The Gentleman From Ohio: Martin L. Sweeney By Ray Hill Martin L. Sweeney may not have served as long as many of his colleagues in the House of Representatives, but folks knew he was there when he was a member. For twelve years, Sweeney represented a district in...

The Gentleman From Indiana: Ray J. Madden By Ray Hill   Ray John Madden served in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1943 until 1977, a total of 34 years, representing the most solidly Democratic district in Indiana.  A big, bluff man with a thick thatch of...

Bert H. Miller of Idaho By Ray Hill Numerous individuals have enjoyed very long congressional careers, serving decades in Washington.  Bert H. Miller was not one of them.  Aside from appointments to the United States Senate, which are frequently intended to be...

Idaho’s Conservative: Herman Welker By Ray Hill It’s been 66 years since Herman Welker died and very few outside of his native state of Idaho remember his name.  Welker served a single term in the United States Senate, but during his time as a member of the world’s...

Cowboy Entertainer: Glen H. Taylor of Idaho By Ray Hill Someone once described politics as show business for ugly people.  Certainly, show business and politics are related and may very well be kissing cousins.  Ronald Reagan, George Murphy, Arnold Schwarzenegger,...

The Southern Gentleman Winfield Dunn Editor’s Note: The Knoxville Focus is running this reprint of Ray Hill’s column from September 2013 on former Governor Winfield Dunn to honor his passing last month. By Ray Hill Bryant Winfield Culberson Dunn was born July 1, 1927,...

D. Worth Clark of Idaho By Ray Hill David Worth Clark was something of a political wunderkind in his day, first winning election to Congress at age thirty-two.  While he only served a single term in the United States Senate, it was during one of the most critical...

The Gentleman From Mississippi William M. Colmer By Ray Hill William Meyers Colmer is one of the longest-serving members of the U.S. House of Representatives in Congress. Colmer was elected to the House at a time when Southern states were ruled by one party and...

James P. Kem of Missouri By Ray Hill The election of 1946 carried numerous Republican candidates into Congress on a tidal wave of dissatisfaction with war-time regulations still in place following the Second World War. No loss was as personally galling to President...

James P. Pope of Idaho & Tennessee By Ray Hill I doubt very much if any readers recall James Pinckney Pope, but there was a time when his name was quite well known here. Indeed, for 24 years of his life, Jim Pope lived in Knoxville with his wife, Pauline; Jim Pope...