Cyrus William "C.W." Melson (July 9, 1929 - June 1981) was a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the Arkansas House of Representatives

Arkansas House of Representatives

The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the state. Each district has an average population of 26,734...

 from the Ozone community in Johnson County in northwestern Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

. He served from 1977 until his death in office.

An Assembly of God minister, Melson was the son of Virgil Melson (1900–1976) of Ozone. He was married to the former Kathleen Neeley (born ca. 1930) of Clarksville

Clarksville, Arkansas

Clarksville is a city in Johnson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was approximately 9,300 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Johnson County.. Clarksville is nestled between the Arkansas River and the foot hills of the Ozark Mountains and Interstate 40 and US Hwy 64...

, the seat of Johnson County.

Melson's brother, also named Virgil Melson (born ca. 1934), was the unsuccessful Republican candidate in the special election held on August 25, 1981, to choose a new representative. The seat hence reverted to the Democrats

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

.

Melson was among seven Republicans in the Arkansas legislature during most of his tenure. His colleagues were Carolyn Pollan

Carolyn Pollan

Carolyn Joan Clark Pollan is an American politician and former Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives who served for twelve consecutive two-year terms from 1975-1999 from a portion of Sebastian County, which includes the state's second largest city of Fort Smith...

 of Fort Smith

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...

, Jim L. Smithson

Jim L. Smithson

Jimmy Lee Smithson, known as Jim L. Smithson , is a conservative Republican former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives who is remembered for cosponsoring legislation in his state to allow generic substitution of prescription medications...

 of Marshall

Marshall, Arkansas

Marshall is a city in Searcy County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,313 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Searcy County. Marshall was incorporated in 1884.-Geography:Marshall is located at ....

 (Searcy County), Jerry King of Greenwood

Greenwood, Arkansas

Greenwood is a city in and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States, perhaps best known locally for its Arkansas high school football...

, Richard L. Barclay

Richard L. Barclay

Richard L. "Dick" Barclay is a Certified Public Accountant in Rogers, a city in Benton County in the northwestern corner of Arkansas, USA, who was a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from December 31, 1976- December 31, 1992...

 of Rogers

Rogers, Arkansas

Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964. The city is located in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...

, Jerry E. Hinshaw of Springdale

Springdale, Arkansas

As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...

, and Judy Petty Wolf

Judy Petty Wolf

Judy C. Petty, later Judy Petty Wolf , is a retired officer of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a former Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives...

 of Little Rock

Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...

. During Melson's last six months in office, a Republican, Frank D. White

Frank D. White

Frank Durward White was the 41st Governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He served a single two-year term from 1981 to 1983. He is one of only two people to have defeated President Bill Clinton in an election. Frank Durward White (June 4, 1933 – May 21, 2003) was...

 served a single two-year term as governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

.