I don't have any ancestors that were politicians, although I do have a Granduncle that was a Constable in the county, and my Uncle was a Sheriff's Deputy in the 1990's. I also have a Great-Granduncle that was Fire Chief at one time or another many many years ago. That's about as political as my family gets, or rather, as close to "holding an office" as my family gets.
I come from a long, long line of democrats - that's not something I'm proud of, necessarily. Most of my family fought for the Confederacy, although some did indeed fight on the Union side. Henderson was a "town divided" as dubbed by local historians -- in fact, it's been noted in the Sandefur family that father fought sons, brothers fought brothers, Uncles fought nephews, etc.
By the end of the war, our town was predominantly Confederate (having been 'captured' by the Confederacy). I hate to tell most local historians - but it started that way even before the Confederates took the town. If you look at how heavy of a rural farming community we are... it's more than obvious the town had numerous, and I mean numerous, farms and plantations.
Most notably, Henderson is home to General Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson. Read about Johnson's Raid on Newburgh. The book, Thunder from a Clear Sky: Stovepipe Johnson's Confederate Raid on Newburgh, Indiana, is an amazing read. I recently acquired the book as a gift from my Granny after having wanted it for many years. Did you know a Mefford was involved in the raid?! Yes, a Mefford of all people!
Even today at the start of 2022, Henderson is the number one county in all of Kentucky (that's 120 counties y'all!) that votes a straight democratic ticket. That's definitely not a good thing. Voting a straight ticket, no matter if you're voting Democrat or Republican, is never a good idea. You need to look at the voting record for each individual you're voting for - no matter their party. You need to acclimate yourselves with the issues they support or don't support, not the party. Because more often than not these days, they are only party in name, not in the way they vote.
Henderson had an awakening a handful of years back, and we've had many, many registered voters change parties. We also saw an uptick of new registrants before the 2016 election, and even more before the 2020 election. I can only hope the political awakening continues, especially locally. We have a thing in our town called, "Good Ol' Boy Politics," and they control the town. They have for many, many years. Until they're voted out... our town won't blossom in the ways that it could.
My Dad and I have both been told we ought to speak at our party's headquarters but, I think I'll stick to the blog posts. Much less nervous typing up a blog than I am speaking to a room full of people, haha.
Henderson in general is known for a few political figures throughout history -- Congressman John Y. Brown, U.S Senator and Governor of Kentucky Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, U.S. Congressman James Franklin Clay, U.S. Congressman John Lloyd Dorsey Jr, State Rep. and Judge Carl Melton, Governor of Kentucky Lazarus Whitehead Powell, and Governor of Kentucky Augustus Owsley Stanley.
You could say Henderson is quite a gubernatorial city!
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