William D. Mounger's story may cause some to wonder—could this all really be true?Mounger's tale offers exclusive peeks into the grass-roots business, political, and cultural development of Mississippi and beyond. Using the lens of his life, Mounger offers historical and political stories that will entertain and enlighten.
He was a high-school brawler and football star; a West Point graduate, a B-50 pilot, an atom bomb commander; an oil-rig bug scrubber in Louisiana swamps turned oil tycoon and entrepreneur; a maker of United States congressmen and senators; a friend and funder of United States presidents; a promoter of ballet and other arts; a man of faith, many friends, and—yes—select enemies.
Readers go behind the scenes of the Nixon staff that created Watergate, of Governor Bill Allain's and Congressmen Jon Hinson's imbroglios, and of Ronald Reagan's rise to power. They learn how Mounger helped guide a young Thad Cochran to office, and how the state GOP unsurped the Democratic stronghold in-state, ultimately fighting its own internal battles.
Special attention is given to the deviant 1976 GOP national convention that thrust Mounger and Reagan into the national spotlight. Fresh light is shed on Mississippi's early oil boom and the state's post-Depression economic explosion, which Mounger's father, as much as anyone, helped lead.
First and foremost, this biographical tale is enjoyable and readable, with characters and conflict epitomizing a life lived uncompromisingly and to the fullest.
