Joseph L. Evins
| Joseph Landon “Joe L.” Evins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Former U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 4th Congressional District From: January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1977 | |||
| Predecessor | Al Gore, Sr. | ||
| Successor | Al Gore, Jr. | ||
| Former U.S. Representative from Tennessee's 5th Congressional District From: January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953 | |||
| Predecessor | Harold Earthman | ||
| Successor | Percy Priest | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Democrat | ||
| Spouse(s) | Ann Roberta Smartt | ||
| Religion | Church of Christ[1] | ||
| Military Service | |||
| Allegiance | United States | ||
| Service/branch | United States Army | ||
| Service Years | 1942–1946 | ||
| Rank | Major | ||
| Battles/wars | World War II | ||
Joseph Landon Evins (October 24, 1910 – March 31, 1984), known as Joe L. Evins, was a Democrat U.S. representative from Tennessee who represented the state's 5th and 4th congressional districts for three decades, spanning 1947 to 1977. Politically powerful in Congress, he chaired the Select Committee on Small Business for six years. Evins was also the dean of the state congressional delegation for a period of time.[2]
U.S. House of Representatives
In the 1946 midterms, Evins ran for Congress against one-term U.S. representative Harold Earthman, who had not yet been able to establish sufficient personal connections with constituents and was considered somewhat controversial.[3] Running on a strong campaign, Evins, an "everyman" who could easily befriend people, successfully denied Earthman renomination and faced no competition in the general election.[4] He was subsequently re-elected fourteen times, never with any significant opposition.[5]
Evins was for some time the chair of the Subcommittee on Public Works and Atomic Energy Appropriations, which controlled Tennessee Valley Authority appropriations.[2] For some time, he was considered a slightly more conservative Democrat compared to the rest of the state congressional delegation.[3]
During the 1964 presidential election, Evins was the statewide manager for President Lyndon B. Johnson's campaign in Tennessee.[2][6] In the general election, Johnson won the state by eleven points though lost the traditionally Republican eastern portion and some counties in the southwestern pocket to Barry Goldwater.
He was a sponsor of the Vocational School Act which allocated federal funds to several thousands U.S. counties which did not already have operating vocational programs.[3] Rep. Evins also acquired significant amounts of money from President Johnson's federal programs to bolster projects in Tennessee.[6]
Evins did not run for re-election in 1976 and was succeeded by Al Gore, who would later become Vice President under Bill Clinton.
References
- ↑ Evergreen to Ewin. The Political Graveyard. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 April 2, 1984. Joe Evins, Ex-Representative. UPI via The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hill, Ray (March 18, 2018). Old Time Congressman: Joe L. Evins of Tennessee. The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ↑ TN District 5 Race - Nov 05, 1946. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ↑ Candidate - Joseph L. Evins. Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Van West, Carroll (October 8, 2017). Joseph Landon Evins. Tennessee Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
