On one side of the campground I’m staying in is Salt Lick Creek. On the other side is Cordell Hull Lake. If a big lake is named after a person, there’s usually a reason, and I decided to find out who Cordell Hull was.
This morning, Emma and I hopped in the car and drove to the Cordell Hull Birthplace State Historic Area. It was about 60 miles away and took us quite a while to get there since I’m finding out that there are very few flat straight roads in Tennessee. Gorgeous scenery along the way, but you have to pay attention to driving or suffer some not so nice consequences.
It turns out that Cordell Hull was the first person from Tennessee to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He earned that by being the Secretary of State during FDR’s presidency, and is thought of as the Father of the United Nations. It was the formation of the United Nations that gained him the Nobel Prize.
Cordell was born the son of a sharecropper in Picket County, TN, in 1871. He was the only one of his siblings that was truly interested in education, so his father supported him. He ended up going to school to become a lawyer, then judge, then was elected to the US House of Representatives where he served for 25 years before being elected as a Senator. After two years as a Senator, FDR asked him to become the Secretary of State. He was certainly a man that deserves the admiration of his fellow citizens.
He came from very humble beginnings as can be seen at the replica of his birth cabin that is furnished with period pieces. His life is a testament to the value of education and personal ambition. A kitchen garden is grown each year as well. What I’ve noticed in this area is that gardens contain pole beans climbing up tee pee shaped wooden stakes. I’m a bush bean person myself.
“Peace should be our Passion” is one of the quotes attributed to Cordell Hull, and this historic site has taken on that quote as their motto. That’s a good one, but I leave you tonight to think about another of his quotes:
If you think about it, that’s a pretty good philosophy to adhere to.
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
