Interview with Wilson W. Wyatt, January 15, 1987

Interview Summary

Wilson Wyatt begins by discussing how Harry Truman's choice of Alben Barkley as his running mate in the 1948 presidential election affected the senatorial race that year. Wyatt discusses Kentucky Governor Lawrence Wetherby (1950-1955) and his predecessor Earle Clements, as well as the limitations of serving in Congress and as a federal judge, in relation to Wyatt's wish not to run for Congress in 1952. He describes his work as chairman of the 1952 and 1956 presidential campaigns of Adlai Stevenson, and speaks favorably of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who won both elections, while criticizing Vice President Richard Nixon. He discusses Senator Joseph McCarthy in connection with McCarthy's accusation of Wyatt himself. He speaks critically of Happy Chandler during Chandler's second term as Governor of Kentucky (1955-1959), and touches on the 1956 senatorial elections before moving on to discuss at length the 1959 gubernatorial race, in which Wyatt himself was a candidate for the Democratic Party before joining Bert Combs, another Democratic candidate, as Lieutenant Governor in order to defeat the Democratic faction of Harry Waterfield.

Interview Keyword

Adlai Stevenson Bert T. Combs Dwight D. Eisenhower Earle C. Clements Gubernatorial elections Happy Chandler Joseph McCarthy Presidential elections

Interview LC Subject

Governors--Kentucky Kentucky--Politics and government Louisville (Ky.) Political campaigns Politicians--Kentucky Wyatt, Wilson W. (Wilson Watkins), 1905-1996

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.