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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]] 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.
McClellan served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Government Operations for 22 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 racketering, 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 was the co-author of the 1976 Copyright Act, which was the first revision to that law in many decades.<ref name=arkansas/>
McClellan rarely faced a serious challenger. He was unopposed in 1966. In his last election in 1972, he defeated U.S. Representative [[David Pryor]], also of Camden, in a closely-contested party primary. McClellan then dispatched a rare [[Republican]] challenge from the [[veterinarian]] Wayne Babbitt of North Little Rock, a protege of Governor [[Winthrop Rockefeller]]. Oddly, Pryor, who was elected governor in 1974 and 1976, named the interim senator in 1977 to succeed his former rival McClellan. Pryor then won the former McClellan seat in the 1978 election.
McClellan rarely faced a serious challenger. He was unopposed in 1966. In his last election in 1972, he defeated U.S. Representative [[David Pryor]], also of Camden, in a closely-contested party primary. McClellan then dispatched a rare [[Republican]] challenge from the [[veterinarian]] Wayne Babbitt of North Little Rock, a protege of Governor [[Winthrop Rockefeller]]. Oddly, Pryor, who was elected governor in 1974 and 1976, named the interim senator in 1977 to succeed his former rival McClellan. Pryor then won the former McClellan seat in the 1978 election.