Uploaded July 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Southern Illinois lost one of its most colorful characters, and most prolific producers of "pork," with the death of retired U.S. Congressman Ken Gray. Gray, 89, died at 11 p.m. Saturday at Herrin Hospital, surrounded by his family. Gray earned the title "Prince of Pork" for his aptitude for pork barrel politics; that is, appropriating federal money for projects and programs that benefited the constituents in his district. During his 24 years in Congress, Gray delivered $7 billion for regional projects like Interstates 57, 24 and 64, which prompted millions of dollars of development in the region; a canalization project for the Kaskaskia River that opened up the region for barge traffic, and the creation of the man-made Rend Lake, which provides drinking water for dozens of communities and is one of the region's top tourist destinations. Full story from the Southern Illinoisan: ow.ly/z7U8G
Video courtesy of WSIL-TV and C-SPAN
Southern Illinois lost one of its most colorful characters, and most prolific producers of "pork," with the death of retired U.S. Congressman Ken Gray. Gray, 89, died at 11 p.m. Saturday at Herrin Hospital, surrounded by his family. Gray earned the title "Prince of Pork" for his aptitude for pork barrel politics; that is, appropriating federal money for projects and programs that benefited the constituents in his district. During his 24 years in Congress, Gray delivered $7 billion for regional projects like Interstates 57, 24 and 64, which prompted millions of dollars of development in the region; a canalization project for the Kaskaskia River that opened up the region for barge traffic, and the creation of the man-made Rend Lake, which provides drinking water for dozens of communities and is one of the region's top tourist destinations. Full story from the Southern Illinoisan: ow.ly/z7U8G
Video courtesy of WSIL-TV and C-SPAN
