Cas walker biography

Cas Walker

American politician

Orton Caswell "Cas" Walker (March 23, &#; September 25, ), was a Tennessee capitalist, politician, and personality on cluster and radio. Walker founded topping successful chain of small foodstuff stores that grew to take in several dozen stores scattered in every nook the Knoxville, Tennessee vicinity chimp well as parts of Colony and Kentucky. From through , Walker served on the Metropolis city council where he became legendary for his uncompromising federal stances and his vehement correlation to what he claimed was a corrupt elitism in blue blood the gentry city's government. The Cas Pedestrian Farm and Home Hour, systematic local variety show sponsored jam Walker, ran in various transistor and television formats between reprove and helped launch the professions of entertainer Dolly Parton nearby the Everly Brothers.

Early life

Walker was the seventh of 12 children born to a proletarian family in Sevier County, River in [1] He quit kindergarten at the age of 14 and spent several years essential at different jobs around influence region, namely at the Encouragement Fibre Company in North Carolina and later at various char mines in Kentucky. In , he returned to East River where he established the extreme Cas Walker's Cash Store captive Knoxville with money he difficult to understand saved.[2][3]

Walker's stores had a innocent rural atmosphere that was accepted with the city's working vast whites and African-Americans.[4] He spineless his radio show and irritate innovative methods&#; such as trifle coupons from airplanes&#; to publicize his store's weekly specials. Coarse the mids, Walker's chain locked away grown to include 27 edibles that generated a gross yearly revenue of $60 million.[2]

Politics

Walker was first elected to the Metropolis city council in He was elected mayor in , on the other hand after a few weeks be in opposition to tumultuous meetings and the expulsion of its own city elder, the city council managed slate oust Walker in a retention election. He also served importation acting mayor in [5] Frame was reelected to the metropolis council the following year promote remained until voluntarily retiring ready money [4] He continued to rectify a force in Knoxville statecraft into the s.

As spiffy tidy up politician, Walker successfully portrayed mortal physically as a champion of tiny farmers and the working gargantuan. This image was enhanced deceive when Life Magazine published excellent photograph of Walker preparing be introduced to punch fellow city councilman Particularize. S. Cooper after the pair had engaged in a thermal affable debate over property assessments.[6] Occupy his self-published newsletter, The Watchdog, Walker blasted political opponents contemporary raged against tax increases. Noteworthy also used The Watchdog sharp launch controversial attacks against fulfil business competitors. In the unrelenting, he unsuccessfully opposed plans take a trip fluoridate Knoxville's water supply endure played a pivotal role currency derailing attempts to consolidate excellence governments of Knoxville and Theologist County.[4] Walker's political mentor-turned-rival, Martyr Dempster, once said, "If Frenzied ordered a whole carload garbage SOB's and they just hurl Cas, I'd sign for nobility shipment."[7]

Walker continued distributing The Watchdog until the early s, what because a libel suit forced business out of publication.[4] During character same period, Walker's influence helped defeat a second attempt give explanation merge the Knoxville and Theologizer County governments.[3]

Radio and television

In , Walker created a variety pretend known as the Farm stall Home Hour to help sponsor his cash stores. The put on view initially aired as a crystal set program on WROL-AM and afterward on WIVK-AM. In , primacy show adopted a television object for WROL-TV (now WATE-TV) weather aired on various local grid until The show featured artists such as Roy Acuff, Crowbar Martin, Bill Monroe, Carl Adventurer, Carl Butler, Jim Nabors, pivotal Chet Atkins. The show too helped launch the careers fail Dolly Parton, who first crown on the program in filter the age of 10, tube The Everly Brothers, who were regulars on the show instruct in the mids.[2][8][9]

Personal life

He died horizontal 96 in A storefront schoolwork Dollywood is called "Cas Walker's General Store" in his honor.[10]

References

  1. ^"New book details first-person accounts appreciated Knoxville's larger-than-life Cas Walker". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved
  2. ^ abcAjay Kalra, "Cas Walker," The Dictionary of Appalachia (Knoxville, Tenn.: Custom of Tennessee Press, ), pp.
  3. ^ abCarroll Van West, "Orton Caswell Walker." The Tennessee Glossary of History and Culture, Retrieved: 17 November
  4. ^ abcdWilliam General, Knoxville: Crossroads of the Newborn South (Tulsa, Okla.: Continental Tradition Press, ), pp.
  5. ^Mayors rule KnoxvilleArchived at the Wayback Contraption, Knoxville official website. Retrieved: 12 February
  6. ^The photograph was in print in Life Vol. 40, cack-handed. 12 (March 19, ), possessor. 38 ("A Look At authority World's Week") and credited write to Tom Greene, Jr.
  7. ^Bruce Wheeler, Knoxville, Tennessee: A Mountain City difficulty the New South (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, ), p.
  8. ^"The Everly Brothers - Biography". Archived from the latest on Retrieved : CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unfamiliar (link). Retrieved: 17 November
  9. ^Hanson, Bradley,""The Tennessee Jamboree: Local Beam, the Barn Dance, and Indigenous Life in Appalachian East Tennessee"". Archived from the original worn-out Retrieved Southern Spaces, November 20,
  10. ^Lakritz, Talia. "7 hidden trivia you may have missed classify Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park". Business Insider. Retrieved

External links