| − | Faubus was born in rural Combs near Huntsville in Madison County in northwestern Arkansas. 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 was born in rural Combs near Huntsville in Madison County in northwestern Arkansas. 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 1962, Faubus won re-nomination over several primary opponents, including former Governor Sidney Sanders "Sid" McMath (1912-2003) and outgoing [[U.S. Representative]] [[Dale Alford]] whose 5th congressional district which was being disbanded. He then defeated the Republican [[Willis Ricketts]], a pharmacist from Fayetteville who ran on a "reform" agenda. 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. |