by Ray Hill | Apr 15, 2018 | Columnist, Hill, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Clearly, one of the most important and powerful positions in the American system of government is Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives. The last Tennessean to occupy this vital post was Joseph W. Byrns. Joseph Wellington Byrns was born July 20,...
by Ray Hill | Apr 8, 2018 | Columnist, Hill, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill From 1931 until 1947, the Republican Party had suffered shattering defeats largely brought on by the Great Depression. Following the 1936 election, where GOP presidential candidate Alf Landon only won the electoral votes of Vermont and Maine, Republicans...
by Ray Hill | Apr 2, 2018 | Columnist, Hill, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Reed Smoot is a name long since forgotten by most, save for those few who remember the Smoot – Hawley tariff legislation. Yet, Reed Smoot was the first Mormon ever to be elected to the United States Senate, setting off a firestorm that consumed much of...
by Ray Hill | Mar 26, 2018 | Columnist, Hill, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Most Knoxvillians have heard of the Webb School, but few remember William Robert Webb, the founder and headmaster of the first Webb School. R. Webb was a formidable character by any standard; he was a professional educator throughout his life, as well as a...
by Ray Hill | Mar 18, 2018 | Columnist, Hill, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Perhaps the best lesson for aspiring politicians is that fame and success are fleeting; despite whatever heights one might attain, once out of office, one usually receives little attention and it is not long before one is forgotten. How many Tennesseans...
by Ray Hill | Mar 11, 2018 | Columnist, Hill, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill While now an apparently Republican “red” state, Texas was once solidly Democratic. Like Tennessee, Texas has produced some interesting political personalities; Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, Senator Tom Connally, Governor John Connally (no relation to...
