Tennessee Senators 1911-2001: Portraits of Leadership in a Century of Change

The great state of Tennessee has produced some of the truly dynamic leaders of this century. One of the best of them is Senator Bill Frist, distinguished physician and surgeon and now a lodestar leader in the United States Senate. Reading this book is both informative and inspiring. You will gain a unique perspective on the twentieth century through the insightful biographical chapters on the Tennessee Senators who impacted the history of our nation and the world from 1911 to 2001. The theme of servant leadership, so evident in the author's own life, is illustrated in the lives of those benchmark Senators from Tennessee. This book is a very important study of leadership that forces us to redefine the title "politician". This book is a good, stimulating read! Dr. John Lloyd Ogilvie, U.S. Senate Chaplain

While filling his role as an active United States Senator, Bill Frist has undertaken a task requiring a sense of history, perspective, and courage. His commitment to Tennessee history from the perspective of both information and inspiration is evident in his wide-ranging research into the careers of the seventeen Senators who are his subjects, and courage was surely necessary in his evaluation s of their constructive or detrimental contributions to their state and country. His introductory essay, "A Sense of Place and Time," provides an exemplary summary of the events and issues challenging the varied, fascinating, and intensely partisan group of twentieth century leaders who come to life in these pages. Their stories will remain a unique part of the Senator's legacy to history. -Wilma Dykeman, Tennessee State Historian

With deftness, Senator Frist and Mr. Annis have mined a vein of Tennessee history rich in character and content. The reader will take delight in sifting through the settings, circumstances and fascinating personalities who have contributed so distinctly to a governing process which has led the United States to a pre-eminent position among all nations. Every student of Tennessee history will find in the content of this unique work a great storehouse of information, reminiscences, and intriguing insights concerning the unique individuals who have served their state and nation in the United States Senate. The book represents a valuable gift to every Tennessean.-Governor Winfield Dunn

Senator Bill Frist has captured the personal and political lives of Tennessee senators from the depression, through the critical post war era, and into the 1990's. Frist's straight shooting style offers rare, revealing, and thought provoking insights into the men and the times. His journey through Tennessee's history provides praise and criticism, but most importantly honesty. With former Senator Kenneth McKellar's 1942 work, Tennessee's Senators, we have a rare opportunity to look deep into Tennessee's political and social history. -Gregory Harness, U.S. Senate Librarian

This book presents a lively and informative tour through a turbulent century of Tennessee and U.S. political experience. The author, Senator Bill Frist, has skillfully balanced the perspective of an incumbent senator with the insights of an accomplished historian. The story should appeal to a wide audience, both as a chronological story to be followed from start to end and as a rich reference source of specific information about Tennessee, the Senate and seventeen individual senators. Every state in the Union deserves such a richly textured study. -Richard Baker, U.S. Senate Historian