by Ray Hill | Mar 10, 2013 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill The South produced a number of successful demagogues, not the least of which was James K. Vardaman, a governor and senator from Mississippi. At the height of his career, Vardaman was unquestionably the most popular politician in Mississippi. James Kimble...
by Ray Hill | Feb 24, 2013 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Hill McAlister was governor of Tennessee during one of the most difficult times in our state’s history; McAlister was chief executive of the Volunteer State during the Great Depression. Born July 15, 1875, McAlister was the son of a local judge and...
by Ray Hill | Feb 17, 2013 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill For modern readers it should become quite clear the voting patterns and political preferences of many states have been significantly altered over the passage of time. One such state is Iowa, which was heavily dominated by the Republican Party for...
by Ray Hill | Feb 10, 2013 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Jim Nance McCord is yet another figure from Tennessee’s political history who is little remembered today. Yet he was both a Congressman and governor; he also served in the Cabinet of Governor Frank Clement. Jim McCord was born in 1879 in Bedford County,...
by Ray Hill | Feb 3, 2013 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Few politicians enjoyed the lengthy career Hiram W. Johnson carved out in California. Johnson’s time in public office was stormy, yet he remained enduringly popular. By the time of his death in 1945, Hiram Johnson was a living icon in his home...
by Ray Hill | Jan 27, 2013 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Rixey Smith, Senator Carter Glass’s long-time Secretary, wrote a flattering biography of his boss entitled “Unreconstructed Rebel: Carter Glass” and that Glass certainly was. Indeed, it was President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself who had labeled Glass an...
