Charles Hillman Brough
Encyclopedia
Charles Hillman Brough was the 25th Governor of the U.S. state
of Arkansas
from 1917 to 1921.
Charles Brough was born in Clinton, Mississippi
. In 1894, he graduated from Mississippi College
in Clinton. He earned his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University
in 1898, and graduated from the law school at the University of Mississippi
in 1902. He taught at Mississippi College
, Hillman College
, and the University of Arkansas
. He served as a Baptist
deacon.
Brough was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1916. During his administration, the state reformatory for women was founded and a girl's industrial school was opened. He signed into law a bill which allowed women to vote in primary election
s. Under Brough, Arkansas became the only southern state to allow women's suffrage
prior to the 19th Amendment
. Brough was a liberal Democrat and publicly opposed lynching
and advocated for the passage of anti-lynching laws. He was reelected as governor in 1918, when the Republican Party
endorsed Brough against the Socialist Clay Fulks
.
In 1919 he requested federal troops to stop the Elaine Race Riot
in Elaine, Arkansas
and accompanied the troops to the scene.
Brough was a personal friend of the Woodward family and was an early influence on prominent southern historian C. Vann Woodward
.
Brough served as the director of the Public Information Bureau from 1925 to 1928 and served as president of Central Baptist College
in Conway, Arkansas
in 1929. He chaired the Virginia
-District of Columbia Boundary Commission from 1934 to 1935. Brough was also a Civitan.
Dr. Charles Hillman Brough died in Washington, D.C.
He is buried at the Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas
.
Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest
: "Pronounced as if it were spelled bruff." (Charles Earle Funk, What's the Name, Please?, Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
from 1917 to 1921.
Charles Brough was born in Clinton, Mississippi
Clinton, Mississippi
Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 23,347 at the 2000 United States Census.-History:...
. In 1894, he graduated from Mississippi College
Mississippi College
Mississippi College, also known as MC, is a private, Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi. Mississippi College comprises the main campus in Clinton, as well as satellite campuses in Brandon and Madison, Mississippi, and the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson...
in Clinton. He earned his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in 1898, and graduated from the law school at the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
in 1902. He taught at Mississippi College
Mississippi College
Mississippi College, also known as MC, is a private, Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi. Mississippi College comprises the main campus in Clinton, as well as satellite campuses in Brandon and Madison, Mississippi, and the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson...
, Hillman College
Hillman College (Mississippi)
Hillman College was a women's college in Clinton, Mississippi from 1853 until 1942. It was founded under the name of Central Female Institute. It was organized by the Central Baptist Association. Hillman College remained in operation during the entire American Civil War...
, and 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...
. He served as a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
deacon.
Brough was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1916. During his administration, the state reformatory for women was founded and a girl's industrial school was opened. He signed into law a bill which allowed women to vote in primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
s. Under Brough, Arkansas became the only southern state to allow women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
prior to the 19th Amendment
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
. Brough was a liberal Democrat and publicly opposed lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
and advocated for the passage of anti-lynching laws. He was reelected as governor in 1918, when the Republican Party
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...
endorsed Brough against the Socialist Clay Fulks
Clay Fulks
Clay Fulks was a writer on Arkansas lore. In his articles Fulks was one of those who shared H. L. Mencken's dichotomy between a backward and an enlightened South. This dichotomy Fulks blamed on an infestation of parsons. In 1918 he stood, and lost, as Socialist Party of America candidate for...
.
In 1919 he requested federal troops to stop the Elaine Race Riot
Elaine Race Riot
The Elaine Race Riot, also called the Elaine Massacre, occurred September 30, 1919 in the town of Elaine in Phillips County, Arkansas, in the Arkansas Delta, where sharecropping by African American farmers was prevalent on plantations of white landowners.Approximately 100 African American farmers,...
in Elaine, Arkansas
Elaine, Arkansas
Elaine is a city in Phillips County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 865 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elaine is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
and accompanied the troops to the scene.
Brough was a personal friend of the Woodward family and was an early influence on prominent southern historian C. Vann Woodward
C. Vann Woodward
Comer Vann Woodward was a preeminent American historian focusing primarily on the American South and race relations. He was considered, along with Richard Hofstadter and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., to be one of the most influential historians of the postwar era, 1940s-1970s, both by scholars and by...
.
Brough served as the director of the Public Information Bureau from 1925 to 1928 and served as president of Central Baptist College
Central Baptist College
Central Baptist College is a four-year, private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Majors are available within the fields of behavioral science, business, general education, missions, music, religion, and science. Located on a campus , CBC was founded in 1952 and awards both associate and...
in Conway, Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas
Conway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
in 1929. He chaired the Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
-District of Columbia Boundary Commission from 1934 to 1935. Brough was also a Civitan.
Dr. Charles Hillman Brough died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
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...
.
Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest
Literary Digest
The Literary Digest was an influential general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, Public Opinion and Current Opinion.-History:...
: "Pronounced as if it were spelled bruff." (Charles Earle Funk, What's the Name, Please?, Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)
External links
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Charles Hillman Brough