Republicans to vote for him. In 1974, the Democrats nominated state Representative Harold Ford, a young member of a prominent black funeral-directing family in Memphis whose political involvement dated to the days of E. H. Crump. Ford staged a tremendous get-out-the-vote campaign in the Memphis black community. He also received the support of many whites angered by Kuykendall's continued support of Nixon in the midst of Watergate. On election night, it looked like Kuykendall had managed to hold onto the seat by a razor-thin margin. However, Ford's supporters found eight ballot boxes purported to have been in the dumpster of the then all-white Shelby County Election Commission. When those ballots were counted, it was enough for Ford to unseat Kuykendall by only 744 votes—one of the closest races of the 1974 cycle. Since then, Republicans have never come close to retaking the Memphis-area district. The district was renumbered the 9th District again in the 1980s round of redistricting, as Tennessee regained a House seat due to its population now growing at a rate above, rather than below, the national average. At that time, it was drawn as a majority-black district, and Republicans have lost interest in the seat. Post-House career As is the case with many former members of Congress, Kuykendall stayed in the Washington, D.C. area and lived for many years in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2002, Kuykendall returned to the region and lived in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis. Kuykendall died on June 12, 2008 after a long illness at age 83. Electoral history References External links 1924 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians People from Germantown, Tennessee People from San Saba County, Texas Politicians from Memphis, Tennessee Procter & Gamble people Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Texas A&M University alumni United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II Military personnel from Texas