by Ray Hill | Feb 5, 2017 | Columnist, Hill, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Cordell Hull, for fourteen years the congressman from Tennessee’s Fourth District, had lost his reelection bid in the 1920 Republican landslide. Tennessee had lost three longtime incumbents during the 1920 elections: besides Cordell Hull, Thetus W. Sims of...
by Ray Hill | Jan 29, 2017 | Columnist, Hill, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Congressman Cordell Hull of Tennessee is frequently credited with being the “Father of the Income Tax.” Today, that is likely a dubious distinction. When the income tax was first approved in 1913, the tax code was fifteen pages long. Today, the tax code...
by Ray Hill | Jan 22, 2017 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Ray Blanton had achieved his long sought after goal of winning statewide office in Tennessee with his victory in the 1974 general election. Blanton had defeated Republican Lamar Alexander decisively in winning the governorship. Ray Blanton had always...
by Ray Hill | Jan 15, 2017 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
Ray Blanton emerged from the 1974 primary as the Democratic nominee for governor of Tennessee. It had been a contentious primary in with twelve men competing for the nomination. Blanton had barely edged banker Jake Butcher to be the nominee. The Republicans had their...
by Ray Hill | Jan 8, 2017 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill After having lost the 1972 race for the U. S. Senate to incumbent Howard Baker by a wide margin, Ray Blanton found himself out of Congress. Blanton returned to Tennessee and immediately began planting the seeds for an expected bid for the Democratic...
by Ray Hill | Jan 2, 2017 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives, Stories In This Week's Focus:
By Ray Hill Tennessee had lost a congressional district in the redistricting in 1971. Congressmen Ray Blanton and William Anderson, both Democrats, would likely have run against one another if both sought reelection. Anderson flirted with a bid for the Democratic...
