November 6, 1793, Native Americans, under the leadership of Chief Little Turtle, attacked Major John Adair and about 100 Kentucky Militia near Ft. Saint Clair in Ohio. After a gallant fight, Adair retreated with six men killed and five wounded. They did, however, secure their camping equipment and 140 packed horses.
November 6, 1860, Republican Abraham Lincoln defeated Kentuckian and Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell for the U.S. Presidency. The split between Northern and Southern Democrats over slavery secured the election for Lincoln. Months following Lincoln’s election and before his inauguration in March 1861, seven Southern states, led by South Carolina, succeeded. Lincoln’s election did not entirely cause the Civil War. Still, the election was one of the primary reasons the war broke out the following year. Lincoln captured slightly less than 40% of the national vote. He won a majority in the Electoral College, with 180 electoral votes. Bell won Kentucky’s 12 electoral college votes by winning 66,058 (45.2%) of the popular vote: Breckinridge 53,143 (36.3%), Douglas 25,651 (17.5%), and Lincoln 1,364 (.9%).
November 6, 1861, the U.S. federal district court in Frankfort indicted John C. Breckinridge for treason for enlisting in the Confederate Army days earlier.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Bardstown native John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham, Kentucky’s 35th governor, born in 1869. He also served as the U.S. Senator for Kentucky. He was the state’s 1st popularly elected senator following passage of the 17th Amendment. Democrat William Goebel reluctantly chose Beckham as his running mate in the gubernatorial election of 1899 despite the fact Beckham just turned 30, the minimum age for running. Beckham became governor three months after the election.
November 6, 1897, the Central University (EKU) football team shutout the Kentucky State College Blue and White football team (UK), 0-18.
November 6, 1915, the Kentucky Wildcats shutout the Louisville Cardinals for the 4th consecutive time in the 4th Governor’s Cup. They played the game at Eclipse Park in Louisville.
November 6, 1920, Sheriff Richard Scott Hunter, Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, died from a gunshot as he and a deputy attempted to arrest a man for cutting his wife’s throat.
November 6, 1928, Deputy Sheriff James Owens of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department, died from a gunshot after breaking up a fight between two juveniles at a local school, while keeping the peace during an election.
On November 6, 1930, three women, including Covington’s Blonde Bandit, escaped from The State Reformatory in Frankfort after a visit to the prison hospital. During the night, they made their way to the weaving room and made a rope to get to the first floor. From there, they used a large plant to scale the walls. They got caught in a shoeless and worn-out Owen County barn 20 miles away. One inmate said she would be on the other side of Cincy if she had been so devoted to her friends.
November 6, 1934, Deputy Sheriff John Wooton, Leslie County Sheriff’s Office, died after an election dispute near Big Creek. Despite being mortally wounded, Deputy Wooton returned fire and fatally wounded the suspect.
November 6, 1937, Chief of Police Lewis Marshall, Salyersville Police Department, died inside the Magoffin County Jail while placing a prisoner inside a cell. Chief Marshall had just arrested the man for being drunk in public and walked him two blocks to the county jail without searching him. As the man was being placed into the cell he produced a pistol and opened fire on Chief Marshall.
November 6, 1950, Army PVT Howard D. Cook from Boyle County and Army CPL Kenneth G. Grider from Russell County both died fighting in the Korean War.
November 6, 1952, Army PVT Dwaine Hall from Knott County and Army PFC Henry Scott from Harlan County both died fighting in the Korean War.
October 6, 1965, Army SGT Miles H. Loper from Knox County died fighting in the Vietnam War.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Elizabethtown native Kelly Rutherford, born in 1968. Kelly is known for her roles as Lily van der Woodsen on the CW series Gossip Girl and Megan Lewis on FOX’s Melrose Place. She also played Sam Whitmore on the Soap Opera Generations.
October 6, 1970, Army SP4 Lonnie D. Fields from Upton in Hardin County died fighting in the Vietnam War.
November 6, 1978, Patrolman Kenneth R. Nally, Jefferson County Police Department, succumbed to injuries received in a motorcycle accident two days earlier while escorting a high school football team to a game. During the drive another vehicle pulled out in front of him, causing a collision.
November 6, 1979, Democratic nominee John Y. Brown Jr. defeated Republican nominee ex-Governor Louie Nunn with 59.41% of the vote to become the 55th governor. Nunn, the 52nd governor, tried to get his old job back.
On November 6, 1980, ex-Governor J.Carroll went before a grand jury in Lexington for government corruption. The investigation started 1.5 years earlier. The state had already talked to Carroll’s family, business & government associates. It centered around insurance companies, state contracts, and how much they “tipped” legislators.
On November 6, 1985, as the Dow Jones average topped 1,400 for the first time, Central Kentucky began a 13-day thoroughbred sale in three locations. The marathon event brought a strong international contingent of buyers. Meanwhile, Breeders’ Cup winners arrived nearby to start stud duties. Cozzene went to Gainesway, and Chief’s Crown went to Three Chimneys.
On November 6, 1990, Mitch McConnell won by 40,000 votes, the smallest margin of votes of any of the 13 Republican U.S. senators who won new terms. Rep. Perkins sneaked in by 1,953 votes in the 7th district and won by the smallest margin of any House Democrat.
November 6, 1993, the 10th Breeders’ Cup saw the biggest payout in its history, $269.60 for a $2 win bet in the Classic.
On November 6, 1997, while President Bush campaigned for his Iraq War with threats, corporate America messed with the working man when Columbia Gas announced they would report late paying customers to the credit bureaus. The implicit threat they mailed to each customer explained the details.
November 6, 1999, the 16th Breeders’ Cup expanded to eight races with $13 million up for grabs. The newest addition was the Filly & Mare Turf, run at 1 3/8 miles for females, three-years-old and older. The favorite won the 1st edition in a 14-horse field.
November 6, 2005, an F3 Tornado cutting a 41-mile swath cut right through Ellis Park. Three of the horses stabled at the park died that day, but many sustained severe injuries. The terrace grandstand crumbled to the ground and nine of the 39 barns collapsed. A farmer discovered several racehorses wandering in the Ohio River bottoms days after the storm.
November 6, 2007, incumbent Governor E. Fletcher lost reelection for a 2nd term, instead Steve Beshear became Kentucky’s 61st governor.
November 6, 2008, a Georgetown man accused of leaving his wheelchair-dependent sister’s mummified body in his car trunk pleaded not guilty to a felony. Officials thought he kept the body in an apartment for two years.
Friday, November 6, 2009, for the 1st time, the Breeders’ Cup returned to the same racetrack in consecutive years as Santa Anita hosted the 26th edition. John Shirreffs repeated in the Ladies’ Classic, this time with the 4-year-old filly Life is Sweet. Saturday’s card would spotlight his undefeated Zenyatta going in the Classic.
Saturday, November 6, 2010, Breeders’ Cup promoted the 27th edition as The Quest for Perfection. Undefeated Zenyatta came up just short of Blame to close out her brilliant career with a perfect 20 for 20 with a 2nd victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.
November 6, 2014, Jerry Abramson resigned as lieutenant governor to take an appointed position with the federal government. Prior to Lt. Gov., Abramson served as Louisville’s longest-serving mayor (21 yrs) and many locals referred to him as “mayor for life.”
November 6, 2015, Senior Patrol Officer Daniel Neil Ellis, Richmond Police Department, died two days after being shot while apprehending an armed robbery suspect at an apartment in the 500 block of Ballard Drive.
On November 6, 2018, the 6th congressional district sent Andy Barr back over Amy McGrath and John Yarmuth won the 3rd easily. The Democrats recaptured the U.S. House, but the GOP remained the Senate majority. Mitch warned the newly elected House members not to mess with Trump; they did not listen. In Kentucky, mass teacher protests triggered by Bevin’s pension proposal did not energize the Donkeys, who only picked up two seats in Kentucky’s house, enabling Elephants to maintain a supermajority.
November 6, 2022, as election day got closer, the Kentucky Democratic Party sent $1.9 million to other states to influence their elections; everyone knew the Republicans would hold their supermajority in Frankfort. Meanwhile, we also learned more than 600 companies spent $7.5 million to influence the executive branch, with AT&T splurging the most.