Divide and Dissent: Kentucky Politics, 1930-1963

by John Ed Pearce

Overview

Few men have been more important to the life of Kentucky than three of those who governed it between 1930 and 1963—Albert B. Chandler, Earle C. Clements, and Bert T. Combs. While reams of newspaper copy have been written about them, the historical record offers little to mark their roles in the drama of Kentucky and the nation. In this authoritative and sometimes intimate view of Bluegrass State politics and government at ground level, John Ed Pearce—one of Kentucky's favorite writers—helps fill this gap.

In half a century as a close observer of Kentucky politics—as reporter, editorial writer, and columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal—Pearce has seen the full spectacle. He watched "Happy" Chandler vault into national prominence with his flamboyant campaign style. He was shaken by Earle Clements for asking an awkward question. He joined in the laughter when a striptease artist was commissioned a Kentucky Colonel during the Combs administration. And he watched as the successive governors struggled to move the state forward, each in his own way.

Yet this is more than a newsman's account of events. Pearce probes for the roots of the troubles that have slowed Kentucky's progress. He traces the divisions that have plagued the state for almost two centuries, divisions springing from the nature of Kentucky's beginnings. He studies the lack of leadership that has hampered the always dominant Democratic party and the bitter factionalism that has kept the party from developing a cohesive philosophy. When the candidate of one faction has taken office, he shows, the losing faction has usually made political hay by bolting to the opposition party or torpedoing the governor's efforts in the legislature instead of uniting behind a progressive party program. The outcome of such long-term factionalism is a state that must now run fast to catch up.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813188454
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	12/14/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John Ed Pearce (19172006), co-recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1954, was on the staff of the Louisville Courier-Journal for over 40 years. He is the author of Days of Darkness: The Feuds of Eastern Kentucky.

John Ed Pearce (1917−2006), co-recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1954, was on the staff of the Louisville Courier-Journal for over 40 years. He is the author of Days of Darkness: The Feuds of Eastern Kentucky.

Table of Contents

Dividing the Bloody Ground
Happy Days Begin
Strong Man from Morganfield
Not a Great First Act
Brawls in the House of Factions
Sounds of a Different Drum
The Ducks Line Up
Tax Money Makes the Mare Go
The Calm Revolutionaries
Of Trucks, Clocks, and Varmints
The Shackles of Tradition
Win Some, Lose Some
The Delicate Balance
The Kingmakers and the Candidates
A Party Divided Once More
Tale of a Fate Foretold
Hard Times Now Are Gone
Epilogue. How It Can Be Done

Editorial Reviews

Pearce has undertaken the difficult task of unraveling the fascinating story of three decades of Kentucky politics. The result is thought-provoking, well-written, and highly entertaining.

Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"Pearce has undertaken the difficult task of unraveling the fascinating story of three decades of Kentucky politics. The result is thought-provoking, well-written, and highly entertaining." -- Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

From the Publisher