Did Eisenhower really Appoint all Knox County TN Federal Employees

My father always told me that following WWII that Eisenhower felt that the Knoxville, Tennessee area was important enough to see that all Federal Jobs were held by loyal Republicans. His example was C. Edwin Graves, who had been appointed to the job of Reginal Postmaster after only having been a Clerk at Sears Roebuck. I am sure that most people agree that Knoxville and surrounding area are rooted deeply in Republican politics. Was it always that way?