List of Governors of Arkansas

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Number of Governors of Arkansas by party affiliation
Party Governors
Democratic 48
Republican 7

The following is a list of the Governors of the State of Arkansas and Arkansas Territory. The Governor of Arkansas is the chief executive of the state and commander-in-chief of its military forces.

The first state constitution, ratified in 1836, established four-year terms for governors. Term lengths changed several times: the second, secessionist constitution of 1860 lowered them to two years; the third, Reconstruction-era constitution of 1868 raised them back to four years, and the fifth constitution in 1874 lowered them again to two years.[A] Amendment 63 to the Arkansas Constitution, passed in 1984, increased the terms of both governor and lieutenant governor to four years.[B] A referendum in 1992 limited the governor to two terms.[C]

Until 1925, should the office of governor be rendered empty through death, resignation, removal, or other disability, the president of the state senate would act as governor, until such time as a new governor were elected or the disability removed, or the acting governor's senate term expired. This led to some situations where the governorship changed hands in quick succession, due to senate terms ending or new presidents of the senate being elected. For example, William Kavanaugh Oldham served only six days in 1913 before he was replaced as president of the senate. Should the president of the senate be similarly incapacitated, the next in line for the governorship was the speaker of the state house of representatives.

Amendment 6 to the state constitution, passed in 1914 but not recognized until 1925, created the office of lieutenant governor, to be elected at the same time as governor for the same term. In case of removal of the governor, the lieutenant governor now became acting governor.

The current governor is Mike Beebe, who took office on January 9, 2007; his first term will expire in January 2011.

Contents

[edit] Governors

Arkansas was part of the Louisiana Purchase, bought by the United States from France in 1803. The initial military district was commanded by Amos Stoddard. The purchase was split in 1804 into Orleans Territory and the District of Louisiana, which was placed under the jurisdiction of Indiana Territory. In 1805, the district was organized into Louisiana Territory, and renamed Missouri Territory in 1812, to avoid confusion with the new state of Louisiana. Arkansas Territory (named Arkansaw Territory until around 1822[1]) was formed in 1819 and changed twice, both times losing land to be unorganized territory, and was admitted as a state in 1836. See the lists of governors of Indiana (1804-1805) and Missouri (1805-1819) for these periods.

[edit] Governors of Arkansas Territory

Arkansaw Territory was split from Missouri Territory on July 4, 1819.

As secretary of the territory from 1819 to 1829, Robert Crittenden served as acting governor whenever the appointed governor was not in the state. This meant he was in fact the first person to be governor of Arkansas Territory, since James Miller did not arrive in the territory until nine months after his appointment. Similarly, after George Izard was appointed governor, he did not arrive in the territory for nearly two months, during which Crittenden was again acting governor. He also acted as governor during the times when the territory had no appointed governor.

# Picture Name Took office Left office Party Appointed by Notes
1 James Miller March 3, 1819 December 27, 1824 None James Monroe [2][3]
2 George Izard March 4, 1825 November 22, 1828 None James Monroe [4][5]
John Quincy Adams
3 John Pope March 9, 1829[H] March 9, 1835 Democratic Andrew Jackson [6][7]
4 William Savin Fulton March 9, 1835 June 15, 1836 Democratic Andrew Jackson [8]

[edit] Governors of Arkansas

James Sevier Conway, first Governor of Arkansas
James Sevier Conway, first Governor of Arkansas
Augustus Hill Garland, 11th Governor of Arkansas, and 39th U.S. Attorney General
Augustus Hill Garland, 11th Governor of Arkansas, and 39th U.S. Attorney General
Sid McMath, 34th Governor of Arkansas
Sid McMath, 34th Governor of Arkansas
Dale Bumpers, 38th Governor of Arkansas
Dale Bumpers, 38th Governor of Arkansas
Bill Clinton, 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas, and 42nd President of the United States
Bill Clinton, 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas, and 42nd President of the United States
Mike Huckabee, 44th Governor of Arkansas
Mike Huckabee, 44th Governor of Arkansas
Mike Beebe, 45th and current Governor of Arkansas
Mike Beebe, 45th and current Governor of Arkansas

Arkansas was admitted to the union on June 15, 1836. Since then, it has had 45 elected governors, as well as 10 acting governors who took office following the resignation or death of the governor. It seceded from the Union on May 6, 1861 and joined the Confederate States of America on May 18, 1861; there was no Union government in exile, so there was a single line of governors, though as the state fell to Union forces there was a loyalist government put in place with an insignificant Confederate government in exile. Following the end of the American Civil War, it was part of the Fourth Military District. Arkansas was readmitted to the Union on June 22, 1868.

      Democratic       Republican

# Name Took office Left office Party Lt. Governor[9] Terms[10]
1 James Sevier Conway September 13, 1836 November 4, 1840 Democratic None 1
2 Archibald Yell November 4, 1840 April 29, 1844 Democratic None ½[11]
— Samuel Adams April 29, 1844 November 5, 1844 Democratic None ½[12]
3 Thomas Stevenson Drew November 5, 1844 January 10, 1849 Democratic None 1⅓[13]
— Richard C. Byrd January 10, 1849 April 19, 1849 Democratic None ⅓[14]
4 John Selden Roane April 19, 1849 November 15, 1852 Democratic None ⅓[15]
5 Elias Nelson Conway November 15, 1852 November 16, 1860 Democratic None 2
6 Henry Massey Rector November 16, 1860 November 4, 1862 Democratic None 1
7 Harris Flanagin November 4, 1862 April 18, 1864 Democratic None 1[16]
8 Isaac Murphy April 18, 1864 July 2, 1868 Republican None 2[16]
9 Powell Clayton July 2, 1868 March 17, 1871 Republican None ½[17]
— Ozra Amander Hadley March 17, 1871 January 6, 1873 Republican None ½[18]
10 Elisha Baxter January 6, 1873 November 12, 1874 Republican None 1[19]
11 Augustus Hill Garland November 12, 1874 January 11, 1877 Democratic None 2
12 William Read Miller January 11, 1877 January 11, 1881 Democratic None 2
13 Thomas James Churchill January 11, 1881 January 13, 1883 Democratic None 1
14 James Henderson Berry January 13, 1883 January 17, 1885 Democratic None 1
15 Simon Pollard Hughes, Jr. January 17, 1885 January 8, 1889 Democratic None 2
16 James Philip Eagle January 8, 1889 January 10, 1893 Democratic None 2
17 William Meade Fishback January 10, 1893 January 8, 1895 Democratic None 1
18 James Paul Clarke January 8, 1895 January 12, 1897 Democratic None 1
19 Daniel Webster Jones January 12, 1897 January 8, 1901 Democratic None 2
20 Jeff Davis January 8, 1901 January 8, 1907 Democratic None 3
21 John Sebastian Little January 8, 1907 February 15, 1907 Democratic None ¼[20]
— John Isaac Moore February 15, 1907 May 14, 1907 Democratic None ¼[21]
— Xenophon Overton Pindall May 14, 1907 January 11, 1909 Democratic None ¼[22]
— Jesse M. Martin January 11, 1909 January 14, 1909 Democratic None ¼[23]
22 George Washington Donaghey January 14, 1909 January 16, 1913 Democratic None 2
23 Joseph Taylor Robinson January 16, 1913 March 8, 1913 Democratic None ¼[17]
— William Kavanaugh Oldham March 8, 1913 March 13, 1913 Democratic None ¼[24]
— Junius Marion Futrell March 13, 1913 July 23, 1913 Democratic None ¼[25]
24 George Washington Hays July 23, 1913 January 10, 1917 Democratic vacant ¼[26]
25 Charles Hillman Brough January 10, 1917 January 11, 1921 Democratic vacant 2
26 Thomas Chipman McRae January 11, 1921 January 13, 1925 Democratic vacant 2
27 Tom Jefferson Terral January 13, 1925 January 11, 1927 Democratic vacant 1
28 John Ellis Martineau January 11, 1927 March 4, 1928 Democratic Harvey Parnell ½[27]
29 Harvey Parnell March 4, 1928 January 10, 1933 Democratic William Lee Cazort ½[28]
Lawrence Elery Wilson
30 Junius Marion Futrell January 10, 1933 January 12, 1937 Democratic William Lee Cazort 2
31 Carl Edward Bailey January 12, 1937 January 14, 1941 Democratic Robert L. Bailey 2
32 Homer Martin Adkins January 14, 1941 January 9, 1945 Democratic Robert L. Bailey 2
James L. Shaver
33 Benjamin Travis Laney January 9, 1945 January 11, 1949 Democratic James L. Shaver 2
Nathan Green Gordon
34 Sid McMath January 11, 1949 January 13, 1953 Democratic Nathan Green Gordon 2
35 Francis Cherry January 13, 1953 January 11, 1955 Democratic Nathan Green Gordon 1
36 Orval Faubus January 11, 1955 January 10, 1967 Democratic Nathan Green Gordon 6
37 Winthrop Rockefeller January 10, 1967 January 12, 1971 Republican Maurice Britt 2
38 Dale Bumpers January 12, 1971 January 3, 1975 Democratic Bob C. Riley 1½[17]
— Bob C. Riley January 3, 1975 January 14, 1975 Democratic acting as governor ½[29]
39 David Pryor January 14, 1975 January 3, 1979 Democratic Joe Purcell 1½[17]
— Joe Purcell January 3, 1979 January 9, 1979 Democratic acting as governor ½[29]
40 Bill Clinton January 9, 1979 January 19, 1981 Democratic Joe Purcell 1
41 Frank D. White January 19, 1981 January 11, 1983 Republican Winston Bryant 1
42 Bill Clinton January 11, 1983 December 12, 1992 Democratic Winston Bryant 3½[30][31]
Jim Guy Tucker
43 Jim Guy Tucker December 12, 1992 July 15, 1996 Democratic Mike Huckabee ¾[28][32]
44 Mike Huckabee July 15, 1996 January 9, 2007 Republican Winthrop P. Rockefeller[5] 2¾[28]
45 Mike Beebe January 9, 2007 incumbent Democratic Bill Halter 1[33]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The territory was formally organized with the name "Arkansaw", but spellings including "Arkansas" and "Arkansa" remained common until around 1822, when the popularity of the Arkansas Gazette helped standardize the spelling as "Arkansas".[D]
  2. ^ James Miller was appointed territorial governor on March 3, 1819, the same date the bill organizing Arkansaw Territory was signed. However, to avoid the hot southern summer, he delayed his departure from New Hampshire until September, and took a non-direct route, finally arriving in the territory on December 26, 1819.[E] Robert Crittenden, Secretary of the territory, served as acting governor while Miller was delayed.
  3. ^ Resigned citing poor health. At the time of his resignation, he had been absent from the territory for 18 months.[F]
  4. ^ George Izard did not arrive in Arkansas Territory until May 31, 1825; Robert Crittenden, Secretary of the territory, acted as governor in his stead, though Crittenden himself was out of state when Izard arrived.[G]
  5. ^ a b Died in office.
  6. ^ The office was vacant from November 22, 1828 until the spring of 1829. By the time notice of George Izard's death reached Washington, D.C., Andrew Jackson had been elected president, and the senate refused to approve John Quincy Adams's choice for governor, preferring to wait until Jackson took office.[I]
  7. ^ Pope arrived in the territory in May 1829.[J]
  8. ^ William Savin Fulton served as governor until statehood, when he was elected to the United States Senate.[K]
  9. ^ The office of lieutenant governor was not created until 1914, and was not filled until 1926. The amendment to the state constitution creating the office was narrowly voted in by the electorate in 1914. The Speaker of the House declared that the measure had lost because it did not receive a majority of the highest vote total from that election. In 1925, it was discovered that a 1910 law amended this requirement such that only a majority of the votes on the specific question was required. Therefore, the 1914 initiative was declared to be valid.[L]
  10. ^ The fractional terms of some governors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple governors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
  11. ^ Resigned to run for the United States House of Representatives, winning the election.
  12. ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor for unexpired term.
  13. ^ Resigned due to the low salary he received as governor.
  14. ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor until special election.
  15. ^ Elected in a special election to fill unexpired term.
  16. ^ a b Harris Flanagin fled Little Rock as it fell to Union forces on September 10, 1863, leading a largely inept government-in-exile in Washington, Arkansas until 1865. Isaac Murphy was elected provisional governor by a loyalist government set up after Union control of the state was established, taking office on April 18, 1864, causing a slight overlap in terms, though due to the collapse of the Confederate effort in Arkansas, Flanagin had no authority over the state.[M]
  17. ^ a b c d Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
  18. ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor for unexpired term.
  19. ^ Removed from office for a short time due to the Brooks-Baxter War.
  20. ^ Resigned after suffering a nervous breakdown soon after taking office.
  21. ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor until the legislature adjourned.
  22. ^ As the new president pro tempore of the state senate, became acting governor until his senate term expired.
  23. ^ Acted as governor for three days between the end of Pindall's senate term and the next elected governor's term.
  24. ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor for six days before a new president of the senate was elected.
  25. ^ As newly-elected president of the senate, acted as governor until special election.
  26. ^ Elected in special election to fill unexpired term.
  27. ^ Resigned to be a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
  28. ^ a b c As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term, and was subsequently elected in his own right.
  29. ^ a b As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term.
  30. ^ Resigned after being elected President of the United States.
  31. ^ Gubernatorial terms changed from two years to four years during Clinton's term; he was elected for two-year terms in 1982 and 1984, for four-year terms in 1986 and 1990.
  32. ^ Resigned after being convicted of mail fraud in the Whitewater scandal, and felons may not hold office as governor.
  33. ^ Governor Beebe's first term expires in 2011; he is not yet term limited.

[edit] Other high offices held

This is a table of congressional, confederate and other federal offices held by governors.[M] All representatives and senators mentioned represented Arkansas except where noted. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take.

Name Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held
House Senate
James Miller[E] 1819–1825 (territorial) Elected U.S. Representative from New Hampshire but did not take his seat.
John Pope[O] 1829–1835 (territorial) U.S. Representative and Senator from Kentucky (including President pro tempore of the Senate)
William Savin Fulton[P] 1835–1836 (territorial) S
Archibald Yell 1840–1844 H
Powell Clayton 1868–1871 S* Ambassador to Mexico
Augustus Hill Garland 1874–1877 S Confederate Representative, Confederate Senator, U.S. Attorney General
James Henderson Berry 1883–1885 S
William Meade Fishback 1893–1895 Elected to the U.S. Senate but was refused his seat
James Paul Clarke 1895–1897 S President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate
Jefferson Davis 1901–1907 S
John Sebastian Little 1907 H
Joseph Taylor Robinson 1913 H S* Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate
Thomas Chipman McRae 1921–1925 H
Dale Bumpers 1971–1975 S*
David Pryor 1975–1979 H S*
Bill Clinton 1979–1981, 1983–1992 President of the United States*
Jim Guy Tucker 1992–1996 H

[edit] Living former governors

As of June 2008, five former governors were alive, the oldest being Dale Bumpers (1971–1975, born 1925). The most recent governor to die was Sid McMath (1949–1953), on October 4, 2003. The most recently-serving governor to die was Frank D. White (1981–1983), on May 21, 2003.

Name Gubernatorial term Date of birth
Dale Bumpers 1971–1975 August 12, 1925
David Pryor 1975–1979 August 29, 1934
Bill Clinton 1979–1981, 1983–1992 August 19, 1946
Jim Guy Tucker 1992–1996 June 12, 1943
Mike Huckabee 1996–2007 August 24, 1955

[edit] References

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