Luke Lea was an attorney and Democratic United States Senator from the state of Tennessee. He was also the first editor and publisher of The Tennessean and a leading proponent of prohibition.
Lea's political career and work with The Tennessean went hand in hand with that of Fannie Moran Ezzell and her husband, Jim Ezzell.
Fannie served as Tennessee's legislative chairman for the American Women's Suffrage Association during ratification of the 19th amendment. Later she was asked to join the Democratic National Committee and became Tennessee's first woman to hold a position with the DNC. In addition, she worked at the Nashville Banner as the society editor. Fannie belonged to the Centennial Club, the Ladies Hermitage Association, Belmont Magazine Club and the Campbell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Jim had been a member of the agricultural committee of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce for many years and also the Cumberland Valley Association. His obituary in The Tennessean, June 23 1941, says "He was a potent force in the political organizations of the county and state, although he stood for public office only once." I think the list of honorary pallbearers attests to his place within the political community of Nashville: Albert Houston Roberts (Gov. of TN 1919-1921), George Armistead Sr. (Editor in Chief, Nashville Banner), Judge Colin P. McKinney, Attorney Miller Manier, C. C. Flannery (Agriculture Commissioner), Judge Litton Hickman, Judge Finis Garrett of Washington DC to name a few.
It wasn't surprising to find a Christmas card from Mr. and Mrs. Luke Lea to Mr. and Mrs. James B. Ezzell.
