18 Facts About Hill McAlister

Harry Hill McAlister was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 37th governor of Tennessee from 1933 to 1937.

Hill McAlister served as Nashville's city attorney in the early 1900s, and as Tennessee's state treasurer in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Hill McAlister coordinated federal programs in the state aimed at providing Depression-era relief.

Hill McAlister spent the last two decades of his life as a Referee in Bankruptcy in Nashville's district court.

Hill McAlister was admitted to the bar, and began practice in Nashville in 1899.

Hill McAlister became Nashville's assistant city attorney in 1901, and was elevated to city attorney in 1905.

Hill McAlister was elected to the Tennessee Senate in 1910, and served two terms.

Hill McAlister sought funding for a tuberculosis hospital for Nashville.

Hill McAlister was an elector for President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and served on the state Democratic Executive Committee from 1918 to 1920.

Hill McAlister served in this position until 1927, and again from 1931 to 1933.

In 1928, Hill McAlister again sought the nomination, this time against incumbent Henry Horton, who had become governor following Peay's death the previous year.

Hill McAlister had the support of Crump and Howse, while Horton had the support of powerful publisher Luke Lea.

Hill McAlister, who had warned of the impending crisis, was reappointed state treasurer, and sought the party's nomination for governor again in 1932.

On election day, McAlister won easily, with 169,075 votes to 117,797 for the Republican candidate, John E McCall, and 106,990 for Pope.

Hill McAlister slashed over 2,300 jobs from the government workforce, and cut $7 million in state spending.

Hill McAlister supported the Tennessee Valley Authority and other Depression-era federal programs.

Hill McAlister was appointed field counsel for the Bituminous Coal Commission in Washington, DC, in 1936.

Hill McAlister died on October 30,1959, and was buried in Nashville's Mount Olivet Cemetery.