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'''John Little McClellan''' (1896-1977) was a [[Democratic]] member of the [[United States Senate]] from [[Arkansas]], with service extending from 1943 until his death, He was generally considered a [[conservative]] member of his party though he voted to censure his colleague, [[Joe McCarthy]] of [[Wisconsin]], in 1954 in opposition to the investigations of [[Communism|communist]] infiltration of the U.S. government.  McClellan is the longest-serving senator in Arkansas history.<ref name=arkansas>{{cite web|publisher=The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture|title=John Little McClellan (1896–1977)|publisher=Encyclopediaofarkansas.net|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=1708|accessdate=October 2, 2012}}</ref>

| name=John Little McClellan

| nationality=[[United States|American]]

| office=United States Senator<br> for [[Arkansas]]

| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]

| term_start=January 3, 1943

| term_end=November 28, 1977

| succeeded=[[Kaneaster Hodges, Jr.<br>

Interim for [[David Pryor]])

| office2=[[United States Representative]] for Arkansas' since defunct 6th congressional district

| term_start2=January 3, 1935

| preceded2=David D. Glover

| succeeded2=William F. Norrell

| birth_date=February 25, 1896

| birth_place=Sheridan, Grant County, Arkansas

| death_date=November 28, 1977 (aged 81)

| death_place=[[Little Rock]], Arkansas]], U.S.

| branch=[[United States Army]]

| serviceyears=1917&ndash;1919

| rank=First Lieutenant

| unit=Army Signal Corps]]

| battles=[[World War I]]}}

A native of Sheridan in Grant County, McClellan was named for former Arkansas Governor John Sebastian Little. He graduated from high school at the age of twelve and studied law in his father's office and was admitted to the Arkansas bar when he was only seventeen. He served during [[World War I]] and thereafter practice law in Malvern in Hot Spring County. From 1935 to 1939, McClellan was a member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] from Arkansas' since disbanded 6th congressional district. As a House member, he voted against [[U.S. President]] [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s attempt in 1937 to enlarge the composition of the [[United States Supreme Court]]. In 1938, he challenged incumbent Senator Hattie Carraway, but he lost by some eight thousand votes in the Democratic primary. From 1939 to 1943, he practiced law in [[Camden, Arkansas|Camden]] in Ouachita County, Arkansas. He rebounded politically in 1942 to win his state's other Senate seat, which he held until his death. For much of his tenure, his senatorial colleague was [[J. William Fulbright]] of Fayetteville. In 1956, he and Fulbright joined other southern colleagues in signing the [[Southern Manifesto]], which opposed racial integration.

 

A native of Sheridan in Grant County, McClellan was named for former Arkansas Governor John Sebastian Little. He graduated from high school at the age of twelve and studied law in his father's office and was admitted to the Arkansas bar when he was only seventeen. He served during [[World War I]] and thereafter practice law in Malvern in Hot Spring County. From 1935 to 1939, McClellan was a member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] for Arkansas' since disbanded 6th congressional district. As a House member, he voted against [[U.S. President]] [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s attempt in 1937 to enlarge the composition of the [[United States Supreme Court]]. In 1938, he challenged incumbent Senator Hattie Carraway, but he lost by some eight thousand votes in the Democratic primary. From 1939 to 1943, he practiced law in [[Camden, Arkansas|Camden]] in Ouachita County, Arkansas. He rebounded politically in 1942 to win his state's other Senate seat, which he held until his death. For much of his tenure, his senatorial colleague was [[J. William Fulbright]] of Fayetteville. In 1956, he and Fulbright joined other southern colleagues in signing the [[Southern Manifesto]], which opposed racial integration.

McClellan served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Government Operations for twenty-two years and as chairman of the [[Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations]] for eighteen years.  When he became chair in 1955, he hired [[Robert F. Kennedy]] as the Committee's chief counsel. McClellan conducted more investigations than any other Senator including in areas such as organized crime, labor racketeering, fraudulent defense contracting, and campus unrest in the 1960s.<ref name=arkansas/>  McClellan's investigation of entrepreneur [[Billie Sol Estes]] drew national headlines.<ref name=arkansas/>

McClellan served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Government Operations for twenty-two years and as chairman of the [[Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations]] for eighteen years.  When he became chair in 1955, he hired [[Robert F. Kennedy]] as the Committee's chief counsel. McClellan conducted more investigations than any other Senator including in areas such as organized crime, labor racketeering, fraudulent defense contracting, and campus unrest in the 1960s.<ref name=arkansas/>  McClellan's investigation of entrepreneur [[Billie Sol Estes]] drew national headlines.<ref name=arkansas/>

[[Category:Former United States Senators]]

[[Category:Former United States Senators]]

[[Category:Democrats]]

[[Category:Democrats]]

[[Category:United States Politicians]]

[[Category:Politicians]]

[[Category:Lawyers]]

[[Category:Attorneys]]