Textiles and politics were the two major motivating forces in the life of B. Everett Jordan. Whether as a mill executive or a U.S. senator, whether in Saxapahaw, N.C., or Washington D.C., he had to choose between private gain and common good, easy deception and painful truth, personal expediency and the public interest.

As a conservative and practical businessman, Jordan relentlessly pared costs and stressed profit growth. In this way, the poor son of a Methodist minister became a multimillionaire.

Author Ben F. Bulla traces the career of a strong and intriguing personality who made major contributions to the textile industry as well as to his state and the nation.