- Walter Huddleston
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Walter "Dee" Huddleston United States Senator
from KentuckyIn office
January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1985Preceded by John Sherman Cooper Succeeded by Mitch McConnell Personal details Born April 15, 1926
Burkesville, KentuckyPolitical party Democratic Spouse(s) Jean Huddleston (deceased) Alma mater University of Kentucky Military service Service/branch United States Army Years of service 1944-1946 Battles/wars World War II Walter Darlington "Dee" Huddleston (born April 15, 1926) is a retired American politician. He is a Democrat from the state of Kentucky. He represented Kentucky in the United States Senate from 1973 until 1985.
Huddleston was born in Burkesville, the seat of Cumberland County in south central Kentucky. After he graduated from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army and served as a tank gunner in Europe during and after World War II from 1944 to 1946. He then attended the University of Kentucky in Lexington, from which he graduated in 1949. In 1947 he married Jean N. Huddleston (1929-2004).
Huddleston was a manager of radio stations in Kentucky from 1949 to 1972. He entered politics in 1964 when he was elected to the Kentucky State Senate. He served as a state senator from 1965 to 1972, and served for a time as the majority leader.
In 1972, Huddleston ran for the U.S. Senate seat which was being vacated by retiring Republican John Sherman Cooper. He narrowly defeated Republican Louie B. Nunn, a recent former governor, receiving a 51% to 48% margin.[1] Huddleston was reelected in 1978 with 61 percent of the vote over the former Republican state Representative Louie R. Guenthner, Jr., of Louisville.
In 1984, Huddleston's Republican opponent was Jefferson County (Louisville) Judge-Executive Mitch McConnell. McConnell gained political traction with a series of television campaign ads making sport of Huddleston's attendance record in the Senate. Despite these ads, the race was very close, with McConnell only defeating Huddleston when the last returns came in (49.9%-to-49.5%).[2]
Huddleston was known as a member of the moderate wing of the Democratic Party, as was typical of party members from Kentucky.
In the late 1980s, Huddleston was the head of the English Language Political Action Committee (a.k.a. "El Pac"). He currently serves on the National Board of Advisors of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
After leaving the Senate, Huddleston moved to Elizabethtown, the seat of Hardin County in west central Kentucky.
References
- ^ "Nixon sweeps to landslide victory". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 8, 1972. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S7EvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jmYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7310,2975055&dq=senator+huddleston+arkansas&hl=en. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
- ^ "Senate vet Percy defeated". Beaver County Times. November 7, 1984. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1lkvAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0NoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3779,1263342&dq=senator+huddleston+arkansas+1984&hl=en. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
United States Senate Preceded by
John Sherman CooperUnited States Senator (Class 2) from Kentucky
1973–1985
Served alongside: Marlow Cook, Wendell H. FordSucceeded by
Mitch McConnellUnited States Senators from Kentucky Class 2 Brown • Thruston • Clay • Bibb • Walker • Barry • Hardin • Crittenden • Johnson • Bibb • Crittenden • Morehead • J. Underwood • Thompson • Powell • Guthrie • McCreery • Stevenson • Beck • Carlisle • Lindsay • Blackburn • Paynter • James • Martin • Stanley • Sackett • Robsion • Williamson • M. Logan • Chandler • Stanfill • Cooper • Chapman • T. Underwood • Cooper • Barkley • Humphreys • Cooper • Huddleston • McConnellClass 3 Edwards • Marshall • J. Breckinridge • Adair • Clay • Pope • Bledsoe • Talbot • W. Logan • Talbot • Rowan • Clay • Crittenden • Metcalfe • Clay • Meriwether • Dixon • Crittenden • J. C. Breckinridge • Davis • Machen • McCreery • Williams • Blackburn • Deboe • McCreary • Bradley • Camden • Beckham • Ernst • Barkley • Withers • Clements • Morton • Cook • Ford • Bunning • PaulRepresentatives to the 93rd–98th United States Congresses from Kentucky (ordered by seniority) 93rd Senate: M. Cook | W. Huddleston House: C. D. Perkins | W. Natcher | F. Stubblefield | T. Carter | G. Snyder | R. Mazzoli | J. B. Breckinridge 94th Senate: W. Huddleston | W. Ford House: C. D. Perkins | W. Natcher | T. Carter | G. Snyder | R. Mazzoli | J. B. Breckinridge | C. Hubbard 95th Senate: W. Huddleston | W. Ford House: C. D. Perkins | W. Natcher | T. Carter | G. Snyder | R. Mazzoli | J. B. Breckinridge | C. Hubbard 96th Senate: W. Huddleston | W. Ford House: C. D. Perkins | W. Natcher | T. Carter | G. Snyder | R. Mazzoli | C. Hubbard | L. Hopkins 97th Senate: W. Huddleston | W. Ford House: C. D. Perkins | W. Natcher | G. Snyder | R. Mazzoli | C. Hubbard | L. Hopkins | H. Rogers 98th Senate: W. Huddleston | W. Ford House: C. D. Perkins | W. Natcher | G. Snyder | R. Mazzoli | C. Hubbard | L. Hopkins | H. Rogers Categories:- 1926 births
- American military personnel of World War II
- Kentucky State Senators
- Living people
- People from Cumberland County, Kentucky
- People from Elizabethtown, Kentucky
- United States Army soldiers
- United States Senators from Kentucky
- University of Kentucky alumni
- Democratic Party United States Senators
- Kentucky Democrats
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