Sometimes referred to as "The Congressman from Kensett," Wilbur D. Mills rose from humble beginnings in his rural White County, Arkansas community to prominence in the United States Congress, where he ultimately presided over the powerful House Ways and Means Committee for 18 years-longer than anyone in Congressional history. With a blend of high intelligence, hard work, and deep respect for each individual, he increasingly influenced the presidencies of Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. Goss describes Mills' pivotal role in legislative efforts that still affect Americans today: creating Medicare, revising and reforming the tax code, and striving for a balanced budget, zero deficits, and paying off the notional debt. He eventually fell prey to alcoholism, tumbling from his pinnacle of power. Then he worked hard to obtain sobriety, spending his final seventeen years practicing low, raising funds for treatment programs, and counseling individual alcoholics.