List of Governors of Arkansas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Party | Governors |
|---|---|
| Democratic | 48 |
| Republican | 7 |
The following is a list of Governors of the State of Arkansas and Arkansas Territory. Arkansas was part of Louisiana Territory, later renamed Missouri Territory, from 1805 to 1819; see List of Governors of Missouri for this period.
Contents |
Arkansas Territory (named Arkansaw Territory until around 1822[1]) 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 | March 9, 1835 | Democratic | Andrew Jackson | [6][7] | |
| 4 | William Savin Fulton | March 9, 1835 | June 15, 1836 | Democratic | Andrew Jackson | [8] |
The state of Arkansas was admitted to the union on June 15, 1836.
- ^ 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".
- ^ 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.[D] Robert Crittenden, Secretary of the territory, served as acting governor while Miller was delayed.
- ^ Resigned citing poor health. At the time of his resignation, he had been absent from the territory for 18 months.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Died in office.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pope arrived in the territory in May 1829.
- ^ William Savin Fulton served as governor until statehood, when he was elected to the United States Senate.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Resigned to run for the United States House of Representatives, winning the election.
- ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor for unexpired term.
- ^ Resigned due to the low salary he received as governor.
- ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor until special election.
- ^ Elected in a special election to fill unexpired term.
- ^ a b c d Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
- ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor for unexpired term.
- ^ Removed from office for a short time due to the Brooks-Baxter War.
- ^ Resigned after suffering a nervous breakdown soon after taking office.
- ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor until the legislature adjourned.
- ^ As the new president pro tempore of the state senate, became acting governor until his senate term expired.
- ^ Acted as governor for three days between the end of Governor Pindall's senate term and the next elected governor's term.
- ^ As president of the state senate, acted as governor for six days before a new president of the senate was elected.
- ^ As newly-elected president of the senate, acted as governor until special election.
- ^ Resigned to be a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
- ^ a b c As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term, and was subsequently elected in his own right.
- ^ a b As lieutenant governor, acted as governor for unexpired term.
- ^ Resigned after being elected President of the United States.
- ^ Resigned after being convicted of mail fraud in the Whitewater scandal, and felons may not hold office as governor.
- ^ Governor Beebe's first term expires in 2011; he is not yet term limited.
This is a table of congressional, confederate and other federal offices held by governors. 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[D] | 1819–1825 (territorial) | Elected U.S. Representative from New Hampshire but did not take his seat. | ||
| John Pope | 1829–1835 (territorial) | U.S. Representative and Senator from Kentucky (including President pro tempore of the Senate) | ||
| William Savin Fulton | 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 | ||
As of August 2007, 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 |
- General
- Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- Constitution Of The State Of Arkansas Of 1874. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- The Road from Conway to Clinton: Biographies of Arkansas's Governors. Old State House Museum. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- The Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Category: Politics and Government. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- Governors of Arkansas. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- About The Office - Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- Specific
- [A] ^ Arkansas Constitutions. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- [B] ^ State Gubernatorial Term Limits. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- [C] ^ Timeline - 1822: Indian Peace Treaty. Historic Arkansas Museum. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [D] 1 2 James Miller (1776-1851). Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [E] ^ Timeline - 1824: Expansion. Historic Arkansas Museum. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [F] ^ George Izard (1776-1828). Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [G] ^ Bruce, Henry Addington (1909). The Romance of American Expansion. Moffat, Yard & Company, 86.
- [H] ^ Timeline - 1828: Final Indian Treaty. Historic Arkansas Museum. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [I] ^ Williams, Nancy A.; Jeannie M. Whayne (2000). Arkansas Biography: A Collection of Notable Lives. University of Arkansas Press, 226. ISBN 155728587X.
- [J] ^ Governors of Arkansas Portrait Gallery, Territorial Governors 1819-1836. The Traveler's Guide to Arkansas. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [K] ^ About The Office - Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [L] ^ Governors of Arkansas. National Governors Association. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [M] ^ POPE, John. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- [N] ^ FULTON, William Savin. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
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