| | '''Orval Eugene Faubus''' (1910-1994) was a [[Democrat]] who served as the governor of the U.S. state of [[Arkansas]] from 1955 to 1971, best known for his unsuccessful attempt in 1957 to halt the federally-authorized desegregation of Central High School in the capital city of [[Little Rock]]. Faubus thrust himself into direct conflict with [[Republican]] [[U.S. President]] [[Dwight Eisenhower]], who federalized the [[National Guard]] to counter local resistance to the admission of nine [[African American]] children into the school. | | '''Orval Eugene Faubus''' (1910-1994) was a [[Democrat]] who served as the governor of the U.S. state of [[Arkansas]] from 1955 to 1971, best known for his unsuccessful attempt in 1957 to halt the federally-authorized desegregation of Central High School in the capital city of [[Little Rock]]. Faubus thrust himself into direct conflict with [[Republican]] [[U.S. President]] [[Dwight Eisenhower]], who federalized the [[National Guard]] to counter local resistance to the admission of nine [[African American]] children into the school. |
| − | Faubus was born in rural Combs near Huntsville in Madison County. His father, Sam, an admirer of the [[Socialism|Socialist Party]] standard bearer [[Eugene Debs]], gave Orval the middle name of "Eugene" in honor of Debs, the president of a railroad union and Socialist presidential nominee on five occasions. Faubus served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]] and thereafter was a activist for veterans' causes. | + | Faubus was born in rural Combs near Huntsville in Madison County. His father, Sam, an admirer of the [[Socialism|Socialist Party]] standard bearer [[Eugene Debs]], gave Orval the middle name of "Eugene" in honor of Debs, the president of a railroad union and Socialist presidential nominee on five occasions. Faubus served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]] and thereafter was an activist for veterans' causes. |
| | Faubus unseated fellow Democrat Sidney Sanders McMath in the 1954 Democratic gubernatorial primary and then defeated a stronger-than-usual [[Republican]] candidate, Pratt Remmel, the mayor of Little Rock from 1951 to 1955. In 1956, he defeated [[James D. Johnson]], a fellow segregationist and later a member of the Arkansas Supreme Court known as "Justice Jim." In 1964, Faubus defeated Republican [[Winthrop Rockefeller]], 57-43 percent, but Rockefeller polled a majority of the [[African American]] vote. Rockefeller lost some conservative support to Faubus as a result of a feud from 1962 to 1964 between Rockefeller partisans and the former state party chairman, [[William L. Spicer]] of [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]]. Faubus stepped down in 1967, having declined to run for a seventh then two-year term. At that time, Rockefeller defeated Democrat Jim Johnson to win the first of his two two-year terms. The office became four years effective with the 1986 election. | | Faubus unseated fellow Democrat Sidney Sanders McMath in the 1954 Democratic gubernatorial primary and then defeated a stronger-than-usual [[Republican]] candidate, Pratt Remmel, the mayor of Little Rock from 1951 to 1955. In 1956, he defeated [[James D. Johnson]], a fellow segregationist and later a member of the Arkansas Supreme Court known as "Justice Jim." In 1964, Faubus defeated Republican [[Winthrop Rockefeller]], 57-43 percent, but Rockefeller polled a majority of the [[African American]] vote. Rockefeller lost some conservative support to Faubus as a result of a feud from 1962 to 1964 between Rockefeller partisans and the former state party chairman, [[William L. Spicer]] of [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]]. Faubus stepped down in 1967, having declined to run for a seventh then two-year term. At that time, Rockefeller defeated Democrat Jim Johnson to win the first of his two two-year terms. The office became four years effective with the 1986 election. |