Dan Kuykendall
Dan Kuykendall | |
---|---|
U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee | |
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1975 | |
Preceded by | George W. Grider |
Succeeded by | Harold Ford Sr. |
Constituency | 9th district (1967–1973) 8th district (1973–1975) |
Personal details | |
Born | Dan Heflin Kuykendall July 9, 1924 Cherokee, Texas, U.S. |
Died | June 12, 2008 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 83)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Jacqueline Meyer (m. 1951) |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater | Texas A&M University |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | Army Air Corps |
Years of service | 1942–1945 |
Rank | First lieutenant |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Dan Heflin Kuykendall (July 9, 1924 – June 12, 2008) was an American politician and businessman who served as a United States Representative from Tennessee's 8th and 9th congressional districts from 1967 until 1975. A member of the Republican Party, Kuykendall was the first Republican to be elected in the 8th district since 1920 and was the first to be elected in the 9th district since 1872.[1]
Early life and education
Dan Heflin Kuykendall was born in Cherokee, Texas, on July 9, 1924. During World War II he served as a B-29 pilot from 1942 to 1945. In 1947 he graduated Texas A&M University and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1955 through employment with Procter & Gamble as an executive. On July 6, 1951, he married Jacqueline Meyer and would later have four children with her.[2]
Career
Early politics
During the 1956 presidential election he volunteered for Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidential campaign and during the 1960 presidential election he volunteered for Richard Nixon's presidential campaign.[3] In 1962 he managed former city councilman Ed Davis' campaign for Congress in the 9th Congressional district and Davis came within only 1,200 votes of defeating 22-year incumbent Clifford Davis. From 1963 to 1964, he served as a co-chairman of the Shelby County Republican Party, which was returning to prominence after years of irrelevance.[4] During the 1964 Republican presidential primaries he supported Senator Barry Goldwater.[5]
In July 1963 he stated that he was interested in challenging Senator
House of Representatives
On March 12, 1966, he stated that he had no political plans outside the Ninth Congressional district, on April 26 he announced that he would challenge incumbent Representative George W. Grider, and on May 25 he formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the district.[9][10] He won the Republican nomination without opposition and in the general election he narrowly defeated Grider with 52.16% of the vote.[11]
He easily won reelection in the 1968 and 1970 elections by over 25% both times. During the 1968 presidential election he supported Richard Nixon and stated that "a vote for Wallace is a vote for Humphrey".[12]
After the
Kuykendall established himself as one of the House's most conservative members and was known for being long-winded to the point of what many felt was verbosity, and as a consequence was given the derisive nickname "The Tennessee Talking Horse". During his tenure he served on the Interstate and Foreign Committee and Subcommittee on Aeronautics and Transportation and in 1971 he cosponsored an attempt to impeach Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, but nothing came of it and Douglas retired in 1975.[13]
Watergate
During the Watergate scandal and the ensuing impeachment process he defended President Richard Nixon. He blamed "nonpoliticians" for Watergate by placing blame onto people such as Attorney General John N. Mitchell, stated that those who supported impeachment were trying to lynch Nixon, and he agreed with Nixon's decision to dismiss special prosecutor Archibald Cox.[14][15][16] When the House decided to investigate the case for impeachment on October 23, 1973, Kuykendall came to the House floor with a noose and warned the other members against using lynch law tactics.[17] However, on August 5, 1974, he stated that he would reexamine his position on impeachment due to Nixon having refused to hand over evidence to the House and stated that he would support impeachment shortly before Nixon's resignation.[18][19]
Following Vice President Spiro Agnew's resignation the House voted on House Minority Leader Gerald Ford's confirmation as vice president to President Nixon and all House Republicans vote in unanimity including Kuykendall. When the House voted on former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller's confirmation as vice president to President Gerald Ford, he was one of 153 Republicans to vote for him.[20]
In 1974, the Democrats nominated state Representative
Post-House career
As is the case with many former members of Congress, Kuykendall stayed in the Washington, D.C., area and lived for many years in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2002, Kuykendall returned to the region and lived in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis.
Kuykendall died on June 12, 2008, after a long illness at age 83.[21]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Albert Gore Sr. | 570,542 | 53.62% | -25.38% | |
Republican | Dan Kuykendall | 493,475 | 47.84% | +27.37% | |
Total votes | '1,064,017' | '100.00%' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Kuykendall | 47,489 | 52.16% | +4.93% | |
Democratic | George W. Grider | 43,553 | 47.84% | -4.66% | |
Total votes | '91,042' | '100.00%' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Kuykendall | 73,293 | 59.35% | +7.19% | |
Democratic | James E. Irwin | 45,434 | 36.79% | -11.05% | |
Independent
|
Claude Cockrell | 3,746 | 3.03% | +3.03% | |
Independent
|
Charles Gordon Vick | 1,018 | 0.82% | +0.82% | |
Total votes | '123,491' | '100.00%' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Kuykendall | 72,498 | 62.62% | +3.27% | |
Democratic | Michael Osborn | 43,279 | 37.38% | +0.59% | |
Total votes | '115,777' | '100.00%' |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dan Kuykendall | 93,173 | 55.36% | +55.36% | |
Democratic | J. O. Patterson Jr. | 74,240 | 44.11% | -55.89% | |
Independent
|
Louise Porter | 893 | 0.53% | +0.53% | |
Total votes | '115,777' | '100.00%' |
References
- ^ "Tennessee Talking Horse: Congressman Dan Kuykendall". September 23, 2018.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bioguide Search".
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Locker, Richard (June 13, 2008). "Former U.S. Rep. a builder of GOP". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis. Archived from the original on January 13, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ "TN US Senate". September 25, 2017.
- ^ "TN District 9 1966". February 3, 2018.
- ^ "TN District 9 1968". February 5, 2012.
- ^ "TN District 9 1970". February 1, 2004.
- ^ "TN District 8 1972". December 8, 2009.
External links
- United States Congress. "Dan Kuykendall (id: K000348)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.