Chapter Twenty-Eight

County Officers - 1836-1976

By: Earl Berry

Page 455-460

A history of Marion County would be incomplete without giving the names of the men and women who have been honored by their fellow citizens through the elective process to serve as the elected officials of the county. From the 1968 Historical Report of the Secretary of State (Arkansas), published by the late Kelly Bryant, the names of those officials, the office held, length of service from the beginning of Marion County in 1836 until the date of publication in 1968 is submitted. The information from 1968 to the present was given by Mrs. Lucille Sanders, County Clerk, who, incidentally, was the first woman elected to hold county office in Marion County. She will be joined in January 1977 by Mrs. Layne Milligan who will be the second woman to hold elective office-that of County Treasurer.

A review of the record indicates that J. A. Smith served the greatest number of years in county office-24 years as County Surveyor. His years of service were not consecutive. He served as surveyor for 12 years from 1923 to 1935 and again for 12 years from 1941 to 1953. Bert Wingate served as Surveyor for 18 consecutive years, the longest tenure in one office by one man. R. L. Berry served as a county officer for 22 years-four years as Treasurer, four years as Clerk and fourteen years as County Judge. Others who served for many years were: Burl King, County Judge from 1947 to June 1963-161/2 years; Fulton Patterson served 8 years as Surveyor 1915 to 1923, 8 years as Clerk 1931 to 1939 and 2 years as County Judge 1945-46

-a total of 18 years; Gus McCracken served as sheriff for 8 years 1937 to 1945, Representative 1957-1960 for four years, and as County Judge from June 1963 to January 1965 - 11/2 years for a total of 131/2 years; Chester F. (Tank) Rea served as Coroner for 16 years from 1951 to 1967.

House of Representatives

For many years each county elected a representative to serve as a member of the House of Representatives of the Arkansas General Assembly. Marion County did not have a representative in the First General Assembly that convened in Little Rock September 12, 1836, as Marion County was created by this First General Assembly in 1836.

Marion County's first member of the House of Representatives was B. C. Roberts who served in the Second General Assembly that convened November 5, 1838.

Below is listed in consecutive order the names of those who served Marion County in the House of Representatives:

Following the Civil War during the Reconstruction Period from 1868 to the convening of the 20th General Assembly on November 10, 1874, Marion County was a part of the Third District comprised of Madison, Marion and Carroll Counties in the 17th General Assembly and was represented by Benjamin Vaughan, S. A. Firzwater, J. T. Hopper and P. A. Williams. In the 18th General Assembly the Third District was comprised of Boone, Madison, Carroll, Fulton, hard and Marion Counties and was represented by E. P. Watson, G. J. Crump, F. J. Eubanks, and J. S. O'Neal.

19th General Assembly the Third District was comprised of Carroll, Fulton, Izard, Marion and Boone Counties and was represented by W. L. Chap man, Joseph Wright, J. M. Foster and J. F. Cunningham. On May 11, 1814, Governor Elisha Baxter called the General Assembly into an Extraordinary Session. The Third District for this Extraordinary Session was comprised of Madison, Marion, Carroll, Fulton, Izard and Boone Counties and the representatives were D. G. Hart and J. M. Foster.

 Due to the reapportionment of seats in the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of Arkansas, Marion County became a part of the Fourth District of the House of Representatives. This Fourth District was comprised of Marion, Searcy and Pope Counties and had two members. These were J. H. (Jim) Harrell and L. L. (Doc) Bryan both of Russellville, Pope County, who represented Marion County in 66th and 67th Assemblies. 68th General Assembly-House-Fourth District L. L. Bryan and J. H. Harrell. 69th General Assembly-L. L. Bryan and Ron Archer. Due to reapportionment brought about by the 1970 Census, Marion, Searcy and a part of Baxter County became the 43rd District of the House of Representatives. 70th General Assembly-Claude Wade of Yellville. 71st General Assembly - Jim Smithson of Marshall.

<The following are large tables of the Officials for Marion Co. They will take a bit to load and you will have to use your bottom scroll bar/arrow to move all the way across the page>