it all should be preserved for future generations.  I am invariably appalled to discover items that have been discarded...

Delaware’s Least-Known Prominent Citizen Clayton Douglass Buck By Ray Hill If ever there was a patrician in politics, it was Clayton Douglass Buck, a descendant of the State of Delaware’s oldest families.  Even then, Delaware, because of its laws, was home to more...