There was a Kentucky politician in my youth who served as Vice President under Harry Truman. He was given the name, Veep instead of the more cumbersome Mr. Vice President.

Alben W. Barkley served in many offices over the years and one day in the early 50’s while visiting with my grand parents in Lebanon, Ky he passed through town making a political speech.

Barkley was regarded as a completely honest politician but had his differences with Republicans and other Democrats as well. He ran against Adlai Stevenson and A.B. “Happy” Chandler for governor. Back in those days, politicians vied against each other just as they do today but without the display of personal rancor that seems to prevail now.

In April 1956, Barkley was at a political meeting seated in the rear with freshmen congressmen and when his turn to speak arrived, he noted, in referring to Psalm 84:10, “I’m glad to sit on the back row for I had rather be a servant in the house of the Lord than to sit in the seats of the mighty.” Those were his last words spoken publicly as he collapsed on stage and died of a heart attack, aged 78. 

He was buried in Paducah, Kentucky, a city I visited several times with my father on government business trips and on my own business trips years later.

Barkley was a lay preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church.