by Ray Hill | Mar 15, 2015 | Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Two of the most successful politicians of the same era, Huey Pierce Long and Franklin Delano Roosevelt could hardly have been more different. The handsome, courtly Roosevelt was the scion of a famous and wealthy family, the coddled and adored only...
by Ray Hill | Mar 8, 2015 | Archives, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill “Always take the offensive – – – the defensive ain’t worth a damn.” So said Louisiana’s self designated “Kingfish,” Huey P. Long. Huey took his own advice and remained on the offensive until the day he was struck down by an assassin’s...
by Ray Hill | Mar 1, 2015 | Archives, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Before the age of television, blue shirts and blow-dried hair, Tennessee had some of the most colorful political figures anywhere. Amongst those was Malcolm Rice Patterson, a Congressman and governor of Tennessee. A veteran of some of the most hard fought...
by Ray Hill | Feb 22, 2015 | Archives, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Hill McAlister very much wanted to be governor of Tennessee and made repeated efforts before finally achieving his goal. Once in office, McAlister found it bit tougher than he likely expected. McAlister was born in Nashville on July 15, 1875 and...
by Ray Hill | Feb 15, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Just after the turn of the century, Tennessee’s Democratic Party became almost hopelessly fractured. The candidacies of two men helped to heal the deep divisions inside the Democratic Party in Tennessee: that of Kenneth D. McKellar for the United...
by Ray Hill | Feb 1, 2015 | Archives, Columnist, Hill, Ray Hill's Archives
By Ray Hill Austin Peay was once one of Tennessee’s more famous governors, hailed as perhaps one of the most talented reformers in the state’s history. The late governor’s legacy is hardly confined to the university named for him in his home city of Clarksville. Born...
