Homer Martin Adkins

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Homer Martin Adkins (1944)

Homer Martin Adkins (born October 15, 1890 near Jacksonville , Arkansas , † February 26, 1964 in Malvern , Arkansas) was an American politician and governor of Arkansas between 1941 and 1945 .

Early years and political advancement

Adkins attended Draughon's Business College and Little Rock College of Pharmacy. At the age of 20 he was licensed as a pharmacist . At first, however, he was only able to work in this profession with a special permit, because the minimum age for this was 21 years. During the First World War he served in a medical unit in the US Army . In doing so, he rose to become a captain . He was a member of the Democratic Party . In 1923 he became a sheriff in Pulaski County . He held this office until 1926. During this time he was, according to the Arkansas Encyclopedia, a member of the Ku Klux Klan , which was then active in some parts of Arkansas. In 1929 he was elected to Little Rock City Council. Between 1933 and 1940 he was the head of the Arkansas tax authority (Collector of Internal Revenue). In 1940 Adkins ran against incumbent Carl Bailey in the gubernatorial primaries. Bailey was a domestic opponent of Adkins. Adkins managed to win both the primaries and the actual gubernatorial elections that year.

Arkansas Governor

Adkins took up his new office on January 14, 1941. After re-election in 1942, he was able to serve until January 9, 1945. During his tenure, the budget surplus rose from $ 21 million to $ 45 million. The completion of the Grand River Dam in Oklahoma also ensured that parts of Arkansas were supplied with much-needed electricity. He also promoted the expansion of the motorways. Adkin's tenure was overshadowed by World War II . Since December 1941, the USA had been at war with Japan and Germany . For Arkansas, on the one hand, this had economic advantages. The federal government invested over $ 300 million in building arms factories and military facilities. That guaranteed full employment . The downside was the recruitment of soldiers for the war, from which many never returned. In 1943, the governor sponsored a law prohibiting all citizens of Japanese origin from owning property in Arkansas. He was against POW camps in the Arkansas area. Domestically, Adkins was in favor of racial segregation and strictly rejected any possible racial equality. On this point he even opposed the federal government, which had taken a much more liberal course on this issue. One of his goals was to turn his Democratic Party into an all-white party.

Further life

After the end of his tenure, Adkins worked as an advisor to a number of politicians. In 1948 he became the head of the Arkansas Employment Security Division, which roughly corresponds to an employment office. In 1956 he opened an advertising company (public relations firm) in Little Rock. Ex-Governor Adkins died in February 1964.

literature

  • Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 1, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

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