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From 1955 to 1958, he was a member of the elected Little Rock School Board during the [[Segregation|desegregation]] of Little Rock Central High School. He was also an appointed member of the trustees of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

From 1955 to 1958, he was a member of the elected Little Rock School Board during the [[Segregation|desegregation]] of Little Rock Central High School. He was also an appointed member of the trustees of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Alford was elected to Congress as a write-in candidate in the 1958 [[general election]]. The next successful write-in candidate elected to the House was the [[conservative]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Joe Skeen]], who won in [[New Mexico]] in 1980. Alford jumped into the election against [[incumbent]] U.S. Representative [[Brooks Hays]], who did not support the segregation of Little Rock public education. Alford ran almost entirely on opposition towards Hays' racial moderation, and his supporters printed thousands of stickers with his name on them and handed them out at polling places.<ref name=encyclopediaofarkansas/> Hays maintained a lead during the counting until an extra twenty boxes arrived bearing ballots with Alford stickers. Ultimately, Alford prevailed,<ref>November 6, 1958. [https://www.nytimes.com/1958/11/06/archives/integration-foe-wins-in-arkansas-dr-dale-alford-a-writein-candidate.html INTEGRATION FOE WINS IN ARKANSAS; Dr. Dale Alford, a Write-In Candidate, Defeats Hays -- Scores Moderation]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved October 14, 2021.</ref> 30,739 (51 percent) to Hays' 29,483 (49 percent).<ref>Billy Hathorn, ''The Republican Party in Arkansas, 1920-1982'' ([[College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[Texas]], Texas A&M University history dissertation, 1983), pp. 168-170.</ref>

Alford was elected to Congress as a write-in candidate in the 1958 [[general election]]. The next successful write-in candidate elected to the House was the [[conservative]] [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[Joe Skeen]], who won in [[New Mexico]] in 1980. Alford jumped into the election against [[incumbent]] U.S. Representative [[Brooks Hays]], who did not support the segregation of Little Rock public education.

In 1960, Alford won his second term in the House with 57,617 votes (82.7 percent) to Republican L. J. Churchill (1902-1987) of Dover in Pope County in northwestern Arkansas, who received only 12,054 ballots (17.3 percent) though [[Richard M. Nixon]] polled 43 percent in his losing race to [[John F. Kennedy]] for the Arkansas [[electoral votes]]. Churchill was a highly regarded civic and political figure in Dover. A Cumberland [[Presbyterian]] (a conservative denomination) and a Mason, he was elected to the positions of [[mayor]] of Dover and member of the municipal school board, both offices nonpartisan.<ref name=ljc/><ref>Hathorn, p. 192.</ref>

In 1960, Alford won his second term in the House with 57,617 votes (82.7 percent) to Republican L. J. Churchill (1902-1987) of Dover in Pope County in northwestern Arkansas, who received only 12,054 ballots (17.3 percent) though [[Richard M. Nixon]] polled 43 percent in his losing race to [[John F. Kennedy]] for the Arkansas [[electoral votes]]. Churchill was a highly regarded civic and political figure in Dover. A Cumberland [[Presbyterian]] (a conservative denomination) and a Mason, he was elected to the positions of [[mayor]] of Dover and member of the municipal school board, both offices nonpartisan.<ref name=ljc/><ref>Hathorn, p. 192.</ref>