31. George W. Norris
All but forgotten in American history books, George W. Norris was born in Ohio, practiced law in Nebraska, and was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1902. In 1912 he was elected to the Senate as a Progressive Republican. Norris’s influence on American life remains in place due to his sponsorship of the act which created the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933, and the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. The Tennessee Valley Authority was the model for the modernization of America’s agricultural regions. Norris Dam, Norris Freeway and the planned community of Norris, Tennessee were all named for the Senator.