November 10, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland Emmett Wilson, Congressman-Elect to U.S. Congress, was likely feeling no pain on Wednesday, May 15, 1912. Here’s why: From the Wednesday, May 15, 1912 edition of The Pensacola Journal, page 1. Source: ChroniclingAmerica.gov When Dannitte Mays telegraphed Frank Mayes about his decision to withdraw from […]
May 9, 1912Pensacola, Florida And so, the race begins again. Three weeks of nonstop activity. Live speeches in fourteen counties. It will be the most compressed, pressured project ever undertaken, and I cannot let on how damned tired I am, nor how my stomach turns over in knots whenever I […]
October 3, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland Second primaries, also known as runoff primary elections, were conducted in Florida until 2005, when Governor Jeb Bush signed a bill eliminating the second primary. The reasons for discontinuing them came down to timing and cost of conducting a third contest in an election year. […]
May 4, 1912Pensacola, Florida More than two-thirds of the vote for the congressional race has been counted, but here we are, several days after the election, and still, the final vote count was unknown. What adds to the delay is the fact that a huge storm has come through the […]
August 9, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland At this time in Florida politics, it was customary to hold two primaries for the top two Democratic contestants, even if the races weren’t all that close, which would be decided in late June of the election year. The winner would face the Republican nominee […]
July 7, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland Emmett had a hard campaign ahead of him, and to be honest, I don’t think he was as prepared (mentally, psychologically) as he thought. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, or a lack of loyal, hardworking and experienced campaign staff. Emmett was a virtual […]
June 30, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland This poor, forsaken blog. I find myself talking to Emmett Wilson every day in my mind. Mostly, I’m saying, “I’m sorry, Emmett. I haven’t forgotten your story. I will continue to work on it, never fear. I promise to finish it.” I’m not ignoring my […]
June 2, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland Here’s the thing that has puzzled me ever since I started research on Emmett Wilson’s life story: What was the main reason Frank Mayes (and The Pensacola Journal) endorsed Emmett for U.S. Congress? Frank was no dummy; he was a prescient newsman who kept close […]
May 31, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland Every year, on the anniversary of Emmett Wilson’s death, I like to go back to the old notes, check in on research sources and database updates, in case there’s fresh information I didn’t have at the start of Emmett’s story. And every year, I’m always […]
May 13, 2022Chevy Chase, Maryland On February 4, 1912, Emmett announced to the public his official candidacy in several West Florida newspapers, but his actual platform was not published until March 17, 1912. It’s a big piece, and was expensive to run in several of the state’s newspapers, therefore, Emmett […]
Tell my story. 