by Ray Hill | Sep 7, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill By 1929, Luke Lea had reached the apex of his political influence in Tennessee. Lea was the undisputed power behind the throne and no one had more influence in the administration of Governor Henry Horton. When Tennessee’s junior United States senator,...
by Ray Hill | Aug 30, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Once again happily married, doting on his newborn daughter, former United States Senator Luke Lea concentrated upon reducing his indebtedness after his return from the World War. Frequently discussed as a potential candidate for high office, Lea...
by Ray Hill | Aug 23, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Senator Luke Lea had lost his reelection bid in November of 1915, running third behind Congressman Kenneth D. McKellar and former governor Malcolm Patterson. Lea’s defeat occurred for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was his affiliation with...
by Ray Hill | Aug 16, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Luke Lea had not only survived the intense political wars in Tennessee, but had profited from them. Elected to the United States Senate in 1911, Lea’s alliance with “Independent” Democrats and Republicans had created a “fusionist” combine that held the...
by Ray Hill | Aug 9, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill The pages of Tennessee’s history is littered with colorful characters, but the life of Luke Lea is one right out of a novel; handsome, urbane, highly intelligent and successful, Lea climbed to the heights of financial and political accomplishment. ...
by Ray Hill | Aug 2, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Percy Priest was an unlikely candidate for Congress and faced daunting odds to get to the House of Representatives in the first place. Yet once there, he remained there until the day he died. Percy Priest was once described by William “Fishbait”...
