Interview with Barry Bingham, Sr., November 25, 1983
Project: Lawrence W. Wetherby Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Mr. Bingham, Chairman of the board of the Courier-Journal and Louisville Times, begins this interview recalling when he first met Governor Wetherby, their acquaintanceship, and the Governor's connections with the Democratic Party in Louisville. He compares the governorship of Governor Wetherby and Governor Clements and discusses the governors' commitment to a seamless gubernatorial shift in Kentucky in 1950. Bingham speaks of the relationship between Governor Wetherby and The Courier-Journal, and gives his impression of Wetherby as a Governor. He recalls Wetherby's Corned Beef Club and the governor's relationship with the press, especially in comparison to other governors before and after his tenure. As Wetherby was one of the first governors in Kentucky to use television, Bingham tells how was willing to try various means of technology and communication to reach his constituents. Bingham also ponders how much influence the Courier-Journal had on Wetherby's election turnout in 1951 and other electoral turnouts after which. He gives his opinion on various topics that arose during the Wetherby tenure, and discusses Wetherby's relationship with Adlai Stevenson, Governor of Illinois. Bingham recalls an event that occurred the day of the Kentucky Derby in 1953 regarding McCarthyism , and gives his opinion on Wetherby and his relationship with special interests. He speaks of the rift forming within the Democratic Party in Kentucky during the 1950's and how it effected the subsequent elections, and the Courier-Journal's stance on the 1956 senatorial campaign. Bingham concludes this interview answering several various questions and speaking of his personal relationship with Governor Wetherby.Interview Accession
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Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Bingham, Barry, Sr. Interview by John Kleber. 25 Nov. 1983. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Bingham, B., Sr. (1983, November 25). Interview by J. Kleber. Lawrence W. Wetherby Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Bingham, Barry, Sr., interview by John Kleber. November 25, 1983, Lawrence W. Wetherby Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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