Carl Edward Bailey
Encyclopedia
Carl Edward Bailey was the 31st Governor of Arkansas
from 1937 to 1941.
. He attended Missouri public schools and graduated from high school in Campbell, Missouri
in 1912. Bailey wished to attend the University of Missouri
but was unable to afford it. He attended Chillicothe Business College in 1915 studying bookkeeping and accounting.
Bailey worked for a time as a railroad brakeman in Texas and afterwards opened a cafe in Campbell. After school he obtained the position of deputy tax collector in Dunklin County, Missouri
.
In 1917 he moved to Weona in Poinsett County, Arkansas and obtained work as a cashier in Weona, in nearby Trumann
, and later in Augusta, Arkansas
.
He became a prosecuting attorney and served in that position from 1931 to 1935. In 1936 mobster Lucky Luciano
was arrested in Hot Springs, Arkansas
and offered Bailey a $50,000 bribe if Bailey would not extradite him to New York
. Bailey refused the bribe.
In 1935 he ran for the post of Arkansas Attorney General and served one term.
. During his term the Department of Public Welfare was founded and Arkansas was made eligible for federal welfare programs. Bailey was a proponent of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal
legislation. During his term the Arkansas State Police was created and the first civil service laws in the south were signed.
After Senator Joseph Taylor Robinson
died in office, Bailey attempted to take the job. He was chosen by the Democratic convention, which he controlled, as the Democratic nominee. However, Bailey had made a campaign promise when running for governor that he would always put such nominations to a vote of the people. Political opponents within the Democratic Party put up an "independent" candidate, who criticized his broken promise, to oppose him. Bailey lost the election by a large margin.
Bailey's bid for a third term in 1940 proved unsuccessful. After leaving office he served as a lobbyist for a railroad union and taught law at the University of Arkansas
. In 1942, he founded the Carl Bailey Company, an International Harvester franchise, which sold innovative farming machinery. Bailey stayed active in politics and continued to wield some influence. In 1944, J. William Fulbright, a congressman and former president of the University of Arkansas, who was fired by Governor Adkins in a political power play, ran against Adkins for a U.S. Senate seat in 1944. Bailey supported Fulbright, who won over Adkins and two other opponents.
Bailey died on October 23, 1948 in Little Rock, Arkansas
. He is buried at the Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas
.
The University of Arkansas maintains a scholarship to the law school in his name.
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...
from 1937 to 1941.
Early life and career
Carl Edward Bailey was born in Bernie, MissouriBernie, Missouri
Bernie is a city in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States. The population was recorded as 2,031 in 2006.-Geography:Bernie is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
. He attended Missouri public schools and graduated from high school in Campbell, Missouri
Campbell, Missouri
Campbell is a city in Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,883 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Campbell is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....
in 1912. Bailey wished to attend the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
but was unable to afford it. He attended Chillicothe Business College in 1915 studying bookkeeping and accounting.
Bailey worked for a time as a railroad brakeman in Texas and afterwards opened a cafe in Campbell. After school he obtained the position of deputy tax collector in Dunklin County, Missouri
Dunklin County, Missouri
Dunklin County is a county located in the Bootheel of Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 33,155. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 31,454. The largest city and county seat is Kennett...
.
In 1917 he moved to Weona in Poinsett County, Arkansas and obtained work as a cashier in Weona, in nearby Trumann
Trumann, Arkansas
Trumann is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 6,889 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Trumann is located at ....
, and later in Augusta, Arkansas
Augusta, Arkansas
Augusta is a city in Woodruff County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,693 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Woodruff County.-Geography:Augusta is located at ....
.
Legal studies and practice
Bailey studied law and was admitted to the Arkansas bar in 1923. He opened a private law practice in 1925. He served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the Sixth Judicial District of Arkansas from 1927 to 1931.He became a prosecuting attorney and served in that position from 1931 to 1935. In 1936 mobster Lucky Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
was arrested in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
and offered Bailey a $50,000 bribe if Bailey would not extradite him to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Bailey refused the bribe.
In 1935 he ran for the post of Arkansas Attorney General and served one term.
Political career
In 1936 Bailey ran for election as Governor of Arkansas and took office in 1937. His administration developed a library and retirement system and established the first agricultural experiment station at Batesville, ArkansasBatesville, Arkansas
Batesville is the county seat and largest city of Independence County, Arkansas, United States, 80 miles northeast of Little Rock, the state capital. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 9,556...
. During his term the Department of Public Welfare was founded and Arkansas was made eligible for federal welfare programs. Bailey was a proponent of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
legislation. During his term the Arkansas State Police was created and the first civil service laws in the south were signed.
After Senator Joseph Taylor Robinson
Joseph Taylor Robinson
Joseph Taylor Robinson was an American politician from Arkansas, of the Democratic Party. He was a state representative, U.S. Representative, 23rd Governor of Arkansas, U.S...
died in office, Bailey attempted to take the job. He was chosen by the Democratic convention, which he controlled, as the Democratic nominee. However, Bailey had made a campaign promise when running for governor that he would always put such nominations to a vote of the people. Political opponents within the Democratic Party put up an "independent" candidate, who criticized his broken promise, to oppose him. Bailey lost the election by a large margin.
Bailey's bid for a third term in 1940 proved unsuccessful. After leaving office he served as a lobbyist for a railroad union and taught law at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
. In 1942, he founded the Carl Bailey Company, an International Harvester franchise, which sold innovative farming machinery. Bailey stayed active in politics and continued to wield some influence. In 1944, J. William Fulbright, a congressman and former president of the University of Arkansas, who was fired by Governor Adkins in a political power play, ran against Adkins for a U.S. Senate seat in 1944. Bailey supported Fulbright, who won over Adkins and two other opponents.
Bailey died on October 23, 1948 in Little Rock, Arkansas
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...
. He is buried at the Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas
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...
.
The University of Arkansas maintains a scholarship to the law school in his name.
External links
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Carl Edward Bailey