Posted on 08/31/2008 6:32:21 PM PDT by Oklahoma
By Tony Thornton Staff Writer MUSKOGEE — The John McCain biographies are replete with information about his paternal grandfather, a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.
His maternal grandfather, Archibald Wright? Not so much. Nancy Calhoun thinks she knows why. "This is one skeleton that the McCains probably wish would stay in the closet,” said Calhoun, who is director of genealogy and local history at the Muskogee Public Library.
Wright spent more than two decades in Muskogee. His twin daughters, including McCain's mother, Roberta Wright McCain, grew up in a three-story home that still stands at 1027 W Martin Luther King (then known as Fon-du-Lac).
Even in a town filled with colorful characters, Wright stood out.
He was, at various times, a bootlegger, oil wildcatter and operator of a gambling house. His antics frequently landed him in jail, but Wright never seemed to lack bail money.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsok.com ...
Man! Wait until the Obammie camp and Andrea Mitchell gets a hold of this “skeleton.” McCain is toast! ROTFL!
Read that this morning and enjoyed the article. I had a high school English teacher whose father had been a bootlegger during prohibition. On of my friend’s grandparents had bought liquor from him.
Well illegal liquor didn’t hurt the Kennedy(rum runner) family!
If he can play piano, or preach, I've got a spot for him.
Seriously, I have to wonder about the left, going that far back, and finding only good things that they spin as bad things.
THE GUY WASN'T on WELFARE!
And provided needed community services. Sounds like Grandpa Fred.
/johnny
My dad peddled “moonshine” in South Dakota in the mid 20’s when he was 8, he and his brothers stole it from the local bootlegger.
What was a that song “well I’m proud to be an Okie from muskogee”?
Oh Yeah some guy named Merle wrote it....
We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee;
We don’t take our trips on LSD
We don’t burn our draft cards down on Main Street;
We like livin’ right, and bein’ free.
I’m proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,
A place where even squares can have a ball
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
And white lightnin’s still the biggest thrill of all
We don’t make a party out of lovin’;
We like holdin’ hands and pitchin’ woo;
We don’t let our hair grow long and shaggy,
Like the hippies out in San Francisco do.
And I’m proud to be an Okie from Muskogee,
A place where even squares can have a ball.
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
And white lightnin’s still the biggest thrill of all.
Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear;
Beads and Roman sandals won’t be seen.
Football’s still the roughest thing on campus,
And the kids here still respect the college dean.
We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,
In Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA.
Merle Haggard that was the name of the guy....
Add Dukes of Hazzard fans to the list of McCain supporters now. Good Job!
I wouldn’t call him a thug. He was a man of his times. LOL
From the same webpage: “Bill Price, a co-chairman of McCain’s Oklahoma campaign, thinks news of Roberta Wright McCain’s Muskogee roots can only help her son in Oklahoma. Price said he was unaware of the candidate’s grandfather’s colorful past.
“That is interesting,” Price said. He also thinks the mother’s longevity — she’s still vibrant and an active part of her son’s campaign at age 96 — will ease concerns about her son’s age and health, and his ability to serve one full term, let alone two.
Price said he learned of Roberta Wright McCain’s local ties when he was asked a few months ago to help defend a lawsuit questioning whether McCain is qualified to become president because he was born in the Panama Canal Zone.
Price was designated as attorney for the candidate’s mother, a prerequisite for obtaining her Oklahoma birth certificate. Price said he and the candidate shared a laugh when he told the story during McCain’s April fundraising trip to Oklahoma City.”
Well, something good did come out of Muskogee after all. My worthless brother-in-law (If you know him he probably owes you money) was also born there. The family claim is they were on the way from Dallas to Tulsa when my mother-in-law went into labor.
I oughtta know. Fraternity Row on the Oklahoma A&M campus relied on me.
“After a grand jury indicted him on 128 bootlegging counts in 1910, Wright paid a $12,750 cash bond, The Oklahoman reported. That amount would be worth more than $280,000 today.”
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Hee! Hee! So Roberta’s dad was quite the character. And my father’s father wore grey in WWII. Stop the presses.
Okay, McCain’s grandfather wasn’t a thug. He was a character. But I was half right.
Damn - I like Grandpa Archibald already! Tell me more. Sounds like an entrepreneur, good old boy and all around hell-raiser!
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