Bert T. Combs
Encyclopedia
Bertram Thomas Combs was a jurist
and politician from the US state of Kentucky
. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals
, he was elected the 50th Governor of Kentucky
in 1959 on his second run for the office. Following his gubernatorial term, he was appointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals by President
Lyndon B. Johnson
, serving from 1967 to 1970.
After being decorated
for his service under General
Douglas MacArthur
during World War II, Combs returned to Kentucky and his law practice. In 1951, Governor Lawrence Wetherby
appointed him to fill a vacancy on the Kentucky Court of Appeals
. Later that year, he was elected to a full term on the court, defeating former governor Simeon S. Willis
. Kentucky's Democratic Party
had split into two factions by 1955 when Earle C. Clements
, the leader of one faction, chose Combs to challenge A. B. "Happy" Chandler
, the leader of the other faction, in the upcoming gubernatorial election. Combs' uninspiring speeches and candidness about the need for more state revenue cost him the election. Chandler, who went on to win the governorship, had promised that he would not need to raise taxes to meet the state's financial obligations, but, ultimately, he did. This damaged Chandler's credibility and left Combs looking courageous and honest. Consequently, Combs was elected governor in 1959, defeating Harry Lee Waterfield
, Chandler's choice to succeed him in office. Early in his term, Combs secured passage of a three percent sales tax
to pay a bonus to the state's military veterans. Knowing a tax of one percent would have been sufficient, he used the excess revenue to enact a system of reforms including expansion of the state's highway and state park systems. He also devoted much of the surplus to education, and was called the "education governor" in some circles.
Following his term in office, Combs was named to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals by President Johnson. He served for three years before resigning to run for governor again in 1971. He lost in the Democratic primary
to Wendell H. Ford
, his former executive secretary. In 1984, Combs agreed to represent sixty-six of the state's poor school districts in a lawsuit challenging the state's system of financing public education. The suit, Rose v. Council for Better Education, resulted in the Kentucky Supreme Court
declaring the state's entire system of public schools unconstitutional. In response, the Kentucky General Assembly
drafted a sweeping education measure known as the Kentucky Education Reform Act in 1991. On December 3, 1991, Combs was caught in a flash flood
as he returned home from his law office. His body was found in the Red River
near Rosslyn, in Powell County
, the following morning. His cause of death was listed as hypothermia
.
in 1619, and in 1775, Benjamin John Combs came westward from Virginia
into Clark County, Kentucky
. He was followed into Kentucky in 1790 by two of his brothers, including Jack Combs, Bert Combs' great-grandfather.
Bert Combs was born in the Town Branch section of Manchester, Kentucky
on August 13, 1911, one of seven children born to Stephen Gibson and Martha (Jones) Combs. Bert Combs' father, a part time logger
and farmer, was active in local politics, despite being a Democrat in a heavily Republican
county. His mother was a teacher, and impressed upon her children the importance of a good education. Bert's first school was the two-room Beech Creek grade school, where he spent six years before attending Oneida Baptist Institute
in nearby Oneida, Kentucky
. Later, he and his sister began riding a donkey every day to Clay County High School. At age 15, he graduated as valedictorian
of his class. In 1929, he enrolled at Cumberland College
(then a junior college) in Williamsburg, Kentucky
, which he attended for two years. He financed his education at Cumberland by sweeping floors and firing furnaces in campus buildings.
After leaving Cumberland, Combs worked as a clerk for the state highway department for three years in order to earn enough money to attend the University of Kentucky College of Law
in Lexington, where he was managing editor of the Kentucky Law Journal. In 1937, he graduated second in his class, earning a Bachelor of Laws
degree and qualifying for the Order of the Coif
, a national honor society
for the top ten percent of graduating law students. He was admitted to the bar
, and returned to Manchester to begin practicing law, later in 1937. It was also in 1937 that he married Mabel Hall, with whom he had two children, Lois Combs and Thomas G. "Tommy" Combs. Tommy suffered from a form of mental retardation
, the result of an injury sustained at birth. Combs later started a class for individuals with mental retardation in Floyd County
, in part so Tommy could attend the class.
In 1938, Combs moved his practice to Prestonsburg
. He later explained the move from his hometown: "I had too many kinfolks and friends in Manchester, and they all expected me to handle things as a favor... Then they'd get their feelings hurt if I charged them. I was taking in a lot of cases, but not sending out many bills."
On December 22, 1943, Combs enlisted as a private
in the U.S. Army
for service in World War II. He received his basic training at Fort Knox
. Early in his military career, he was assigned to teach cartography
at the Aberdeen Proving Ground
in Aberdeen, Maryland
. Later, he attended Officer Candidate School
, and attained the rank of captain. He received additional training in Ann Arbor, Michigan
and joined the Judge Advocate General's Corps
. On July 1, 1945, he joined General Douglas MacArthur
's forces in the South Pacific
. He served as chief of the War Crimes Investigating Department in the Philippine Islands, conducting tribunals for Japanese war criminals. Upon his discharge in 1946, he was awarded the Bronze Star
and the Military Merit Medal of Philippines.
After the war, Combs returned to his legal practice in Prestonsburg, forming the law firm of Howard and Combs with J. Woodford Howard as his partner. He served as president of the Junior Bar Association of Kentucky in 1946 and 1947. In many of his cases, Combs represented coal companies in worker's compensation cases; frequently, Carl D. Perkins
, later a U.S. Representative
, served as legal counsel for the mine workers.
in Prestonsburg in 1950. Later, he became Commonwealth's Attorney
for Kentucky's 31st Judicial District, serving from 1950 to 1951. In April 1951, Governor Lawrence Wetherby
appointed him to fill a vacancy on the Kentucky Court of Appeals
caused by the death of Judge Roy Helm. Later that year, he sought a full eight-year term on the court. His opponent was Simeon S. Willis
, a popular former Republican governor who had previously sat on the court. Combs won the election by a vote of 73,298 to 69,379.
, having become the leader of a faction of the state's Democratic Party, announced his intention to seek a second term in 1955. Members of the anti-Chandler faction scrambled to find a candidate to oppose him. The most likely candidate was Emerson "Doc" Beauchamp
, the sitting Lieutenant Governor
, but Beauchamp was not a good campaigner and his ties to boss
-dominated Logan County
gave the anti-Chandler faction pause. Instead, the leader of the faction, Earle C. Clements
, selected Combs, who resigned from his position on the Court of Appeals to enter the race.
In Combs' first speech of the primary
campaign, he admitted that the state needed to raise $25 million in new revenue and that a sales tax
should be considered. Chandler, the more experienced politician, attacked Combs for this suggestion, maintaining that an experienced governor like himself would not need to raise taxes. Combs' speech was also attacked as dry and uninspiring, partly because he read it verbatim from prepared notes. "And you said I couldn't give a speech," Doc Beauchamp later complained to Clements. Hugh Morris, chief of the Louisville Courier-Journals Frankfort
bureau, commented that "Combs opened and closed his campaign on the same night".
With little but Combs' inexperience to run against, Chandler portrayed Combs as a pawn of former governors Clements and Lawrence Wetherby
, whom he derisively called "Clementine" and "Wetherbine". He accused both administrations of wasteful spending, specifically attacking the construction of the Kentucky Turnpike and Freedom Hall
as unnecessary expenditures. Some of Chandler's attacks were more personal in nature: he charged that when Clements had been governor he had spent $20,000 on a new rug for his office, and that Wetherby had used African mahogany
to panel his office, instead of "good, honest Kentucky wood". Though receipts later showed that carpeting for the entire first floor of the capitol had cost only $2,700 and that Wetherby's paneling had been purchased from and installed by a Kentucky contractor, Chandler's charges remained effective at keeping the Combs campaign on the defensive.
Two weeks before the primary, Combs secured the endorsement of former Vice President Alben Barkley, but the endorsement came too late, Combs felt, to be much help. Chandler defeated Combs in the primary by a vote of 259,875 to 241,754 and went on to win his second term as governor. Combs returned to Prestonsburg, set up a savings and loan company, and re-established his law practice. During the four years of Chandler's term, Combs accepted a number of speaking engagements, but otherwise remained out of the public eye. Meanwhile, the state's need for funds compelled Chandler to raise the state sales tax and other taxes, despite his campaign promises not to do so. Consequently, Chandler lost credibility and Combs gained a reputation as a courageous, forthright, and honest politician for having acknowledged the state's financial need during the campaign.
, to succeed him. The anti-Chandler faction was split between Combs, their candidate from four years earlier, and Wilson Wyatt, who had managed Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaign in 1952. In January 1959, Earle C. Clements held an all-night meeting at the Standiford Airport Hotel in Louisville in which he brokered a deal whereby Combs would run for governor and Wyatt for lieutenant governor. Clements promised Wyatt his support in future races.
In the primary campaign against Waterfield, Combs attacked the Chandler administration. He was especially critical of a rumor which held that Chandler had placed a two percent assessment on state employees' salaries and had stored the funds in a Cuban bank so they could not be traced. According to the rumor, when Fidel Castro
seized power as a result of the Cuban Revolution
, the funds Chandler had deposited in Cuba were lost. Chandler countered on Waterfield's behalf with charges that Combs was a "Clements parrot". Combs succeeded in uniting the anti-Chandler base, and defeated Waterfield by 25,000 votes; he went on to win the governorship that fall, defeating Republican
nominee John M. Robsion, Jr.
by a landslide. The margin, 180,093 votes, was a record margin for a governor's race in Kentucky, and was the second highest margin of victory for any election in the state, trailing only Franklin D. Roosevelt
's margin of 185,858 over Herbert Hoover
in 1932
. Combs was the first governor elected from Eastern Kentucky
since Flem D. Sampson
in 1927 and was the first veteran of World War II to hold the office.
One of Combs' first official actions as governor was to call a special session of the legislature on December 19, 1959. The subject of the session was the revision of Kentucky's constitution
. Calling a constitutional convention required that two successive legislative sessions approve putting the issue of a convention on the ballot. The call then had to be approved by Kentucky voters. The constitution in force had been ratified in 1891, and despite near-universal agreement by legal scholars that it was badly in need of updating, Kentucky voters had rejected calls for a constitutional convention in 1931 and 1947 and had only approved 19 amendments since 1891. Combs wanted to address the issue during his four-year term, hence the haste in calling the special legislative session, which easily approved the call. In the subsequent regular legislative session, the measure was approved again. Combs signed the measure and the question of a constitutional revision was put on the ballot. In November 1960, however, Kentucky voters defeated the measure by a margin of almost 18,000 votes. This vote was the closest Kentucky has come to revising the 1891 constitution, which remains in effect today.
During the campaign, Combs had advocated a progressive platform
that included increased funding for education, highways, parks, industry, and airports. Soon after his election, he won approval for a three percent sales tax
to pay a bonus to military veterans, although he could have funded the bonuses with a one percent tax. He had asked for the larger tax in order to fund his other priorities. As a result of the sales tax, Combs presided over the state's first billion-dollar budget. One study showed that, during the period from 1957 to 1962, Kentucky doubled its per capita expenditures, growing its appropriations faster than any other state. Combs ensured the continuance of the sales tax (and its associated revenue) by holding large public relations events for each tax-funded project that was completed, declaring in dedication speeches that the sales tax had made the project possible.
Kentucky lagged far behind other states in the area of education. The state had one of the highest dropout rates in the nation, and was second only to Arkansas
in the number of one-room schools. Fewer than half of the state's high school graduates went on to college. Teachers educated in Kentucky quickly left because of higher salaries available in other states. Combs' proposed budget used money from the new sales tax to increase school funds by fifty percent and establish the state community college system (now the Kentucky Community and Technical College System
). It also increased funding for free textbooks by more than $3 million and allocated another $2 million to vocational education. It allocated over $5 million to the state universities for new buildings and another $10.5 million to fund completion of the Albert B. Chandler Hospital
, a facility at the University of Kentucky
named in honor of Combs' political foe. Because of his contributions to education, Combs was sometimes referred to as "the education governor".
The state's roads were in poor condition when Combs became governor. The Automotive Safety Foundation found that two-thirds of Kentucky's federal roads were below standards for existing traffic demands. It further found that twenty percent of the state's major city streets were inadequate, and another fifty-five percent would be soon due to increasing traffic. Half of the state's secondary roads were unfit for modern industrial traffic. To address these problems, Combs issued $100 million in bonds to increase funding for highways. Combs appointed Earle C. Clements as state highway commissioner to oversee the correction of the road issues. One of the new roads, the Mountain Parkway
, which connected Combs' native Eastern Kentucky to Central Kentucky
, was later renamed the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway in Combs' honor. Due to generous funding in Combs' budget, Kentucky finished its portions of the Interstate Highway System
much sooner than surrounding states such as Virginia
and Tennessee
.
Combs also won approval of a $10 million bond issue to benefit the state parks, which had poor lodging and few amenities. Combs combined the bond issue with $10 million in revenue bonds and effected major renovations at all 26 of the state's parks. Though his dreams of seeing privately owned tourist facilities spring up around the parks did not come to fruition, out-of-state tourism to Kentucky more than doubled during Combs' administration, accounting for about 60 percent of state park visitors and 53 percent of the overnight visitations to the parks. Journalist John Ed Pearce recounts that Kentucky natives began to complain that they could not get reservations in the parks during peak seasons and called for limitations on the number of out-of-state visitors or a reservation system that favored Kentuckians, although nothing ever came of these complaints.
On April 10, 1961, Combs appropriated $50,000 from the governor's contingency fund to construct a floral clock
on the lawn of the state capitol
. Combs had seen a similar clock in Edinburgh
, Scotland, and believed it would be a colorful addition to the capitol grounds. In a subsequent gubernatorial campaign, Happy Chandler mocked the clock, declaring "Well, they don't say it's half past 2 in Frankfort anymore. They say it's two petunia
s past the jimson weed." Chandler's derision became the minority view in time, however; according to John Ed Pearce, the clock became one of the most talked-about and visited tourist attractions in the state and the most visited place in Frankfort.
Combs created a merit system
for state government workers, ensuring that officials could not be hired or fired for political reasons. This provision attracted more well-qualified individuals to public service careers. Such careers were made even more attractive when, in 1962, the state courts declared that the constitutional limitation on the salaries of state employees could be interpreted to mean limited salaries adjusted for inflation. The new-found attractiveness of government jobs meant increased potential for corruption, and Combs, recognizing this, demanded that state employees stick strictly to the rules governing their offices. In one instance, Combs ordered a state audit of Carter County
superintendent Heman McGuire, who was known to use his office for political gain. While Combs did not have the authority to remove McGuire directly, the audit showed McGuire's misappropriation of funds and abuse of power. The state school board investigated these findings and removed the county school board members from office; the replacement board members then ousted McGuire from office.
In 1961, a group of citizens from Newport, Kentucky
asked Combs for help in cracking down on crime in their city. Just across the Ohio River
from Cincinnati, Newport had gained a reputation as a haven for prostitution, gambling, and illegal sales of alcohol. After receiving an affidavit
from the citizens, Combs sent agents from the department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to the city. They cited six bars for violating laws governing liquor sales, and instructed Attorney General
John B. Breckinridge
to prosecute four local officials for failure to enforce the laws. When allegations of civil rights violations in a related trial surfaced, U.S. Attorney General
Robert Kennedy sent federal Justice Department
officials to Newport, prompting the resignation of the sheriff and a circuit judge. Two other local officials were barred from office for four years.
Some of Combs' crackdowns on corruption were politically damaging, including the so-called "truck deal". In 1961, a news story broke that claimed the state was about to purchase some dump truck
s at a very favorable rate from one of Combs' former campaign officials. The deal was seen by some as a political payoff orchestrated by Highway Commissioner Clements. In the interest of preserving his reputation as an honest governor, Combs canceled the proposed deal. This angered Clements, who took Combs' action as a public rebuke. Clements did not immediately resign, but the incident caused a rift between him and Combs that never fully healed. Later, Clements did resign his post, ostensibly to work on the presidential campaign of his friend, Lyndon Johnson. Thereafter, he worked against Combs at every opportunity, even joining with Happy Chandler to ensure Wilson Wyatt's defeat in his 1962 race for the Senate, a reversal of his previous promise to support Wyatt.
Combs also formed the state's first Human Rights Commission and ordered the desegregation
of all public accommodations in Kentucky. The latter action was commended in a letter to Combs from President
John F. Kennedy
. In 1961, Combs was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Kentucky, and on February 17, 1962, he received an award from Keep America Beautiful
for his work on cleaning up Kentucky's highways, including securing passage of a bill requiring that auto junkyards near major roadways be screened from view by fences.
Among Combs' other accomplishments as governor were requiring voting machine
s in state elections and passage of a law making the assessment of state employees for political campaign funds a felony
. At the end of his term, Combs backed Edward T. Breathitt
to succeed him as governor. Breathitt defeated Happy Chandler in the Democratic primary, then went on to defeat Republican Louie B. Nunn
in the general election. It was the only time in the 20th century that a Kentucky governor's selected successor won election.
. In 1963, he was awarded the Joseph P. Kennedy International Award for "outstanding contributions and leadership in the field of mental retardations." He was named Kentucky's outstanding attorney in 1964, and in the spring of that year, he served as a visiting professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Massachusetts
. In 1965, he was inducted into the University of Kentucky's Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
On January 16, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson
nominated him to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, replacing Shackelford Miller, Jr.
The Senate
confirmed
the nomination on April 5, 1967. He resigned the judgeship on June 5, 1970 to seek a second term as governor. In the Democratic primary, Combs lost to Wendell H. Ford
, who had served as his chief administrative assistant during his gubernatorial term. Following this defeat, Combs joined the Louisville
law firm of Tarrant, Combs, and Bullitt (later Wyatt, Tarrant, and Combs). He resumed his representation of large coal companies, drawing the ire of author Harry M. Caudill
, who asserted that Combs claimed to represent the powerless while actually representing the powerful.
Combs eventually retired from politics, but maintained an office in Frankfort. He was active in the formation of the Rural Housing and Development Corporation and served on the Council on Higher Education
. He also served on President Jimmy Carter
's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament.
, Combs assembled a legal team that included Kern Alexander
, a Kentucky native and education law expert who was named president of Western Kentucky University
in November 1985.
Combs first attempted to gain legislative concessions that might preclude the need for a lawsuit. Governor Martha Layne Collins
proposed an education reform agenda and called the legislature into special session in mid-1985 to consider it. The legislature enacted a corporate income tax
to raise $300 million aimed at reducing class sizes, but the Council was seeking more fundamental structural changes to the system and deemed the increased funds insufficient to equalize its standing with the more affluent school districts. Dissatisfied with the results of the special session, Combs and the Council filed their suit, Rose v. Council for Better Education, on November 20, 1985. The governor, state superintendent, state treasurer, leaders of both houses of the state legislature, and every member of the state board of education were named as defendants in the case.
The defendants' request for a summary judgment
dismissing the case was not granted, and the trial began in Franklin
circuit court on August 4, 1987. During the trial, a new state superintendent was elected. The new superintendent, John Brock, announced that his office would drop its defense and side with the Council, a major blow to the defense. On May 31, 1988, Judge Ray Corns found in favor of the plaintiffs, declaring that the school finance system was "unconstitutional and discriminatory". Two days later, the defense announced that it would appeal the ruling to the Kentucky Supreme Court
, but recently elected governor Wallace Wilkinson refused to join the appeal and supported Judge Corns' ruling.
Opening arguments in the appeal began December 7, 1988. The defense argued that the Council lacked standing to bring the suit; Combs rebuffed this argument and cited statistics that ranked Kentucky as the most illiterate state in the nation to show how inequitable financing had adversely affected the state's students. On June 8, 1989, the court handed down a 3–2 ruling declaring Kentucky's entire public school system unconstitutional and giving the General Assembly until the end of their next legislative session, which would convene in January 1990, to create a replacement. Of the ruling, Combs said "My clients asked for a thimble-full, and [instead] they got a bucket-full".
The court gave nine minimum standards required for a constitutional school system. In response to the court's ruling, the General Assembly passed the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act, which radically altered Kentucky's school system, providing mechanisms to equalize funding among school districts and implementing some of the toughest accountability standards in the United States. Of the legislature's actions, Combs opined "Kentucky has now, by reason of this legislation, decided to become educated—and we have embarked on a crusade for that purpose. Don't be surprised if we should within the next decade develop a first class, world-wide educational system."
in Lexington
about 5:30 pm on December 3, 1991. He was reported missing hours later, and the following day, he was found dead of hypothermia
in the Red River
near Rosslyn, in Powell County
. Combs was buried in the Beech Creek Cemetery in Manchester.
The Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway
, which extends roughly eighty miles in Eastern Kentucky, was named in honor of the former governor. In addition, Bert T. Combs Lake, an artificial lake constructed in 1963 in Clay County
, is named for him. On April 20, 2007, two life-sized statues of Combs were dedicated—one in Stanton, Kentucky
near the parkway that bears his name and another in the county courthouse in Prestonsburg. Combs' widow, Sara Walter Combs, became the first woman to serve on the Kentucky Supreme Court in 1993 and currently sits on the Kentucky Court of Appeals; where she was chief judge from 2004 to 2010, also a first for a woman. Combs' daughter, Lois (Combs) Weinberg, unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Mitch McConnell
for his Senate seat in 2002
.
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and politician from the US state of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals
Kentucky Court of Appeals
The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky....
, he was elected the 50th Governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
in 1959 on his second run for the office. Following his gubernatorial term, he was appointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, serving from 1967 to 1970.
After being decorated
Awards and decorations of the United States military
Awards and decorations of the United States Military are military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces...
for his service under General
General of the Army (United States)
General of the Army is a five-star general officer and is the second highest possible rank in the United States Army. A special rank of General of the Armies, which ranks above General of the Army, does exist but has only been conferred twice in the history of the Army...
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
during World War II, Combs returned to Kentucky and his law practice. In 1951, Governor Lawrence Wetherby
Lawrence Wetherby
Lawerence Winchester Wetherby was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. After graduating from the University of Louisville, he rose through the judicial system of Jefferson County and was elected lieutenant governor in 1947, serving under Governor Earle C. Clements...
appointed him to fill a vacancy on the Kentucky Court of Appeals
Kentucky Court of Appeals
The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky....
. Later that year, he was elected to a full term on the court, defeating former governor Simeon S. Willis
Simeon S. Willis
Simeon Slavens Willis was the 46th Governor of Kentucky, United States, serving from 1943 to 1947. He was the only Republican elected governor of Kentucky between 1927 and 1967....
. Kentucky's Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
had split into two factions by 1955 when Earle C. Clements
Earle C. Clements
Earle Chester Clements was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and was its 47th Governor, serving from 1947 to 1950...
, the leader of one faction, chose Combs to challenge A. B. "Happy" Chandler
Happy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
, the leader of the other faction, in the upcoming gubernatorial election. Combs' uninspiring speeches and candidness about the need for more state revenue cost him the election. Chandler, who went on to win the governorship, had promised that he would not need to raise taxes to meet the state's financial obligations, but, ultimately, he did. This damaged Chandler's credibility and left Combs looking courageous and honest. Consequently, Combs was elected governor in 1959, defeating Harry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield , a Democrat, served twice as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and unsuccessfully sought election as Governor of Kentucky....
, Chandler's choice to succeed him in office. Early in his term, Combs secured passage of a three percent sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
to pay a bonus to the state's military veterans. Knowing a tax of one percent would have been sufficient, he used the excess revenue to enact a system of reforms including expansion of the state's highway and state park systems. He also devoted much of the surplus to education, and was called the "education governor" in some circles.
Following his term in office, Combs was named to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals by President Johnson. He served for three years before resigning to run for governor again in 1971. He lost in the Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to Wendell H. Ford
Wendell H. Ford
Wendell Hampton Ford is a retired politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He served for twenty-four years in the U.S. Senate and was the 53rd Governor of Kentucky. He was the first person to be successively elected lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. senator in Kentucky history...
, his former executive secretary. In 1984, Combs agreed to represent sixty-six of the state's poor school districts in a lawsuit challenging the state's system of financing public education. The suit, Rose v. Council for Better Education, resulted in the Kentucky Supreme Court
Kentucky Supreme Court
The Kentucky Supreme Court was created by a 1975 constitutional amendment and is the state supreme court of the commonwealth of Kentucky. Prior to that the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky...
declaring the state's entire system of public schools unconstitutional. In response, the Kentucky General Assembly
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
drafted a sweeping education measure known as the Kentucky Education Reform Act in 1991. On December 3, 1991, Combs was caught in a flash flood
Flash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
as he returned home from his law office. His body was found in the Red River
Red River (Kentucky)
The Red River is a tributary of the Kentucky River in east-central Kentucky in the United States. Via the Kentucky and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed....
near Rosslyn, in Powell County
Powell County, Kentucky
Powell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population is 13,237. Its county seat is Stanton. The county was formed January 7, 1852, by Kentucky Governor Lazarus W. Powell...
, the following morning. His cause of death was listed as hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
.
Early life
The Combs family was one of the oldest in the United States. John Combs, the family patriarch, arrived in Jamestown, VirginiaJamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
in 1619, and in 1775, Benjamin John Combs came westward from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
into Clark County, Kentucky
Clark County, Kentucky
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1793. The population was 35,613 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Winchester, Kentucky...
. He was followed into Kentucky in 1790 by two of his brothers, including Jack Combs, Bert Combs' great-grandfather.
Bert Combs was born in the Town Branch section of Manchester, Kentucky
Manchester, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,738 people, 778 households, and 455 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,148.4 people per square mile . There were 844 housing units at an average density of 557.7 per square mile...
on August 13, 1911, one of seven children born to Stephen Gibson and Martha (Jones) Combs. Bert Combs' father, a part time logger
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and farmer, was active in local politics, despite being a Democrat in a heavily Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
county. His mother was a teacher, and impressed upon her children the importance of a good education. Bert's first school was the two-room Beech Creek grade school, where he spent six years before attending Oneida Baptist Institute
Oneida Baptist Institute
Oneida Baptist Institute, also referred to as OBI, is a coeducational Southern Baptist boarding school, affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention in Oneida, Kentucky. Land for the school was donated in September 1899 by Martha Coldiron Hogg and S.P. Hogg. The school was founded as the Mamre...
in nearby Oneida, Kentucky
Oneida, Kentucky
Oneida is an unincorporated community in Clay County, Kentucky, United States. It is the home of Oneida Baptist Institute. Goose Creek and the Red Bird River confluence to form the South Fork of the Kentucky River just a few hundred yards from the center of the town.The major road that leads from...
. Later, he and his sister began riding a donkey every day to Clay County High School. At age 15, he graduated as valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his class. In 1929, he enrolled at Cumberland College
University of the Cumberlands
University of the Cumberlands is a private, liberal arts college located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, with an enrollment of approximately 3,200 students...
(then a junior college) in Williamsburg, Kentucky
Williamsburg, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,143 people, 1,928 households, and 1,127 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,102.5 people per square mile . There were 2,118 housing units at an average density of 454.0 per square mile...
, which he attended for two years. He financed his education at Cumberland by sweeping floors and firing furnaces in campus buildings.
After leaving Cumberland, Combs worked as a clerk for the state highway department for three years in order to earn enough money to attend the University of Kentucky College of Law
University of Kentucky College of Law
The College of Law is a college of the University of Kentucky. Founded initially from a law program at Transylvania University in 1799, the law program at UK began operations in 1908; it was one of the nation's first public law schools...
in Lexington, where he was managing editor of the Kentucky Law Journal. In 1937, he graduated second in his class, earning a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree and qualifying for the Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
, a national honor society
Honor society
In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America...
for the top ten percent of graduating law students. He was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
, and returned to Manchester to begin practicing law, later in 1937. It was also in 1937 that he married Mabel Hall, with whom he had two children, Lois Combs and Thomas G. "Tommy" Combs. Tommy suffered from a form of mental retardation
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
, the result of an injury sustained at birth. Combs later started a class for individuals with mental retardation in Floyd County
Floyd County, Kentucky
Floyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1800. As of 2000, the population was 42,441. Its county seat is Prestonsburg. The county is named for Colonel John Floyd .-History:...
, in part so Tommy could attend the class.
In 1938, Combs moved his practice to Prestonsburg
Prestonsburg, Kentucky
Prestonsburg is a city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Kentucky, United States. It lies in the eastern part of the state, along the banks of the Levisa Fork of the Big Sandy River. It was founded in 1797 by Col. John Preston—for whom it was named—along with Solomon Stratton, Matthias...
. He later explained the move from his hometown: "I had too many kinfolks and friends in Manchester, and they all expected me to handle things as a favor... Then they'd get their feelings hurt if I charged them. I was taking in a lot of cases, but not sending out many bills."
On December 22, 1943, Combs enlisted as a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
for service in World War II. He received his basic training at Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
. Early in his military career, he was assigned to teach cartography
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
at the Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland, . Part of the facility is a census-designated place , which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.- History :...
in Aberdeen, Maryland
Aberdeen, Maryland
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,842 people, 5,475 households, and 3,712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,166.2 people per square mile . There were 5,894 housing units at an average density of 922.4 per square mile...
. Later, he attended Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army)
The United States Army's Officer Candidate School , located at Fort Benning, Georgia, provides training to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army...
, and attained the rank of captain. He received additional training in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
and joined the Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
. On July 1, 1945, he joined General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's forces in the South Pacific
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....
. He served as chief of the War Crimes Investigating Department in the Philippine Islands, conducting tribunals for Japanese war criminals. Upon his discharge in 1946, he was awarded the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
and the Military Merit Medal of Philippines.
After the war, Combs returned to his legal practice in Prestonsburg, forming the law firm of Howard and Combs with J. Woodford Howard as his partner. He served as president of the Junior Bar Association of Kentucky in 1946 and 1947. In many of his cases, Combs represented coal companies in worker's compensation cases; frequently, Carl D. Perkins
Carl D. Perkins
Carl Dewey Perkins , a Democrat, was a politician and member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Kentucky.-Early years:Perkins was born in Hindman, Kentucky...
, later a U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, served as legal counsel for the mine workers.
Political career
Combs began his political career with his election to the office of city attorneyCity attorney
A city attorney can be an elected or appointed position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the city or municipality....
in Prestonsburg in 1950. Later, he became Commonwealth's Attorney
Commonwealth's Attorney
Commonwealth's Attorney is the title given to the elected prosecutor of felony crimes in Kentucky and Virginia. Other states refer to similar prosecutors as District Attorney or State's Attorney....
for Kentucky's 31st Judicial District, serving from 1950 to 1951. In April 1951, Governor Lawrence Wetherby
Lawrence Wetherby
Lawerence Winchester Wetherby was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. After graduating from the University of Louisville, he rose through the judicial system of Jefferson County and was elected lieutenant governor in 1947, serving under Governor Earle C. Clements...
appointed him to fill a vacancy on the Kentucky Court of Appeals
Kentucky Court of Appeals
The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky....
caused by the death of Judge Roy Helm. Later that year, he sought a full eight-year term on the court. His opponent was Simeon S. Willis
Simeon S. Willis
Simeon Slavens Willis was the 46th Governor of Kentucky, United States, serving from 1943 to 1947. He was the only Republican elected governor of Kentucky between 1927 and 1967....
, a popular former Republican governor who had previously sat on the court. Combs won the election by a vote of 73,298 to 69,379.
1955 gubernatorial race
Former Kentucky governor A.B. "Happy" ChandlerHappy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
, having become the leader of a faction of the state's Democratic Party, announced his intention to seek a second term in 1955. Members of the anti-Chandler faction scrambled to find a candidate to oppose him. The most likely candidate was Emerson "Doc" Beauchamp
Emerson Beauchamp
Emerson "Doc" Beauchamp served as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky under Governor Lawrence Wetherby."Doc" Beauchamp was from Logan County, Kentucky. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I and World War II. He served in the Kentucky Senate from 1944 through 1946. He was elected Lieutenant...
, the sitting Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
The office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
, but Beauchamp was not a good campaigner and his ties to boss
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
-dominated Logan County
Logan County, Kentucky
Logan County is a county located in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 26,573. Its county seat is Russellville...
gave the anti-Chandler faction pause. Instead, the leader of the faction, Earle C. Clements
Earle C. Clements
Earle Chester Clements was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and was its 47th Governor, serving from 1947 to 1950...
, selected Combs, who resigned from his position on the Court of Appeals to enter the race.
In Combs' first speech of the primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
campaign, he admitted that the state needed to raise $25 million in new revenue and that a sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
should be considered. Chandler, the more experienced politician, attacked Combs for this suggestion, maintaining that an experienced governor like himself would not need to raise taxes. Combs' speech was also attacked as dry and uninspiring, partly because he read it verbatim from prepared notes. "And you said I couldn't give a speech," Doc Beauchamp later complained to Clements. Hugh Morris, chief of the Louisville Courier-Journals Frankfort
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
bureau, commented that "Combs opened and closed his campaign on the same night".
With little but Combs' inexperience to run against, Chandler portrayed Combs as a pawn of former governors Clements and Lawrence Wetherby
Lawrence Wetherby
Lawerence Winchester Wetherby was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. After graduating from the University of Louisville, he rose through the judicial system of Jefferson County and was elected lieutenant governor in 1947, serving under Governor Earle C. Clements...
, whom he derisively called "Clementine" and "Wetherbine". He accused both administrations of wasteful spending, specifically attacking the construction of the Kentucky Turnpike and Freedom Hall
Freedom Hall
Freedom Hall is a multipurpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
as unnecessary expenditures. Some of Chandler's attacks were more personal in nature: he charged that when Clements had been governor he had spent $20,000 on a new rug for his office, and that Wetherby had used African mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
to panel his office, instead of "good, honest Kentucky wood". Though receipts later showed that carpeting for the entire first floor of the capitol had cost only $2,700 and that Wetherby's paneling had been purchased from and installed by a Kentucky contractor, Chandler's charges remained effective at keeping the Combs campaign on the defensive.
Two weeks before the primary, Combs secured the endorsement of former Vice President Alben Barkley, but the endorsement came too late, Combs felt, to be much help. Chandler defeated Combs in the primary by a vote of 259,875 to 241,754 and went on to win his second term as governor. Combs returned to Prestonsburg, set up a savings and loan company, and re-established his law practice. During the four years of Chandler's term, Combs accepted a number of speaking engagements, but otherwise remained out of the public eye. Meanwhile, the state's need for funds compelled Chandler to raise the state sales tax and other taxes, despite his campaign promises not to do so. Consequently, Chandler lost credibility and Combs gained a reputation as a courageous, forthright, and honest politician for having acknowledged the state's financial need during the campaign.
Governor of Kentucky
Barred by the state constitution from seeking consecutive terms, Governor Chandler endorsed his lieutenant governor, Harry Lee WaterfieldHarry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield , a Democrat, served twice as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and unsuccessfully sought election as Governor of Kentucky....
, to succeed him. The anti-Chandler faction was split between Combs, their candidate from four years earlier, and Wilson Wyatt, who had managed Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaign in 1952. In January 1959, Earle C. Clements held an all-night meeting at the Standiford Airport Hotel in Louisville in which he brokered a deal whereby Combs would run for governor and Wyatt for lieutenant governor. Clements promised Wyatt his support in future races.
In the primary campaign against Waterfield, Combs attacked the Chandler administration. He was especially critical of a rumor which held that Chandler had placed a two percent assessment on state employees' salaries and had stored the funds in a Cuban bank so they could not be traced. According to the rumor, when Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
seized power as a result of the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, the funds Chandler had deposited in Cuba were lost. Chandler countered on Waterfield's behalf with charges that Combs was a "Clements parrot". Combs succeeded in uniting the anti-Chandler base, and defeated Waterfield by 25,000 votes; he went on to win the governorship that fall, defeating Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee John M. Robsion, Jr.
John M. Robsion, Jr.
John Marshall Robsion, Jr. , a Republican, was a United States Representative from Kentucky from 1953 to 1959 and was the Republican nominee for Governor of Kentucky in 1959.Robsion was born in Barbourville...
by a landslide. The margin, 180,093 votes, was a record margin for a governor's race in Kentucky, and was the second highest margin of victory for any election in the state, trailing only Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's margin of 185,858 over Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
in 1932
United States presidential election, 1932
The United States presidential election of 1932 took place as the effects of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, the Revenue Act of 1932, and the Great Depression were being felt intensely across the country. President Herbert Hoover's popularity was falling as...
. Combs was the first governor elected from Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Mountain Coal Fields
The Eastern Mountain Coal Fields is part of the Central Appalachian bituminous coal field, covering all or parts of 30 Kentucky counties and adjoining areas in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. It covers an area from the Allegheny Mountains in the east across the Cumberland Plateau and...
since Flem D. Sampson
Flem D. Sampson
Flemon Davis "Flem" Sampson was the 42nd Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1927 to 1931. He graduated from Valparaiso University in 1894, and opened a law practice in Barbourville, Kentucky. He formed a political alliance with future congressmen Caleb Powers and John Robsion, both prominent...
in 1927 and was the first veteran of World War II to hold the office.
One of Combs' first official actions as governor was to call a special session of the legislature on December 19, 1959. The subject of the session was the revision of Kentucky's constitution
Kentucky Constitution
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the document that governs the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was first adopted in 1792 and has since been rewritten three times and amended many more...
. Calling a constitutional convention required that two successive legislative sessions approve putting the issue of a convention on the ballot. The call then had to be approved by Kentucky voters. The constitution in force had been ratified in 1891, and despite near-universal agreement by legal scholars that it was badly in need of updating, Kentucky voters had rejected calls for a constitutional convention in 1931 and 1947 and had only approved 19 amendments since 1891. Combs wanted to address the issue during his four-year term, hence the haste in calling the special legislative session, which easily approved the call. In the subsequent regular legislative session, the measure was approved again. Combs signed the measure and the question of a constitutional revision was put on the ballot. In November 1960, however, Kentucky voters defeated the measure by a margin of almost 18,000 votes. This vote was the closest Kentucky has come to revising the 1891 constitution, which remains in effect today.
During the campaign, Combs had advocated a progressive platform
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
that included increased funding for education, highways, parks, industry, and airports. Soon after his election, he won approval for a three percent sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
to pay a bonus to military veterans, although he could have funded the bonuses with a one percent tax. He had asked for the larger tax in order to fund his other priorities. As a result of the sales tax, Combs presided over the state's first billion-dollar budget. One study showed that, during the period from 1957 to 1962, Kentucky doubled its per capita expenditures, growing its appropriations faster than any other state. Combs ensured the continuance of the sales tax (and its associated revenue) by holding large public relations events for each tax-funded project that was completed, declaring in dedication speeches that the sales tax had made the project possible.
Kentucky lagged far behind other states in the area of education. The state had one of the highest dropout rates in the nation, and was second only to Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
in the number of one-room schools. Fewer than half of the state's high school graduates went on to college. Teachers educated in Kentucky quickly left because of higher salaries available in other states. Combs' proposed budget used money from the new sales tax to increase school funds by fifty percent and establish the state community college system (now the Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Headquartered in Versailles, Kentucky, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System comprises 16 colleges with over 68 campuses. Programs offered include associate degrees, pre-baccalaureate education to transfer to a public 4-year institution; adult education, continuing and developmental...
). It also increased funding for free textbooks by more than $3 million and allocated another $2 million to vocational education. It allocated over $5 million to the state universities for new buildings and another $10.5 million to fund completion of the Albert B. Chandler Hospital
Albert B. Chandler Hospital
Opened in 1962, the Albert B. Chandler Hospital along Rose Street at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky is a component of the University of Kentucky Hospital , encompassed within the Chandler Medical Center. It is named for twice-former Governor of Kentucky A. B. "Happy" Chandler...
, a facility at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
named in honor of Combs' political foe. Because of his contributions to education, Combs was sometimes referred to as "the education governor".
The state's roads were in poor condition when Combs became governor. The Automotive Safety Foundation found that two-thirds of Kentucky's federal roads were below standards for existing traffic demands. It further found that twenty percent of the state's major city streets were inadequate, and another fifty-five percent would be soon due to increasing traffic. Half of the state's secondary roads were unfit for modern industrial traffic. To address these problems, Combs issued $100 million in bonds to increase funding for highways. Combs appointed Earle C. Clements as state highway commissioner to oversee the correction of the road issues. One of the new roads, the Mountain Parkway
Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway
The Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, commonly known as the Mountain Parkway, is a freeway in eastern Kentucky. The route runs fromInterstate 64 just east of Winchester southeast for 75.627 miles to a junction with U.S. Route 460 near Salyersville...
, which connected Combs' native Eastern Kentucky to Central Kentucky
Central Kentucky
Central Kentucky is sometimes considered the Central and Southern part of the Bluegrass region, the Far Upper Western Eastern Mountain Coal Fields, and the Far Upper Eastern Pennyroyal regions. Its major cities include Lexington and Frankfort. Lexington citizens, especially radio and TV stations...
, was later renamed the Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway in Combs' honor. Due to generous funding in Combs' budget, Kentucky finished its portions of the Interstate Highway System
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
much sooner than surrounding states such as Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Combs also won approval of a $10 million bond issue to benefit the state parks, which had poor lodging and few amenities. Combs combined the bond issue with $10 million in revenue bonds and effected major renovations at all 26 of the state's parks. Though his dreams of seeing privately owned tourist facilities spring up around the parks did not come to fruition, out-of-state tourism to Kentucky more than doubled during Combs' administration, accounting for about 60 percent of state park visitors and 53 percent of the overnight visitations to the parks. Journalist John Ed Pearce recounts that Kentucky natives began to complain that they could not get reservations in the parks during peak seasons and called for limitations on the number of out-of-state visitors or a reservation system that favored Kentuckians, although nothing ever came of these complaints.
Floral clock (Frankfort, Kentucky)
The floral clock in Frankfort, Kentucky is a landmark located behind the Kentucky State Capitol. Dedicated in May 1961 by Governor Bert T. Combs, the clock was constructed as a joint project between the state government and the Garden Club of Kentucky....
on the lawn of the state capitol
Kentucky State Capitol
The Kentucky State Capitol is located in Frankfort and is the house of the three branches of the state government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
. Combs had seen a similar clock in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland, and believed it would be a colorful addition to the capitol grounds. In a subsequent gubernatorial campaign, Happy Chandler mocked the clock, declaring "Well, they don't say it's half past 2 in Frankfort anymore. They say it's two petunia
Petunia
Petunia is a widely cultivated genus of flowering plants of South American origin, closely related with tobacco, cape gooseberries, tomatoes, deadly nightshades, potatoes and chili peppers; in the family Solanaceae. The popular flower derived its name from French, which took the word petun, meaning...
s past the jimson weed." Chandler's derision became the minority view in time, however; according to John Ed Pearce, the clock became one of the most talked-about and visited tourist attractions in the state and the most visited place in Frankfort.
Combs created a merit system
Merit system
The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections. It is the opposite of the spoils system.- History :...
for state government workers, ensuring that officials could not be hired or fired for political reasons. This provision attracted more well-qualified individuals to public service careers. Such careers were made even more attractive when, in 1962, the state courts declared that the constitutional limitation on the salaries of state employees could be interpreted to mean limited salaries adjusted for inflation. The new-found attractiveness of government jobs meant increased potential for corruption, and Combs, recognizing this, demanded that state employees stick strictly to the rules governing their offices. In one instance, Combs ordered a state audit of Carter County
Carter County, Kentucky
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1838 and was named for William Grayson Carter, a state senator at the time of its creation. The county seat is named for his uncle, Robert Grayson. As of 2000, the population was 26,889. Its county seat is Grayson,...
superintendent Heman McGuire, who was known to use his office for political gain. While Combs did not have the authority to remove McGuire directly, the audit showed McGuire's misappropriation of funds and abuse of power. The state school board investigated these findings and removed the county school board members from office; the replacement board members then ousted McGuire from office.
In 1961, a group of citizens from Newport, Kentucky
Newport, Kentucky
Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Metro Area which...
asked Combs for help in cracking down on crime in their city. Just across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
from Cincinnati, Newport had gained a reputation as a haven for prostitution, gambling, and illegal sales of alcohol. After receiving an affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
from the citizens, Combs sent agents from the department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to the city. They cited six bars for violating laws governing liquor sales, and instructed Attorney General
Attorney General of Kentucky
The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. . Under Kentucky law, he serves several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor , the state's chief law enforcement officer , and the state's chief law officer...
John B. Breckinridge
John B. Breckinridge
John Bayne Breckinridge was an American politician, a Democrat who served as Attorney General of Kentucky twice and also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky.-Early life:...
to prosecute four local officials for failure to enforce the laws. When allegations of civil rights violations in a related trial surfaced, U.S. Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
Robert Kennedy sent federal Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
officials to Newport, prompting the resignation of the sheriff and a circuit judge. Two other local officials were barred from office for four years.
Some of Combs' crackdowns on corruption were politically damaging, including the so-called "truck deal". In 1961, a news story broke that claimed the state was about to purchase some dump truck
Dump truck
A dump truck is a truck used for transporting loose material for construction. A typical dump truck is equipped with a hydraulically operated open-box bed hinged at the rear, the front of which can be lifted up to allow the contents to be deposited on the ground behind the truck at the site of...
s at a very favorable rate from one of Combs' former campaign officials. The deal was seen by some as a political payoff orchestrated by Highway Commissioner Clements. In the interest of preserving his reputation as an honest governor, Combs canceled the proposed deal. This angered Clements, who took Combs' action as a public rebuke. Clements did not immediately resign, but the incident caused a rift between him and Combs that never fully healed. Later, Clements did resign his post, ostensibly to work on the presidential campaign of his friend, Lyndon Johnson. Thereafter, he worked against Combs at every opportunity, even joining with Happy Chandler to ensure Wilson Wyatt's defeat in his 1962 race for the Senate, a reversal of his previous promise to support Wyatt.
Combs also formed the state's first Human Rights Commission and ordered the desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
of all public accommodations in Kentucky. The latter action was commended in a letter to Combs from President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. In 1961, Combs was awarded an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Kentucky, and on February 17, 1962, he received an award from Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is a U.S. based nonprofit organization founded in 1953. It is the largest community improvement organization in the United States, with approximately 589 affiliate organizations and more than 1,000 community organizations that participate in their programs.Keep America...
for his work on cleaning up Kentucky's highways, including securing passage of a bill requiring that auto junkyards near major roadways be screened from view by fences.
Among Combs' other accomplishments as governor were requiring voting machine
Voting machine
Voting machines are the total combination of mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic equipment , that is used to define ballots; to cast and count votes; to report or display election results; and to maintain and produce any audit trail information...
s in state elections and passage of a law making the assessment of state employees for political campaign funds a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
. At the end of his term, Combs backed Edward T. Breathitt
Edward T. Breathitt
Edward Thompson "Ned" Breathitt, Jr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. A member of one of the state's political families, he was the 51st Governor of Kentucky, serving from 1963 to 1967...
to succeed him as governor. Breathitt defeated Happy Chandler in the Democratic primary, then went on to defeat Republican Louie B. Nunn
Louie B. Nunn
Louie Broady Nunn was the 52nd governor of Kentucky. Elected in 1967, he was the first Republican elected to that office since Simeon Willis in 1943 and the last to hold it until the election of Ernie Fletcher in 2003....
in the general election. It was the only time in the 20th century that a Kentucky governor's selected successor won election.
Later political career
Following his term as governor, Combs returned to his legal practice. He was a charter member and chairman of the Eastern Kentucky Historical Society and a trustee at Campbellsville CollegeCampbellsville University
Campbellsville University, also known as CU, is a private university in Campbellsville, Kentucky, the seat of Taylor County. Founded as Russell Creek Academy, a Baptist institution, the university currently enrolls more than 3,000 students and is open to students of all denominations...
. In 1963, he was awarded the Joseph P. Kennedy International Award for "outstanding contributions and leadership in the field of mental retardations." He was named Kentucky's outstanding attorney in 1964, and in the spring of that year, he served as a visiting professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
. In 1965, he was inducted into the University of Kentucky's Hall of Distinguished Alumni.
On January 16, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
nominated him to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, replacing Shackelford Miller, Jr.
Shackelford Miller, Jr.
Shackelford Miller, Jr. was a United States federal judge.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Miller received an A.B. from Princeton University in 1914 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1917. He was in private practice in Louisville, Kentucky from 1919 to 1939.On February 16, 1939, Miller was...
The Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
confirmed
Advice and consent
Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch.-General:The expression is...
the nomination on April 5, 1967. He resigned the judgeship on June 5, 1970 to seek a second term as governor. In the Democratic primary, Combs lost to Wendell H. Ford
Wendell H. Ford
Wendell Hampton Ford is a retired politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He served for twenty-four years in the U.S. Senate and was the 53rd Governor of Kentucky. He was the first person to be successively elected lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. senator in Kentucky history...
, who had served as his chief administrative assistant during his gubernatorial term. Following this defeat, Combs joined the Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
law firm of Tarrant, Combs, and Bullitt (later Wyatt, Tarrant, and Combs). He resumed his representation of large coal companies, drawing the ire of author Harry M. Caudill
Harry M. Caudill
Harry M. Caudill was an American author, historian, lawyer, legislator, and environmentalist from Letcher County, in the coalfields of southeastern Kentucky.-Biography:...
, who asserted that Combs claimed to represent the powerless while actually representing the powerful.
Later life
After a five-year separation, Combs and his first wife, Mabel Hall, divorced on July 18, 1969. Forty-three days later, on August 30, 1969, he married Helen Clark Rechtin; this marriage ended in divorce on May 19, 1986. On December 30, 1988, he married his law assistant, Sara M. Walter.Combs eventually retired from politics, but maintained an office in Frankfort. He was active in the formation of the Rural Housing and Development Corporation and served on the Council on Higher Education
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education coordinates change and improvement in Kentucky’s postsecondary education system as directed by the...
. He also served on President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament.
Rose v. Council for Better Education
On October 3, 1984, the Council for Better Education asked Combs to represent it in a legal challenge to Kentucky's school financing system, which it claimed unfairly discriminated against poorer school systems in the state. Combs felt the lawsuit would be difficult to win and could cause retaliation against his other clients by state government officials. He needed this lawsuit "about like a hog needs a side saddle", he would later claim; nevertheless, he agreed to take the case if the Council could convince thirty to forty percent of the state's school boards to join it. The Council eventually persuaded 66 of the 177 school boards to join. Working pro bonoPro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
, Combs assembled a legal team that included Kern Alexander
Kern Alexander
Samuel Kern Alexander is Professor of Excellence at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where he is coordinator of the Leary Endowment and Editor of the Journal of Education Finance, published by the University of Illinois Press...
, a Kentucky native and education law expert who was named president of Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
in November 1985.
Combs first attempted to gain legislative concessions that might preclude the need for a lawsuit. Governor Martha Layne Collins
Martha Layne Collins
Martha Layne Collins is a politician from the US state of Kentucky. From 1983 to 1987 she was the 56th Governor of Kentucky, having served the previous four years as lieutenant governor. She was Kentucky's first and only female governor to date...
proposed an education reform agenda and called the legislature into special session in mid-1985 to consider it. The legislature enacted a corporate income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
to raise $300 million aimed at reducing class sizes, but the Council was seeking more fundamental structural changes to the system and deemed the increased funds insufficient to equalize its standing with the more affluent school districts. Dissatisfied with the results of the special session, Combs and the Council filed their suit, Rose v. Council for Better Education, on November 20, 1985. The governor, state superintendent, state treasurer, leaders of both houses of the state legislature, and every member of the state board of education were named as defendants in the case.
The defendants' request for a summary judgment
Summary judgment
In law, a summary judgment is a determination made by a court without a full trial. Such a judgment may be issued as to the merits of an entire case, or of specific issues in that case....
dismissing the case was not granted, and the trial began in Franklin
Franklin County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,687 people, 19,907 households, and 12,840 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 21,409 housing units at an average density of...
circuit court on August 4, 1987. During the trial, a new state superintendent was elected. The new superintendent, John Brock, announced that his office would drop its defense and side with the Council, a major blow to the defense. On May 31, 1988, Judge Ray Corns found in favor of the plaintiffs, declaring that the school finance system was "unconstitutional and discriminatory". Two days later, the defense announced that it would appeal the ruling to the Kentucky Supreme Court
Kentucky Supreme Court
The Kentucky Supreme Court was created by a 1975 constitutional amendment and is the state supreme court of the commonwealth of Kentucky. Prior to that the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky...
, but recently elected governor Wallace Wilkinson refused to join the appeal and supported Judge Corns' ruling.
Opening arguments in the appeal began December 7, 1988. The defense argued that the Council lacked standing to bring the suit; Combs rebuffed this argument and cited statistics that ranked Kentucky as the most illiterate state in the nation to show how inequitable financing had adversely affected the state's students. On June 8, 1989, the court handed down a 3–2 ruling declaring Kentucky's entire public school system unconstitutional and giving the General Assembly until the end of their next legislative session, which would convene in January 1990, to create a replacement. Of the ruling, Combs said "My clients asked for a thimble-full, and [instead] they got a bucket-full".
The court gave nine minimum standards required for a constitutional school system. In response to the court's ruling, the General Assembly passed the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act, which radically altered Kentucky's school system, providing mechanisms to equalize funding among school districts and implementing some of the toughest accountability standards in the United States. Of the legislature's actions, Combs opined "Kentucky has now, by reason of this legislation, decided to become educated—and we have embarked on a crusade for that purpose. Don't be surprised if we should within the next decade develop a first class, world-wide educational system."
Death and legacy
Combs left his law office during a flash floodFlash flood
A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas—washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a storm, hurricane, or tropical storm or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields...
in Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
about 5:30 pm on December 3, 1991. He was reported missing hours later, and the following day, he was found dead of hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
in the Red River
Red River (Kentucky)
The Red River is a tributary of the Kentucky River in east-central Kentucky in the United States. Via the Kentucky and Ohio rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed....
near Rosslyn, in Powell County
Powell County, Kentucky
Powell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population is 13,237. Its county seat is Stanton. The county was formed January 7, 1852, by Kentucky Governor Lazarus W. Powell...
. Combs was buried in the Beech Creek Cemetery in Manchester.
The Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway
Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway
The Bert T. Combs Mountain Parkway, commonly known as the Mountain Parkway, is a freeway in eastern Kentucky. The route runs fromInterstate 64 just east of Winchester southeast for 75.627 miles to a junction with U.S. Route 460 near Salyersville...
, which extends roughly eighty miles in Eastern Kentucky, was named in honor of the former governor. In addition, Bert T. Combs Lake, an artificial lake constructed in 1963 in Clay County
Clay County, Kentucky
- Demographics :As of the census of 2011, there were 21,000 people, 8,556 households, and 6,442 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile . There were 9,439 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
, is named for him. On April 20, 2007, two life-sized statues of Combs were dedicated—one in Stanton, Kentucky
Stanton, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,029 people, 1,222.5 households, and 856.6758 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,538.0 people per square mile . There were 1,340 housing units at an average density of 680.4 per square mile...
near the parkway that bears his name and another in the county courthouse in Prestonsburg. Combs' widow, Sara Walter Combs, became the first woman to serve on the Kentucky Supreme Court in 1993 and currently sits on the Kentucky Court of Appeals; where she was chief judge from 2004 to 2010, also a first for a woman. Combs' daughter, Lois (Combs) Weinberg, unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
for his Senate seat in 2002
United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2002
The 2002 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell won re-election to a fourth term.-Candidates:...
.