Bert T. Combs was governor of Kentucky from 1959 to 1963, but his impact on the Commonwealth continues to be felt. The state sales tax, toll road expansion, and extensive aid to public education are only a few examples of the enduring significance of his administration. This is the story of Combs's political life as remembered by him and by some sixty others who shared with him parts of that experience. Based on a two-year oral history project, this study shows how Combs emerged from an Eastern Kentucky background to become an outstanding jurist and a progressive political force in Kentucky.

Not merely a recitation of Combs's achievements, this book reveals dramatically the processes by which many of them were accomplished. Describing political maneuvering, patterns of compromise, and inside stories behind important decisions, the interviewees add an otherwise missing flavor to the Combs story. This book will be attractive to political practitioners as well as to students of Kentucky history and appreciators of oral history.