Rockefeller easily defeated State Supreme Court Justice Jim Johnson to become Arkansas's first Republican governor since Reconstruction. Unfortunately Rockefeller's coattails did not prove particularly long. John Paul Hammerschmidt did succeed in replacing liberal Democrat James Trimble in the Third Congressional District, a region that had a tradition of "mountain Republicanism." Of the state-wide Republican candidates, only "Footsie" Britt narrowly won as Lieutenant Governor. Jerry Thomason, the bright young nominee considered to be the party's hope for the future, lost in his bid to become attorney general.
The Rockefeller administration produced significant changes in several areas. One of these was in cleaning up the operation of the state's various regulatory agencies and commission. Rockefeller also put an end to illegal gambling at Hot Springs and attempted to reform the state's prison system by ending the worst abuses and bringing in Tom Murton, a new warden, to supervise reform. Growing impatient with the pace of reform, Murton acted in ways that created almost as many problems as he solved.
Rockefeller solidly won reelection in 1968. That same election Arkansans elected generally progressive Democrat J. William Fulbright as senator and voted for states-right-candidate George Wallace for president.
Rockefeller did not accomplish as much in his second term. The Democrat-controlled legislature was hardly inclined to pass his programs. This didn't stop him from trying. Though he must have recognized that it was risky politically, Rockefeller challenged what he considered the under funding of state government. Under the slogan "Arkansas is worth paying for," Rockefeller sought to increase state revenues to bring Arkansas's tax base more in line with the rest of the nation. Tax increases - no matter how justified - proved political suicide. He was also handicapped by the public deterioration of his marriage and private rumors of a drinking problem. In 1970 Rockefeller was defeated by Democratic challenger Dale Bumpers by a margin of nearly two to one.
In retrospect Rockefeller's greatest contribution was his grace and moderation during the time that Arkansas was undergoing the enforcement of the Civil Rights Act. His finest hour may have been when he sang "We Shall Overcome" on the Capitol steps with a crowd of mourners following the assassination of Martin Luther King. Rockefeller paved the way for the moderate governors who followed. Many of the fabled accomplishments of the Bumpers administration were reforms he helped initiate.
Next: Dale Leon Bumpers
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