Fred M. Vinson, the thirteenth Chief Justice of the United States, started his political career as a small-town Kentucky lawyer and rose to positions of power in all three branches of federal government. Born in Louisa, Kentucky, Vinson earned undergraduate and law degrees from Centre College in Danville. He served 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he achieved acclaim as a tax and fiscal expert. President Roosevelt appointed him to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and later named him to key executive-branch positions. President Truman appointed him Secretary of the Treasury and then Chief Justice. The Vinson court was embroiled in critical issues affecting racial discrimination and individual rights during the cold war. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson of Kentucky: A Political Biography offers a wealth of insight into one of the most significant and highly regarded political figures to emerge from Kentucky.
James E. St. Clair is associate professor of journalism at Indiana University Southeast. Linda C. Gugin is professor of political science at Indiana University Southeast.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
ix
Introduction
xi
1.
A Long Journey from "Jail"
1
2.
The Capitol as His Oyster
20
3.
Rapid Recovery and Rise
47
4.
The Loyal Lieutenant
65
5.
Vinson's Transition from Legislator to Jurist
94
6.
Available Vinson
125
7.
The Chief Justice and His Court
156
8.
The Chief Justice, the President, and the Politics of Economic Stabilization
190
9.
Individual Rights in the Cold War Climate
231
10.
The Dilemma of Due Process and the Promise of Equality
