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→Party leader
==Party leader==
==Party leader==
Lowe was elected state party chairman in December 1974, when the Arkansas state Senator [[Jim Caldwell]], stepped down from the unpaid position, to which he had been elected in March 1973.<ref>''Arkansas Outlook'' (Republican newsletter), May 1973</ref> Lowe defeated three candidates, Dr. Robert Luther of Arkadelphia, who later served as the party executive director; Marshall Martin of Benton, the party chairman in Saline County and a former aide to Governor Rockefeller, and Bob Scott of Little Rock, a moderate and former Rockefeller associate.<ref>''Arkansas Outlook,'' December 1974; ''Arkansas Gazette'' (now ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette''), December 8, 1974.</ref> Though considered a conservative, Lowe was friendly with [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Nelson Rockefeller]], Winthrop Rockefeller's older brother who had been nominated to fill the second slot by President [[Gerald Ford]], upon Ford's accession to the presidency after the resignation of President [[Richard M. Nixon]]. Lowe said that Nelson Rockefeller was popular among Arkansas Republicans because of "the feelings for his brother." Yet, Lowe said that a more conservative running mate might be needed for Ford in 1976, having foreshadowed the replacement of Nelson Rockefeller on the GOP ticket with [[Bob Dole]] of [[Kansas]].<ref>''Arkansas Outlook,'' October 1975.</ref>
Lowe was elected state party chairman in December 1974, when the Arkansas state Senator [[Jim Caldwell]], stepped down from the unpaid position, to which he had been elected in March 1973.<ref>''Arkansas Outlook'' (Republican newsletter), May 1973</ref> Lowe defeated three candidates, Dr. Robert Luther of Arkadelphia, who later served as the party executive director; Marshall Martin of Benton, the party chairman in Saline County and a former aide to Governor Rockefeller, and Bob Scott of Little Rock, a moderate and former Rockefeller associate.<ref>''Arkansas Outlook,'' December 1974; ''Arkansas Gazette'' (now ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette''), December 8, 1974.</ref> Though considered a conservative, Lowe was friendly with [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Nelson Rockefeller]], Winthrop Rockefeller's older brother who had been nominated to fill the second slot by President [[Gerald Ford]], upon Ford's accession to the presidency after the resignation of President [[Richard M. Nixon]]. Lowe said that Nelson Rockefeller was popular among Arkansas Republicans because of "the feelings for his brother." Yet, Lowe said that a more conservative running mate might be needed for Ford in 1976, having foreshadowed the replacement of Nelson Rockefeller on the GOP ticket with [[Bob Dole]] of [[Kansas]].<ref>''Arkansas Outlook,'' October 1975.</ref>
Lowe described Winthrop Rockefeller as "a very unusual guy with the best interest of Arkansas and its people at heart. If he made a mistake, it was not because he wanted to do so."<ref name=lowe/> Lowe said that his early years as chairman came at a time when the Arkansas GOP was "about as flat on our back as a party could be. By 1980, we had come from one state legislator to a governor, [[Frank D. White]], and two members of the U.S. House", John Paul Hammerschmidt and Edwin Ruthvin Bethune, Jr.<ref name=lowe/>
Lowe described Winthrop Rockefeller as "a very unusual guy with the best interest of Arkansas and its people at heart. If he made a mistake, it was not because he wanted to do so."<ref name=lowe/> Lowe said that his early years as chairman came at a time when the Arkansas GOP was "about as flat on our back as a party could be. By 1980, we had come from one state legislator to a governor, [[Frank D. White]], and two members of the U.S. House", John Paul Hammerschmidt and Edwin Ruthvin Bethune, Jr.<ref name=lowe/>
Lowe served three two-year terms as chairman, having been succeeded in June 1980 by the vice chairman who became the interim chairman, Jeraldine D. "Jeri" Pruden,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=Social Security Death Index|publisher=ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|accessdate=December 29, 2009}}</ref> of Hope in [Hempstead County and the birthplace of Bill Clinton. In December 1980, [[Harlan "Bo" Holleman]] was elected and served as chairman until his death in March 1982. Like Lowe, Holleman was also a former candidate for the U.S. Congress.<ref>''Arkansas Outlook,'' December 1976.</ref>
Lowe served three two-year terms as chairman, having been succeeded in June 1980 by the vice chairman who became the interim chairman, Jeraldine D. "Jeri" Pruden,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=Social Security Death Index|publisher=ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com|accessdate=December 29, 2009}}</ref> of Hope in Hempstead County, the birthplace of Bill Clinton. In December 1980, [[Harlan "Bo" Holleman]] was elected and served as chairman until his death in March 1982. Like Lowe, Holleman was also a former candidate for the U.S. Congress.<ref>''Arkansas Outlook,'' December 1976.</ref>
On August 10, 1975, Lowe and then State Representative Carolyn Joan Pollan of Fort Smith hosted U.S. President Ford, who attended a reception of some thirty Arkansas Republican leaders held at the Sheraton Inn in Fort Smith. Earlier in the day, Ford had toured Fort Chaffee, accompanied by Senator [[John McClellan]] and other Democratic members of the Arkansas congressional delegation. Ford's stops included the Vietnam Refugee Resettlement Center there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/LIBRARY/document/diary/pdd750810.pdf|title=The Daily Dairy of President Gerald R. Ford|date= August 10, 1975|publisher=fordlibrarymuseum.gov |accessdate=December 27, 2009}}</ref>
On August 10, 1975, Lowe and then State Representative Carolyn Joan Pollan of Fort Smith hosted U.S. President Ford, who attended a reception of some thirty Arkansas Republican leaders held at the Sheraton Inn in Fort Smith. Earlier in the day, Ford had toured Fort Chaffee, accompanied by Senator [[John McClellan]] and other Democratic members of the Arkansas congressional delegation. Ford's stops included the Vietnam Refugee Resettlement Center there.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/LIBRARY/document/diary/pdd750810.pdf|title=The Daily Dairy of President Gerald R. Ford|date= August 10, 1975|publisher=fordlibrarymuseum.gov |accessdate=December 27, 2009}}</ref>