Arkansas Convention: 1868 Senator James W. Mason was born in 1841 in Chicot County, Arkansas. In 1868, he served as a delegate in the Arkansas Constitutional Convention. He was then elected to two terms in the Arkansas Senate in 1869 (17th General Assembly) and again in 1871 (18th General Assembly). Senator Mason was the first […]
Arkansas Convention: 1868,1874 Senator James T. White was born on August 25, 1837 in New Providence, Indiana. On August 21, 1865 he became the pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Helena, Arkansas. In the fall of 1868, while supporting Reconstruction efforts he was elected to the state Constitutional Convention with seven other African-American men. […]
Senator Ruben B. White served with his brother, Senator James T. White, in 1873 in the 19th General Assembly. Senator White served Arkansas Senate District 10 which covered Pulaski and White counties , the counties were next to each other in 1873. He was a pastor of a church in Little Rock and had lived […]
Senator Richard A. Dawson was born in 1848 in Virginia. The son of a minister, he obtained his education at Oberlin College, Ohio. He was one of two Black men admitted to the Law Department of the University of Chicago in 1869, and the second Black man admitted to practice in Illinois in 1870. By […]
There is little historic information available about Senator Samuel H. Holland. He was born around 1844 in Ohio and no records can be found of his death. Senator Holland represented Ashley, Chicot, Drew, and Desha Counties. From the Arkansas Senate Journals for 1873, Senator Holland introduced three bills. One of the bills died in the […]
William H. Grey was born December 22, 1829 in Washington, D.C. There is evidence that his father was Henry A. Wise; a white congressman and governor of Virginia (1856-1860). Henry A. Wise only freed three slaves during his life: William H. Grey, his mother and his sister. Also, there are reports that Congressman Wise brought […]
Anthony Stanford was born in New Jersey in 1830. Since he was born in the northern states he was a free man his whole life. Stanford was elected to the 14th District of the Arkansas Senate and served in the 21st General Assembly (1877) and the 22nd General Assembly (1879.) The 14th District included parts […]
Senator W. H. Logan was born in Ohio between 1850 and 1855. He served only one term in the senate during the 27th General Assembly (1889 – 1890.) Logan represented Arkansas Senate District 15 which included parts of Chicot and Desha counties. He introduced three bills, but only one was signed into law. Senate Bill […]
Senator George W. Bell was the only African-American serving in the 1891 and 1893 Arkansas Senate. He respresented the 17th District that consisted of Desha and Chicot counties. He was also the last African-Amercian to serve in the Arkansas Senate until 1973 when Senator Jerry D. Jewell was elected. Many historians believe that Senator Bell […]
Senator Jerry Jewell was born on September 16, 1930 in Chatfield, which is located in Crittenden County, Arkansas. He was the first African-American to serve in the Arkansas Senate in 80 years. The last African American to serve in the Arkansas Senate was Senator George Bell who served until 1894. Senator Jewell served in the […]
Senator Roy C. “Bill” Lewellen of Marianna represented eastern Arkansas for 10 years, from 1991 through 2000. He served on the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, was Senate co-chair of the Joint Legislative Facilities Committee, vice chair of the Senate Rules Committee and a member of the Joint Budget Committee […]
Senator Jean Edwards represented parts of Pine Bluff and southeastern Arkansas for 10 years. Previously, he had been a member of the Jefferson County Quorum Court for 12 years. He was born in North Little Rock in 1929 and when he was five, his family moved to the Pastoria Community near Sherrill, which became his […]
Senator Bill Walker represented Little Rock in the state Senate for eight years, from 1995 through 2002, when provisions of the constitutional term limits amendment required him to step down. He was a member of the House of Representatives for eight years, from 1987 through 1994, when he was elected to the Senate. Before his […]
Senator Henry “Hank” Wilkins, IV, represented Pine Bluff and southeast Arkansas for 16 years, from 1999 through 2014. He first served in the House of Representatives for one term, in 1999 and 2000, then in the Senate from 2001 through 2010. He was elected again to the House and served from 2011 through 2014. After […]
Senator Tracy Steele represented North Little Rock and Little Rock in the Arkansas legislature for 14 years, from 1999 through 2012. He served in the Senate for eight years and the House of Representatives for six years. He is a member of the North Little Rock School Board. He and his wife, Cassandra, have a […]
Senator Jack Crumbly represented District 16 of eastern Arkansas for six years, from 2007 through 2012. He became chairman of the Senate Committee on Insurance and Commerce, vice chairman of the Joint Performance Review Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth. He also served on the Public Health, Welfare […]
Senator Dorathy Allen was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1964 in a special election. She took her husband’s (Senator Tom Allen) seat after he passed in the previous year (1963). Senator Dorathy Allen represented District 26 which at the time included Monroe, Lee, Arkansas and Phillips counties. Senator Allen was the first woman to […]
Senator Vada Sheid was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 1976. She was the first woman to be elected who had not succeeded through the death of a husband. Senator Sheid served in the Senate from 1977 to 1984 when she was defeated by Steve Leulf. She represented Arkansas Senate District 20 which covered Baxter, […]
Senator Gladys Watson was elected in a special election in 1988 to her husband’s seat. Senator Thomas “Tom” Watson passed away while still serving out this term as state senator for District 5. Senator Watson served in the 77th General Assembly where the other woman in the Senate was Senator Charlie Cole Chaffin. Senator Watson […]
Senator Charlie Cole Chaffin was elected in a special election in 1984 after the death of Senator James Teague. She was elected to Senate District 16 that covered parts of Saline and Perry counties. During Senator Chaffin’s first (75th) General Assembly in 1985 she was a member of the Senate Education Committee. Senator Chaffin took […]
Senator Peggy Jeffries represented Fort Smith in the Arkansas Senate for four years, from 1995 through 1998. She was a member of the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Transportation, Aging and Legislative Affairs Committee. She also served on the Public Retirement and Social Security Systems Committee and the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee. During the […]
Senator Judy Pridgen only served about seven months in the Arkansas Senate. She filled Senator Doyle Webb’s seat (District 14) when he resigned to take a position for Lieutenant Governor Win Rockefeller’s staff. Senator Pridgen took over Senator Webb’s committee assignments. She served on the Judiciary and State Agencies and Government Affairs committees. She did […]
Senator Brenda Gullett represented Pine Bluff and portions of southeast Arkansas for four years, from 2001 through 2004. In the 84th General Assembly she was chair of the Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth and vice chair of the Senate Education Committee. In the 83rd General Assembly she was vice chair of the Senate […]
Senator Brown of Little Rock was the first African-American woman elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives and served from 1980 to 1998. She then became the first African-American woman to serve in the history of the Arkansas Senate, after she was elected in 2002. She served in the Senate for six years, and became […]
Senator Sharon Trusty, the president and owner of Trusty and Associates, Inc., represented Russellville and parts of Pope and Logan Counties in the Arkansas Senate from 2000 to 2009. A native of Oregania, Ohio, she has three daughters. She is married to Fritz Kronberger. She was active in the Arkansas Republican Party and in 1984 […]
Senator Barbara Horn served in the Senate for 10 years, from 2001 through 2010. In the 87th General Assembly she chaired the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee. Previously, she served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1993 through 2000. She filled the unexpired term of her late husband, Hoye Horn. Senator Horn is a […]
Senator Ruth Whitaker of Cedarville was a political activist and political consultant who graduated from Hendrix College. Senator Whitaker won a special election in 2000 and served through 2012, she ranked number one in seniority in the Arkansas Senate and served as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. In the Senate, she represented Crawford County […]
Senator Sue Madison represented Fayetteville in the Arkansas Senate for 10 years, from 2003 through 2012. Previously, she had been a member of the House of Representatives for six years, from 1995 through 1998, and a Justice of the Peace in Washington County for four years, from 1991 through 1994. She chaired the Senate State […]
Senator Mary Anne Salmon represented North Little Rock in the Arkansas Senate for 10 years, from 2003 through 2012. Previously, she served four years in the House of Representatives, from 1999 through 2002. In the 88th General Assembly she was Senate co-chair of the Legislative Council. She was influential in the writing of enabling legislation […]
Senator Linda Collins-Smith represented District 19 from 2015 through 2018. She was vice chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee during her four years in the Senate. She served two years in the House of Representatives, in 2011 and 2012. Senator Collins-Smith, a native of Pocahontas, was a businesswoman and entrepreneur, with business experience in real […]
Senator Joyce Elliott represented Little Rock in the Arkansas legislature for 20 years, 14 of them in the Senate and six in the House of Representatives. For 30 years Elliott taught high school juniors and seniors Advanced Placement and standard courses. She has taught in Florida, Minnesota and Texas. In 2004 Senator Elliott left the […]
Senator Cecile Bledsoe of Rogers was first elected to the legislature in 1998 and served for six years in the House of Representatives. In 2008 she was elected to the Senate and became a member of the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor. She became its chair in 2013 She served on the […]
Senator Linda Chesterfield represented the citizens of Pulaski county for 20 years, as a senator representing Little Rock and North Little Rock for 14 years and as a representative for six years. She was elected to the Senate in November 2010 and sworn in January 2011. She was a tireless advocate for public schools and […]