Pappy O'Daniel

Wilbert Lee O'Daniel is the only man to ever beat Lyndon Johnson in a general election.
Wow! He must have been a shrewd career politician.
Actually, he sold biscuits for a living.

O'Daniel was born in Ohio but grew up in Kansas. He moved to Fort Worth, TX in 1925 when he took a job at the Burrus Mills Flour Company. Eventually, he took over the radio advertising department for the company where he showed off his musical talents. For ten years, O'Daniel entertained the masses at 12:30 sharp singing the virtues of flour and the Bible. His catchphrase, "pass the biscuits, Pappy," earned him his famous nickname.

In 1938, Pappy ran for governor and won. In 1941, he ran against a young up and comer named Lyndon Johnson for Senate and won again. From there, things got tricky for Pappy. He was a rather ineffective Senator, opposed FDR pretty much every chance he got, didn't run for re-election in 1948, and lost two bids to regain the governorship of Texas. Still not a bad run for a radio personality.