Joe Purcell

Joe Edward Purcell (July 29, 1923 – March 5, 1987) was Acting Governor of Arkansas for six days in 1979 as well as Arkansas Attorney General from 1967–1971 and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas from 1975–1981.

Life and career

Purcell was born in Warren, the seat of Bradley County, in southern Arkansas. He graduated from Little Rock Junior College and the University of Arkansas School of Law at Fayetteville. From 1962 to 1967, he served as the municipal judge in Benton in Saline County. He also served as prosecuting attorney in Benton prior to having been elected judge.

In 1966, Purcell unseated Attorney General Bruce Bennett, a strong segregationist from El Dorado in the Democratic primary election. He then defeated in the general election a stronger-than-usual opponent, Republican Jerry Thomasson, a former Democrat and a state representative from Arkadelphia in Clark County.

In 1974, Purcell was elected lieutenant governor; he handily defeated the Republican Leona Troxell of Rose Bud in White County, a former associate of the late Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. He was reelected as lieutenant governor in 1976 and 1978 under Governors David Pryor and Bill Clinton. He served as Acting Governor for six days in 1979, having filled the unexpired term of then senator-elect David Hampton Pryor of Camden.^[1]

Purcell was twice a candidate for governor. In 1970, he was considered the leading challenger to former Governor Orval Faubus and ran second to Faubus throughout the primary race, but was edged out of a runoff berth by less than 500 votes by Charleston attorney Dale Bumpers, who went on to defeat Faubus and then the Republican Governor Winthrop Rockefeller in the general election. Purcell was Bumpers' choice to chair the Arkansas Democratic Party, a position which he held from 1970 to 1973. His chief task as party chair was to purge followers of presidential candidate George Wallace of Alabama and former gubernatorial nominee James D. Johnson from the party ranks and to limit the influence of the Faubus-era "Old Guard" faction. He entered the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1982 and surpisingly edged out former Congressman Jim Guy Tucker for a runoff berth with former Governor Bill Clinton. Purcell lost the Democratic nomination in a runoff primary to Clinton, 46 to 54 percent.^[2]

Purcell resided in Benton until his death at the age of sixty-three.

Purcell married the former Helen Hale from Prescott, Arkansas, and the couple had two daughters, Lynelle and Ede. He had three grandchildren: Brian Hogue, David Hogue, and Erin Hogue.

References

Governors of Arkansas Territorial (1819–36) J. Miller Izard Crittenden Pope Fulton State (since 1836) J. Conway Yell Adams Drew Byrd Roane E. Conway Rector Flanagin Murphy Clayton Hadley Baxter Brooks* Baxter Garland W. Miller Churchill Berry Hughes Eagle Fishback Clarke Jones Davis Little Moore Pindall Martin Donaghey Robinson Oldham Futrell Hays Brough McRae Terral Martineau Parnell Futrell Bailey Adkins Laney McMath Cherry Faubus Rockefeller Bumpers Riley Pryor Purcell Clinton White Clinton Tucker Huckabee Beebe Hutchinson Italics indicates acting governor * Disputed; see Brooks-Baxter War

Lieutenant Governors of Arkansas Parnell Cazort Wilson Cazort Bailey Shaver Gordon Britt Riley Purcell Bryant Tucker Huckabee Rockefeller Halter Darr Griffin