All Topics  
Kentucky colonel

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Kentucky colonel



 
 
Kentucky Colonel is an honorary title bestowed upon individuals by approval of the governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky

The Governor of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of the U.S. state of Kentucky, and serves as Commander-in-Chief of the state's army, navy, and militia forces....
. It is not a military rank
Military rank

Military rank is a system of hierarchy relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms....
, requires no duties, and carries with it no pay or compensation other than membership in the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Award of the title requires nomination from an existing colonel. Nominators are expected to consider the nominee's service and contributions to the global community before making a nomination.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Kentucky colonel'
Start a new discussion about 'Kentucky colonel'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Recent Posts









Encyclopedia


Kentucky Colonel is an honorary title bestowed upon individuals by approval of the governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky

The Governor of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of the U.S. state of Kentucky, and serves as Commander-in-Chief of the state's army, navy, and militia forces....
. It is not a military rank
Military rank

Military rank is a system of hierarchy relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms....
, requires no duties, and carries with it no pay or compensation other than membership in the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Award of the title requires nomination from an existing colonel. Nominators are expected to consider the nominee's service and contributions to the global community before making a nomination. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. The sitting governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky bestows the honor of a Colonel's Commission
Commission

Commission may refer to:* Commission , a form of payment to an agent for services rendered* Ship commissioning, placing a warship in active military duty...
, by issuance of a certificate.

History

The title Kentucky colonel has been around since 1813. When the Kentucky Militia was deactivated following the War of 1812
War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
, Governor Isaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby

Isaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky of the U.S. state of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina....
 commissioned Charles S. Todd, one of his officers in the campaign, as an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp

An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state....
 on the Governor's Staff with the rank and grade of Colonel
Colonel

Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures....
. Todd married Shelby's youngest daughter two years later.

Early colonels actually served military roles. In the latter part of the 1800s, the position took on a more ceremonial function. Colonels in uniform attended functions at the Governor's mansion and stood as symbolic guards at state events. By the late 1800s, the title had become more of an honorary
Honorary title

Honorary title may refer to:*Honorary title , primarily exists in some universities and colleges in the United States and Canada*Title of honor, as an award in recognition of their merits...
 one.

Good works

After a person receives a commission
Commission

Commission may refer to:* Commission , a form of payment to an agent for services rendered* Ship commissioning, placing a warship in active military duty...
 they are invited to join the "The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels". This organization is an independent, non-profit corporation. The mission of this organization is to raise money to support needy charities, educational efforts, and other works that will help all citizens of Kentucky
Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
. The organization's good works do not stop at the borders of the Commonwealth. Recently the organization supported Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest Atlantic hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States....
 relief efforts, partnering with another organization and contributing $25,000.

A particularly embarrassing incident for the order occurred in the early 1980s when Kentucky journalist Steven Loftus submitted a nomination to the order for his friend's dog Waldo. When Waldo Wecker was accepted into the order, the story received nationwide attention and became a source of amusement on national shows such as Good Morning America
Good Morning America

Good Morning America is an Daytime Emmy Awards breakfast television talk show that is broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company television network, debuting on November 3, 1975....
 and Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an United States radio Presenter for the American Broadcasting Company Radio Networks....
's radio program. Governor John Y. Brown, Jr.
John Y. Brown, Jr.

John Young Brown Jr. is a U.S. Democratic Party politician, entrepreneur and businessman.John Y. Brown Jr. was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His father, John Y....
, who signed the document granting the honor, received particular ridicule. Both Waldo and Loftus were stripped of the title.

Notable colonels

Some of the more famous recipients include:
  • Muhammed Ali, professional boxer
  • Fred Astaire
    Fred Astaire

    Fred Astaire was an United States Academy Award-winning film and Broadway theatre dance, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of seventy-six years, during which he made thirty-one musical films....
    , entertainer
  • Omar Bradley
    Omar Bradley

    Omar Nelson Bradley Knight Commander of the Bath was one of the main United States Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during World War II and a General of the Army in the United States Army....
    , General of the Army (United States)
    General of the Army (United States)

    General of the Army is a 5 star rank general officer and is presently considered the highest possible rank in the United States Army. A special grade of General of the Armies, which ranks above General of the Army, does exist but has only been confirmed twice in the history of the Army....
  • Eddie Cantor
    Eddie Cantor

    Eddie Cantor was an United States comedian, singer, actor, and songwriter. Familiar to Broadway theatre, radio and early television audiences, this "Apostle of Pep" was regarded almost as a family member by millions because his top-rated radio shows revealed intimate stories and amusing anecdotes about his wife Ida and five children....
    , entertainer
  • Winston Churchill
    Winston Churchill

    Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...
    , prime minister of the United Kingdom
    Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

    The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom and the head of government Her Majesty's Government....
  • Bill Clinton
    Bill Clinton

    William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
    , U.S. president
    President of the United States

    The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
  • Joan Crawford
    Joan Crawford

    Joan Crawford After an absence of nearly two years from the screen, Crawford staged a comeback by starring in Mildred Pierce , for which she won the Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Actress....
    , actress
  • Stephen Foster
    Stephen Foster

    Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music," was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century. His songs, such as "Oh! Susanna", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home" , "My Old Kentucky Home", "Old Black Joe", and "Beautiful Dreamer" remain popular over 150 years after their composition....
    , composer (awarded posthumously)
  • Clark Gable
    Clark Gable

    Clark Gable was an Cinema of the United States, nicknamed "The King of Hollywood" in his heyday. In , the American Film Institute named Gable seventh among the AFI's 100 Years......
    , actor
  • John Glenn
    John Glenn

    John Herschel Glenn Jr. is a former astronaut who became the third person and first American to orbit the Earth, and later, United States Senate....
    , astronaut, U.S. senator
  • Bob Hope
    Bob Hope

    Bob Hope, Order of the British Empire, Order of St. Gregory the Great , was an British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway theatre, and in radio, television and movies....
    , entertainer
  • Pope John Paul II
    Pope John Paul II

    Pope John Paul II John Paul II is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. He has been Pope_John_Paul_II#Role_in_the_fall_of_Communism in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and A...
  • Lyndon B. Johnson
    Lyndon B. Johnson

    Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States ....
    , U.S. president
    President of the United States

    The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
  • Ashley Judd
    Ashley Judd

    Ashley Judd is a Golden Globe-nominated United Statesn actress, well known for playing a number of strong women characters in films such as Kiss the Girls , Double Jeopardy and High Crimes....
    , actress, activist
  • Gene Markey
    Gene Markey

    Eugene "Gene" Lawrence Markey, Jr. was an American author, producer, screenwriter, and highly decorated naval officer....
    , Hollywood screenwriter, producer, author, and U.S. Navy officer
  • Irving Mills
    Irving Mills

    Irving Mills was a jazz Music publisher , also known by the name of Joe Primrose.Mills was born in New York City. He founded Mills Music with his brother Jack in 1919....
    , jazz music publisher
  • Will Rogers
    Will Rogers

    William Penn Adair ?Will? Rogers was a Cherokee-United States cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentary, vaudeville performer and actor. He was the father of U.S....
    , humorist
  • Harland Sanders
    Colonel Sanders

    Harland David Sanders, better known as Colonel Sanders , was an American entrepreneur who founded KFC . His image is omnipresent in the chain's advertising and packaging, and his name is sometimes used as a synonym for the KFC product or restaurant itself....
    , founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken
    KFC

    KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. KFC was a wholly owned subsidiary of YUM! Brands from 1997?2002, and has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Yum! Brands since 2002....
     (often referred to simply as "The Colonel")
  • Dave Thomas
    Dave Thomas (American businessman)

    David "Dave" Thomas was an American restaurant owner and philanthropist. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers....
    , founder of Wendy's
    Wendy's

    Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers is an international Chain store of fast food restaurants founded by Dave Thomas & John T. Schuessler on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio....
     restaurant chain
  • Hunter S. Thompson
    Hunter S. Thompson

    Hunter Stockton Thompson was an United States journalist and author, most famous for his novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas . He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of journalism where reporters involve themselves in the action to such a degree that they become central figures of their stories....
    , author
  • Mae West
    Mae West

    Mae West was an United States actor, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol.Known for her bawdy double entendres, West made a name for herself in Vaudeville and on the theatre in New York City before moving to Hollywood to become a comedienne, actress and writer in the film industry....
    , actress and playwright


Bibliography

  • Carl Edwin Lindgren. Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (February/March 2001). Il Mondo del Cavaliere, Vol. I, No. 1, p. 14. ISSN 1592 1425.


External links