With the recent inauguration of Arkansas’s first female Governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, many are rightfully wondering what the future holds for our state. However, this historic event also provides an excellent opportunity to look back at the state’s past and see where history might be made or where it might repeat itself.
To that end, here is a brief overview of every elected Governor of Arkansas, from its beginnings as a territory in 1819 to its statehood in 1836, to the final governor of the 19th century. A second article will look at Governors from the 20th century and beyond.
Territorial Governors
- James Miller, 1819-1824.
- James Miller, the “Hero of Lundy’s Lane” in the War of 1812, was appointed by President James Monroe as governor for the Arkansaw (renamed to Arkansas in 1822) territory in 1819. It took Miller six months to set off and another three to reach the territory and he was frequently absent throughout his term, leaving Secretary of the Territory Robert Crittenden to cover as acting governor. He played a significant role in moving the capital from Arkansas Post to Little Rock. Miller County is named after him.
- George Izard, 1825-1828
- A Major General during the War of 1812, George Izard was appointed by James Monroe and spent his term organizing the undisciplined territorial government, developing roads and natural resources, and making treaties with or removing native tribes. Izard County is named after him.
- John Pope, 1829-1835
- A senator from Kentucky, John Pope was appointed by Andrew Jackson in 1829. He was responsible for the construction of the Old State House, more equitably distributed representation in the legislature, and made more territorial offices elected rather than appointed. Pope County is named after him.
- William S. Fulton, 1835-1836
- A native of Maryland, William S. Fulton served under Andrew Jackson, who was a family friend, during the Seminole War in 1818. Jackson appointed him as governor as a replacement for Pope, who had political disagreements with the president. Though Fulton opposed statehood for the territory, Arkansas was admitted to the Union in 1836, making him the last territorial governor. Fulton County is named after him.
State Governors
- James Sevier Conway, Democrat, 1836-1840
- The first elected Governor of Arkansas, James Sevier Conway’s extended family, often called simply “The Family” or “The Dynasty,” was a dominant force in state politics and would remain so until the civil war. As governor, Conway built the early stages of the state’s prison, banking, and road systems. The state quickly gained a revenue surplus which Conway requested be put towards a state university and public school system. The legislature elected to cut taxes instead, but a national economic depression followed soon after, collapsing the state’s banking system and turning the surplus into a deficit.
- Archibald Yell, Democrat, 1840-1844
- An unusual figure with an uncertain time and place of birth, Archibald Yell grew up in Tennessee and fought in both the War of 1812 at the battle of New Orleans and the Seminole War. He studied law, but was unable to spell and was known for duels and brawls. He became a U.S. senator for Arkansas in 1836. He was noted as an excellent speaker, becoming governor in 1840. He tried and largely failed to reign in the state banks, which ran wild in the absence of a national bank. He resigned in 1844 for unknown reasons and later died in the Mexican-American War at the Battle of Buena Vista. Both Yell County and Yellville are named after him.
- Thomas Stevenson Drew, Democrat, 1844-1849
- Thomas Stevenson Drew focused his efforts as governor on improving the state’s finances and party unity among Arkansas Democrats. Under Drew, Arkansas became the first southern state to declare that the property a woman brought to her marriage would remain hers, rather than her husband’s. He was re-elected in 1848 but only served a year of his second term before resigning due to financial troubles and the low salary provided for governors. Drew County is named after him.
- John Selden Roane, Democrat, 1849-1852
- Chosen in a special election, John Selden Roane tried to improve state revenues to fund internal improvements and a state college but was unsuccessful in convincing a legislature that opted for tax cuts and funding other projects.
- Elias Nelson Conway, Democrat, 1852-1860
- Another member of “The Family” and younger brother of James Sevier Conway, Elias Nelson Conway served 8 years, making him the longest serving Arkansas Governor for a century until Orval Faubus. Conway tackled the state’s debt by placing the Real Estate Bank in receivership and passed a law that banned free African Americans from living in the state as tensions grew prior to the Civil War. He left a sizable surplus in the state treasury but his chosen successor’s failure in the election of 1860 spelled the end of the Dynasty’s political dominance.
- Henry Massey Rector, Independent Democrat, 1860-1862
- Under Henry Massey Rector’s leadership, Arkansas succeeded from the Union, and the changes to the state constitution reduced the term of governors to only two years. He advocated for the expansion of slavery and joined the state militia after leaving office.
- Harris Flanagin, Independent, 1862-1865
- The second Confederate Governor, Harris Flanagin dealt mainly with issues related to the war. After Little Rock was taken by the Union, he relocated the state capital to Washington where he continued to govern.
- Isaac Murphy, Independent, 1864-1868
- The only delegate at the second Arkansas Secession Convention to repeatedly vote against secession, Isaac Murphy was elected governor in a special election after the Union captured Little Rock, causing his term to overlap with that of Flanagin. He oversaw the early years of reconstruction and won the first commitment to public education by the legislature.
- Powell Clayton, Republican, 1868-1871
- Powell Clayton was both the first Republican Governor of Arkansas and oversaw the establishment of the state’s first public school system and the Arkansas Industrial University, which would later become the University of Arkansas.
- Elisha Baxter, Republican, 1873-1874
- Winner of a heavily contested election between factions in the Republican party, Elisha Baxter survived a challenge to his power that turned into a violent conflict known as the Brooks-Baxter War, which resulted in federal intervention and the deaths of some 200 people.
- Augustus Hill Garland, Democrat, 1874-1877
- A former Confederate senator who had strongly opposed leaving the Union, Augustus Hill Garland significantly reduced the state’s debt and expanded educational opportunities via schools for the blind and deaf as well as the Branch Normal College, now the University of Pine Bluff.
- William Read Miller, Democrat, 1877-1881
- The first native-born Arkansas Governor, William Read Miller pushed for civil rights protections and reconciliation between whites and freedmen as well as improvements to education. Strong opposition from members of his own party unfortunately limited his success.
- Thomas James Churchill, Democrat, 1881-1883
- A former Confederate general, Thomas James Churchill oversaw such legislation as funding for a facility for the mentally ill, the creation of the state board of health, and the official pronunciation of the word “Arkansas.”
- James Henderson Berry, Democrat, 1883-1885
- James Henderson Berry sought to repudiate questionable reconstruction-era bonds, tax railroads, and combine the state and federal election days to save money. The first two were partially successful, though the repudiation of bonds resulted in a bad credit rating and the third initiative was shot down.
- Simon Pollard Hughes Jr., Democrat, 1885–1889
- Simon Pollard Hughes Jr. worked to reduce the state’s debt and improve its credit rating. He also found success in getting railroads to pay taxes, including one settlement over back taxes where railroads paid $250,000.
- James Philip Eagle, Democrat, 1889–1893
- James Philip Eagle was in some ways a progressive, supporting small farms, women’s suffrage, and personally opposing racial discrimination. Nevertheless, to reunify a splintered Democratic party, he signed many racially-discriminatory bills into law, birthing the Jim Crow era of Arkansas.
- William Meade Fishback, Democrat, 1893–1895
- William Meade Fishback’s most notable efforts as governor were in promoting Arkansas’s image as a land with great potential for prosperity. Though an Arkansas exhibit at the Columbian Exposition of 1893 won several prizes, these efforts largely failed in attracting immigrants or industries to the state.
- James Paul Clarke, Democrat, 1895–1897
- James Paul Clarke was a vocal white supremacist who, in a campaign speech, “looked to the Democratic party to preserve the white standards of civilization.” His goals were generally unsuccessful, such as an effort to extend the terms of state officers back to 4 years.
- Daniel Webster Jones, Democrat, 1897–1901
- Daniel Webster Jones was the last Civil War veteran to serve as governor of Arkansas. Jones was moderately supportive of progressive causes like the silver issue, but almost all of his efforts toward these causes were rejected by the legislature or otherwise failed to come to fruition. His most visible legacy is the Arkansas State Capitol, which began construction in 1899.
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