"John J. Williams (1904-88), a chicken-feed dealer from Sussex County, Delaware, had no previous political experience when he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican in 1946. To the amazement of Washington insiders, Williams emerged as an important advocate for fiscal probity and integrity in government.".

"Williams had deep roots in Sussex Country, the most southern, most rural, and most socially conservative part of Delaware. The book examines Williams's involvement in the country's poultry industry from its beginnings during the 1920s through the turbulent World War II years when Sussex poultry producers tangled with federal government officials from the Office of Price Administration and the U.S. Army.

The war years coincided with the maturation of poultry production in Sussex that brought the county's people into more complex and wide-ranging economic, social, and political interactions. It was in reaction to these events that John Williams decided to run for the U.S. Senate."--BOOK JACKET.