White Collar Radicals: TVA’s Knoxville Fifteen, the New Deal, and the McCarthy Era

Cast of Characters

Cast of CharaCters the knoxville fifteen Mabel Abercrombie—From Georgia, an avid outdoorswoman, labor organizer, five years as a typist for TVA Forrest Benson—From Colorado, a writer, supporter of workers’ rights, started as a clerk for TVA and spent over thirty years with the agency, married Christine Eversole Bernard “Buck” Borah—From Tennessee, an aggressive labor organizer, two years as a clerk for TVA, married and divorced Muriel Speare Howard Bridgman—From Massachusetts, outdoorsman, supporter of workers’ education initiatives, TVA messenger for three years Katherine “Kit” Buckles—From Colorado, outdoorswoman, advocate of rights for workers and African Americans, nine months as a research aide for TVA Christine Eversole—From the Plains, student at the Highlander Folk School, labor activist, one year as a TVA clerk and typist, married Forrest Benson John Frantz—From Knoxville, brother of Laurent Frantz, served two brief stints with TVA first as a junior messenger, a political and labor organizer Howard Frazier—From Tennessee, supporter of African American rights, worked at TVA for four years starting as a messenger, Highlander Folk School supporter Henry Hart—From Tennessee, outdoorsman, worked at TVA for eight years starting as a messenger, first roommate of William Remington David Stone Martin—From Chicago, an artist, brother of Francis Martin, supporter of workers’ rights, assistant artist for TVA for five years xvi Cast of Characters William Remington—From New Jersey, labor union supporter, TVA messenger for about nine months, first roommate of Henry Hart Muriel Speare—From New Jersey, supporter of workers’ rights, a stenographer for TVA for five years, married and divorced Buck Borah Merwin “Pat” Todd—From Connecticut, radical labor organizer, two years as a TVA messenger, married Elizabeth Winston Elizabeth Winston—From North Carolina, labor activist, one year as a stenographer for TVA, divorced Communist Party organizer Kenneth McConnell and married Pat Todd Burton Zien—From Wisconsin, engineering background, labor union organizer, messenger for TVA just over a year knoxville associates Harry “Chick” Alber—TVA mailroom worker, friend of several of the Knoxville Fifteen, accused Communist Party member L. B. Bolt—Former TVA lawyer, worked closely with Senator Kenneth McKellar to expose Communists within TVA Harvey Broome—Knoxville lawyer and author, accompanied many of the Knoxville Fifteen on hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains Horace Bryan—Member of the Arkansas Communist Party, labor organizer in Knoxville, roommate of William Remington and Pat Todd Eleanor Buckles—Kit Buckles’s sister, stenographer for TVA Kenneth Cameron—TVA mailroom worker, friend of several of the Knoxville Fifteen, accused Communist Party member Gordon Clapp—Head of TVA’s personnel department during 1930s, later became a chairman of the agency Paul David—Organizer and first president of TVA’s white collar AFGE union Laurent Frantz—Brother of John Frantz, outspoken critic of HUAC and the FBI Robert Hall—District and state Communist Party secretary for Alabama, alleged recipient of Henry Hart’s 1939 letter David Lilienthal—TVA chairman, later first chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission xvii Cast of Characters Benton MacKaye—Founder of Appalachian Trail, conservationist, TVA employee for two years, founder of the “Philosophers Club,” which included many of the Knoxville Fifteen Francis Martin—Confirmed Communist Party member and brother of David Stone Martin Kenneth McConnell—Divorced from Elizabeth Winston, Communist Party organizer for East Tennessee, later a chicken farmer and a cooperative, but unpredictable, witness for HUAC and the FBI Arthur Morgan—First TVA chairman, attracted many idealistic employees to the agency Roxie Paris—Registered nurse who joined the Communist Party in order to expose TVA’s Communist connections, made hundreds of statements to the FBI and dozens of appearances before official investigative committees Jesse and Jean Reeve—Knoxville Communist Party members and nudists, hosted outdoor barbecues for members of the Knoxville Fifteen where attendees allegedly “gamboled nude” Josephus Remine—Former sheriff who served as a witness for the government on numerous occasions; his niece Dorothy Remine married John Frantz James Smith—Deposed head of TVA’s mailroom, friend of L. B. Bolt, convinced that TVA was overrun with Communists Lucille Thornburg—Knoxville labor activist, clerk in TVA’s mailroom Hugh Urban—President of TVA’s second white collar union (UFWA) Ted Wellman—Communist Party secretary for Tennessee in mid-1930s, built the “TVA branch” by recruiting many of the Knoxville Fifteen other important figures Elizabeth Bentley—Communist Party member turned FBI informant, received classified government information from William Remington during World War II Paul Crouch—Communist Party...