Congress
In 1940 Priest was encouraged to run for the United States House of Representatives as an independent in Tennessee's 5th congressional district, which was, then as now, based in Nashville. He won in an upset, defeating the incumbent, one-term Democratic Congressman Jo Byrns, Jr. Upon swearing-in he immediately joined the Democratic caucus, and was reelected seven times. The district was renumbered the 6th District in 1943 and became the 5th once again in 1953. He served as the House majority whip between 1949 and 1953. Priest was one of three Democrats in the Tennessee House delegation who did not sign the Southern Manifesto, the others being Joe Evins and Ross Bass.
At the time of his death, Priest was serving as the chairman of the House Commerce Committee and had already secured the Democratic nomination for a ninth term, which had essentially assured him of reelection since no Republican has been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Nashville since Reconstruction.
Read more about this topic: Percy Priest
Famous quotes containing the word congress:
“I have been up to see the Congress and they do not seem to be able to do anything except to eat peanuts and chew tobacco, while my army is starving.”
—Robert E. Lee (1807–1870)
“The profession I chose was politics; the profession I entered was the law. I entered the one because I thought it would lead to the other. It was once the same road; and Congress is [s]till full of lawyers.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)
“I have a Congress on my hands.”
—Grover Cleveland (1837–1908)