Ed Bethune
Encyclopedia
Edwin Ruthvin "Ed" Bethune, Jr. (born December 19, 1935), is a lawyer
and lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
, who was a Republican
member of the United States House of Representatives
from Arkansas
from 1979-1985. His last campaign was an unsuccessful challenge in 1984 to the second-term reelection of Democratic
U.S. Senator David Hampton Pryor
.
in Randolph County in far northeastern Arkansas. He graduated from Pocahontas High School
in 1953 . He was a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps
from 1954–1957, with service in South Korea
.
After military service, Bethune obtained his bachelor of arts
degree in 1961 from the University of Arkansas
at Fayetteville
, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He received the Juris Doctor
degree from the UA Law
School in 1963 and was admitted to the Arkansas bar that same year. He began his practice in Pocahontas. In 1972, while he was living in Searcy
in White County
north of Little Rock
, he practiced with former Arkansas Republican Party chairman Odell Pollard
, who served as his political mentor. Bethune also was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
Immediately after admission to the bar, Bethune was a deputy prosecuting attorney in Randolph County from 1963-1964. He was a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
from 1964-1968. He was a prosecuting attorney for the First Judicial District of Arkansas from 1970-1971. He was chairman of the Ninth District Federal Home Loan Bank Board
from 1973-1976.
against the Democrat James Guy Tucker, Jr.
, who would thereafter become a member of the U.S. House, lieutenant governor
, and governor
. Bethune attempted to depict Tucker as "weak" on the issue of crime
in contrast to his own tough record as an FBI agent. "Tucker doesn't believe that stiff punishment can deter the drug traffic," said Bethune, who alleged that his opponent, as the Pulaski County prosecutor, had failed to pursue drug cases. Bethune pinned the liberal
label on Tucker, who was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union
. He denounced the ACLU as "an ultraliberal organization that is soft on criminals, drugs, and sex offenders."
Bethune's campaign manager for attorney general was James "Jim" Burnett (born 1948), a young Clinton, Arkansas
(Van Buren County), lawyer who in 1982 was appointed by U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan as director of the National Transportation Safety Board
.
Despite the overwhelming reelection margin for President Richard M. Nixon, the Arkansas GOP
ticket, which also included Len E. Blaylock
for governor, Ken Coon
for lieutenant governor, and Jerry Climer
for secretary of state, fared poorly. Tucker defeated Bethune, 370,647 (60 percent) to 247,404 (40 percent). Bethune carried only three of the seventy-five counties, his home county of White, Pulaski, and Searcy counties. (Searcy County should not to be confused with the city of Searcy in White County.) Bethune polled more than 48 percent in Garland County (Hot Springs
) and at least 40 percent in fourteen other counties. It was his showing in populous Pulaski County, also the home of Tucker, which would convince GOP leaders six years later to endorse Bethune as the Republican congressional nominee in an open-seat election. Ironically, the man vacating the seat was the unsuccessful senatorial candidate that year, Jim Guy Tucker.
, of New York
and U.S. Senator William V. Roth of Delaware
. Bethune defeated the Democrat Douglas Brandon,a state representative and the owner of a chain of Little Rock furniture
stores. In the primary, Brandon had turned aside the more liberal choice, state Representative
Cecil Alexander. Bethune received 65,288 votes (51.2 percent) to Brandon's 62,140 (48.8 percent). He won only three of the nine counties in the district, but his margins in Pulaski, White, and Cleburne counties were sufficient to provide a 3,148-vote plurality over Brandon. Allegations persisted that some Tucker supporters would not work for Brandon, a more conservative Democrat than Tucker, because Tucker might have sought a comeback in 1980—he did not, as it turned out—and would prefer to have faced Bethune, rather than Brandon.
Once in the House, Bethune named Jerry Climer, his defeated ticket-mate from 1972, as his chief of staff. Climer remained with Bethune during the entire congressional tenure. Bethune made federal taxes and spending his chief concern. He became a close associate of Jack Kemp. A survey revealed that in 1981 and 1982, Bethune had supported the Reagan administration 82 percent of the time. However, he had demonstrated independence. In 1982, he supported the 25-year extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the renewal of the federal legal services program, which involves itself in both criminal and civil matters, to the consternation of many conservatves.
Bethune broke with his Arkansas GOP to support the reappointment of Democratic U.S. Marshal Charles H. Gray (1922–2003), a cousin
of U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers
, who had headed the gubernatorial ticket opposite Bethune in the latter's race for attorney general in 1972. Republican Governor Frank D. White
wanted to return Len Blaylock to the marshal's position which Blaylock had held in the Gerald R. Ford
administration. However, Bethune said that Gray was "one of the top marshals in the country" and should remain in place. Republican State Chairman Harlan H. "Bo" Holleman
of Wynne
in Cross County in eastern Arkansas, said that the reappointment "doesn't help to build a party. My business is building the party, and building strength and patronage is one of the ways to do it." Nevertheless, Bethune prevailed, and Gray remained in place.
Bethune opposed Reagan's proposal, against the advice of Israel
, to sell AWACS fighter planes to Saudi Arabia
. Bethune also joined Senators Bumpers and Pryor to strike down a proposal to override Arkansas' 10 percent interest ceiling for retail loans. Bethune opposed the establishment of the Congressional Sunbelt Caucus, as proposed by a Democratic colleague, Beryl Anthony of El Dorado
in south Arkansas. He claimed that such caucuses are divisive and pit regional interests against one another. However, the Sunbelt Caucus was established with members from both parties representing states from California
to Florida
.
Bethune gained favorable attention from being chosen in 1979 as the president of the U.S. House Republican freshman class. He was reelected with ease in 1980—he polled 159,148 votes (78.9 percent) to 42,278 (21 percent) for his Democratic opponent, Jacksonville
Mayor
James G. Reid.
in Lonoke County. George was not the Democrats' first choice; party leaders failed to persuade Little Rock attorney Sandy Sidney McMath (born ca. 1942), the son of the former governor, Sidney Sanders McMath, to challenge Bethune.
George proved to be a good campaigner: he predicted, incorrectly as it turned out, that "unless the economy improves between now [summer 1982] and the election, which I don't expect, [Bethune]'s going to get himself beat." George opposed increased defense spending. In his folksy way, he claimed that if the United States
and the then Soviet Union
"don't watch it, they're going to both {sic} spend themselves into bankruptcy by building all these weapons." George supported delaying the 25 percent across-the-board Reagan tax cuts and declined to commit himself to support a proposed constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget. He alleged that the Reagan program was designed primarily "to aid the wealthy."
In August 1982, supply-sider Bethune broke with the Reagan administration to oppose a series of tax increases billed as "loophole closings." Bethune warned that the tax increases, some $99 billion, would delay, not hasten economic recovery, which began in the spring of 1983 . Bethune's Republican colleague, John Paul Hammerschmidt
of Harrison
from the adjoining Third Congressional District, joined in opposing the tax increases. Bethune, who was a member of the House Budget and Banking Committee, also charged that the 1982 tax hikes were of questionable constitutionality because they originated in the Senate Finance Committee, under then chairman Robert J. Dole
of Kansas
, rather than in the House, as required by the United States Constitution
.
The Arkansas Gazette, in a series of editorials, claimed that Bethune "wants to have it both ways, taking credit for tax reduction but no responsibility for deficits." In its endorsement of George, the Gazette described the candidate as "a staunch Democrat who has defined with unmistakable clarity the leading economic and fiscal issues." The newspaper also criticized Bethune for his "pro-Pentagon" position and hostility to government social programs, which it insisted were essential to the well-being of Arkansans.
Bethune survived the challenge: 96,775 (53.9 percent) to George's 82,913 (46.1 percent). It was, however, Bethune's last election victory. His next campaign would exceed his grasp.
Bethune's House seat reverted to the Democrats, as Arkansas
Sheriff
Tommy F. Robinson
defeated Republican state Representative Judy Petty
in her second bid for the same House seat. Robinson later switched to the Republican Party, but the seat returned to the Democrats with the 1990 election, and no Republican held it until Tim Griffin won it again for the GOP in the 2010 midterm election.
After leaving Congress, Bethune served from 1986-1988 as the Arkansas Republican Party state Chairman.
In 1981, while he was still in the U.S. House, Bethune outlined his vision for the Arkansas Republican future: "I think it's essential to the life of our party that we attract diverse groups. . . . When [Winthrop] Rockefeller headed the party in Arkansas, we had a broader reach across the economic, social, and political spectrum than we have now, and we attracted blacks to our cause in greater numbers than we have today. I think we had a more balanced Republican Party then, and I think it's essential to the life of a party that it include diverse groups."
Newt Gingrich
and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
after each became involved in ethics
allegations. Taped recordings of his work for Gingrich circulated widely in the late 1990s. Bethune represents diverse clients, including Marriott International
, Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad and the defense contractor Raytheon
. He is a member of the exclusive Republican Chowder and Marching Society.
Bethune and his wife, Lana, reside in West River, Maryland
. They are the parents of two grown children. They are Methodist. In 1990, Lana and Ed Bethune were rescued by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter
s some two hundred miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The couple had withstood rough seas for some thirty-six hours in their 30 feet (9.1 m) yacht
Salute before being located by authorities.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and lobbyist 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....
, who 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 United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 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 1979-1985. His last campaign was an unsuccessful challenge in 1984 to the second-term reelection of Democratic
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...
U.S. Senator David Hampton Pryor
David Pryor
David Hampton Pryor is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. Pryor also served as 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1966...
.
Early years, education, military, legal practice
Bethune was born to Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Bethune, Sr., in PocahontasPocahontas, Arkansas
Pocahontas is a city in Randolph County, Arkansas, United States, along the Black River. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, its population of the city is 6,765. The city is the county seat of Randolph County....
in Randolph County in far northeastern Arkansas. He graduated from Pocahontas High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in 1953 . He was a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
from 1954–1957, with service in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
After military service, Bethune obtained his bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1961 from 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...
at Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He received the Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the UA Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
School in 1963 and was admitted to the Arkansas bar that same year. He began his practice in Pocahontas. In 1972, while he was living in Searcy
Searcy, Arkansas
Searcy is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,663. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of White County...
in White County
White County, Arkansas
White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 77,076. The county seat is Searcy. White County is Arkansas's 31st county, formed on October 23, 1835, from portions of Independence, Jackson, and Pulaski counties and named for Hugh Lawson White, a...
north 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...
, he practiced with former Arkansas Republican Party chairman Odell Pollard
Odell Pollard
Odell Pollard is a retired attorney in Searcy, the seat of White County in central Arkansas, who was a pioneer in the revitalization of the Republican Party in his state.-Early years:...
, who served as his political mentor. Bethune also was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
Immediately after admission to the bar, Bethune was a deputy prosecuting attorney in Randolph County from 1963-1964. He was a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
from 1964-1968. He was a prosecuting attorney for the First Judicial District of Arkansas from 1970-1971. He was chairman of the Ninth District Federal Home Loan Bank Board
Federal Home Loan Bank Board
The Federal Home Loan Bank Board was a board created by the Federal Home Loan Bank Act of 1932 that created and oversaw the Federal Home Loan Banks also created by the act. It was superseded by the Federal Housing Finance Board and the Office of Thrift Supervision in the Financial Institutions...
from 1973-1976.
The campaign for attorney general, 1972
In 1972, Bethune was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Arkansas attorney generalAttorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
against the Democrat James Guy Tucker, Jr.
Jim Guy Tucker
James "Jim" Guy Tucker, Jr. is an Arkansas political figure. He served as the 43rd Governor of Arkansas, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, Arkansas Attorney General, and U.S. Representative...
, who would thereafter become a member of the U.S. House, lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
, and governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
. Bethune attempted to depict Tucker as "weak" on the issue of crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
in contrast to his own tough record as an FBI agent. "Tucker doesn't believe that stiff punishment can deter the drug traffic," said Bethune, who alleged that his opponent, as the Pulaski County prosecutor, had failed to pursue drug cases. Bethune pinned the liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
label on Tucker, who was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
. He denounced the ACLU as "an ultraliberal organization that is soft on criminals, drugs, and sex offenders."
Bethune's campaign manager for attorney general was James "Jim" Burnett (born 1948), a young Clinton, Arkansas
Clinton, Arkansas
Clinton is the county seat of Van Buren County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,283 at the 2000 census. The city was named for DeWitt Clinton, the New York governor who built the Erie Canal; he previously was also a U.S. Senator from New York. Clinton is located at...
(Van Buren County), lawyer who in 1982 was appointed by U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan as director of the National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
.
Despite the overwhelming reelection margin for President Richard M. Nixon, the Arkansas GOP
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...
ticket, which also included Len E. Blaylock
Len E. Blaylock
Len Everette Blaylock, Sr. , is a retired farmer, educator, small businessman, and Republican politician from tiny Nimrod in Perry County in northwestern Arkansas. He was state welfare commissioner under Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, the GOP gubernatorial nominee , the U.S...
for governor, Ken Coon
Ken Coon
Kenneth Lloyd "Ken" Coon, Sr. , is a Little Rock educator, professional psychologist, and counselor who was also a pioneer in the development of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Arkansas. He was the GOP state chairman from 1988—1990...
for lieutenant governor, and Jerry Climer
Jerry Climer
Jerome Francis Climer, known as Jerry Climer , is the founder of two Washington, D.C.-based "think tanks", the Congressional Institute and the Public Governance Institute, which were established in 1987 and 2001, respectively...
for secretary of state, fared poorly. Tucker defeated Bethune, 370,647 (60 percent) to 247,404 (40 percent). Bethune carried only three of the seventy-five counties, his home county of White, Pulaski, and Searcy counties. (Searcy County should not to be confused with the city of Searcy in White County.) Bethune polled more than 48 percent in Garland County (Hot Springs
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 at least 40 percent in fourteen other counties. It was his showing in populous Pulaski County, also the home of Tucker, which would convince GOP leaders six years later to endorse Bethune as the Republican congressional nominee in an open-seat election. Ironically, the man vacating the seat was the unsuccessful senatorial candidate that year, Jim Guy Tucker.
Election to the U.S. House, 1978
In his 1978 campaign for the U.S. House seat from the Second District in central Arkansas, based about Little Rock, Bethune endorsed the "supply-side" tax reduction plan offered by then U.S. Representative Jack French Kemp, Jr.Jack Kemp
Jack French Kemp was an American politician and a collegiate and professional football player. A Republican, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, having previously served nine terms as a congressman for Western New York's 31st...
, of 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...
and U.S. Senator William V. Roth of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. Bethune defeated the Democrat Douglas Brandon,a state representative and the owner of a chain of Little Rock furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
stores. In the primary, Brandon had turned aside the more liberal choice, state Representative
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...
Cecil Alexander. Bethune received 65,288 votes (51.2 percent) to Brandon's 62,140 (48.8 percent). He won only three of the nine counties in the district, but his margins in Pulaski, White, and Cleburne counties were sufficient to provide a 3,148-vote plurality over Brandon. Allegations persisted that some Tucker supporters would not work for Brandon, a more conservative Democrat than Tucker, because Tucker might have sought a comeback in 1980—he did not, as it turned out—and would prefer to have faced Bethune, rather than Brandon.
Once in the House, Bethune named Jerry Climer, his defeated ticket-mate from 1972, as his chief of staff. Climer remained with Bethune during the entire congressional tenure. Bethune made federal taxes and spending his chief concern. He became a close associate of Jack Kemp. A survey revealed that in 1981 and 1982, Bethune had supported the Reagan administration 82 percent of the time. However, he had demonstrated independence. In 1982, he supported the 25-year extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the renewal of the federal legal services program, which involves itself in both criminal and civil matters, to the consternation of many conservatves.
Bethune broke with his Arkansas GOP to support the reappointment of Democratic U.S. Marshal Charles H. Gray (1922–2003), a cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers
Dale Bumpers
Dale Leon Bumpers is an American politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975; and then in the United States Senate from 1975 until his retirement in January 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Senator Bumpers is currently counsel at the Washington, D.C...
, who had headed the gubernatorial ticket opposite Bethune in the latter's race for attorney general in 1972. Republican Governor 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...
wanted to return Len Blaylock to the marshal's position which Blaylock had held in the Gerald R. Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
administration. However, Bethune said that Gray was "one of the top marshals in the country" and should remain in place. Republican State Chairman Harlan H. "Bo" Holleman
Harlan Holleman
Harlan Harmon "Bo" Holleman was a farmer and seed merchant from Wynne, the seat of Cross County in eastern Arkansas, and a pioneer in the development of the modern Republican Party in his home state. He was the Arkansas state GOP chairman from December 6, 1980, until his death some sixteen months...
of Wynne
Wynne, Arkansas
Wynne is the county seat and largest city of Cross County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,615 at the 2000 Census. Nestled between the Arkansas Delta and Crowley's Ridge, Wynne is home to the largest state park in Arkansas, Village Creek State Park.-Geography:Wynne lies at , the...
in Cross County in eastern Arkansas, said that the reappointment "doesn't help to build a party. My business is building the party, and building strength and patronage is one of the ways to do it." Nevertheless, Bethune prevailed, and Gray remained in place.
Bethune opposed Reagan's proposal, against the advice of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, to sell AWACS fighter planes to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Bethune also joined Senators Bumpers and Pryor to strike down a proposal to override Arkansas' 10 percent interest ceiling for retail loans. Bethune opposed the establishment of the Congressional Sunbelt Caucus, as proposed by a Democratic colleague, Beryl Anthony of El Dorado
El Dorado, Arkansas
El Dorado , a multi-cultural arts center: South Arkansas Arts Center , an award-winning renovated downtown, and numerous sporting, shopping, and dining opportunities. El Dorado is the population, cultural, and business center of the 7,300 mi² regional area...
in south Arkansas. He claimed that such caucuses are divisive and pit regional interests against one another. However, the Sunbelt Caucus was established with members from both parties representing states from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Bethune gained favorable attention from being chosen in 1979 as the president of the U.S. House Republican freshman class. He was reelected with ease in 1980—he polled 159,148 votes (78.9 percent) to 42,278 (21 percent) for his Democratic opponent, Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Arkansas
Jacksonville is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States, and a suburb of Little Rock. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 28,364. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area....
Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
James G. Reid.
The election of 1982
In 1982 , a nationally Democratic year, Bethune had a harder race. He did not begin campaigning until the final three weeks of the contest, for he had been so confident of winning a third term. His opponent was the Democratic former state Senator Charles Lindbergh George, Sr. (born ca. 1929), from CabotCabot, Arkansas
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,269 people, 5,432 households, and 4,329 families residing in the city. The population density was 798.2 people per square mile . There were 5,712 housing units at an average density of 298.8 per square mile...
in Lonoke County. George was not the Democrats' first choice; party leaders failed to persuade Little Rock attorney Sandy Sidney McMath (born ca. 1942), the son of the former governor, Sidney Sanders McMath, to challenge Bethune.
George proved to be a good campaigner: he predicted, incorrectly as it turned out, that "unless the economy improves between now [summer 1982] and the election, which I don't expect, [Bethune]'s going to get himself beat." George opposed increased defense spending. In his folksy way, he claimed that if the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the then Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
"don't watch it, they're going to both {sic} spend themselves into bankruptcy by building all these weapons." George supported delaying the 25 percent across-the-board Reagan tax cuts and declined to commit himself to support a proposed constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget. He alleged that the Reagan program was designed primarily "to aid the wealthy."
In August 1982, supply-sider Bethune broke with the Reagan administration to oppose a series of tax increases billed as "loophole closings." Bethune warned that the tax increases, some $99 billion, would delay, not hasten economic recovery, which began in the spring of 1983 . Bethune's Republican colleague, John Paul Hammerschmidt
John Paul Hammerschmidt
John Paul Hammerschmidt is an American politician from the U.S. state of Arkansas. A Republican, Hammerschmidt served for thirteen terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from the northwestern Arkansas district before he retired in 1993...
of Harrison
Harrison, Arkansas
Harrison is a city in Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is the county seat. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,108. Boone County was organized in 1869, during reconstruction after the civil war. Harrison was platted and made the county seat. It is...
from the adjoining Third Congressional District, joined in opposing the tax increases. Bethune, who was a member of the House Budget and Banking Committee, also charged that the 1982 tax hikes were of questionable constitutionality because they originated in the Senate Finance Committee, under then chairman Robert J. Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, rather than in the House, as required by the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
.
The Arkansas Gazette, in a series of editorials, claimed that Bethune "wants to have it both ways, taking credit for tax reduction but no responsibility for deficits." In its endorsement of George, the Gazette described the candidate as "a staunch Democrat who has defined with unmistakable clarity the leading economic and fiscal issues." The newspaper also criticized Bethune for his "pro-Pentagon" position and hostility to government social programs, which it insisted were essential to the well-being of Arkansans.
Bethune survived the challenge: 96,775 (53.9 percent) to George's 82,913 (46.1 percent). It was, however, Bethune's last election victory. His next campaign would exceed his grasp.
Running for the U.S. Senate, 1984
Bethune did not seek a fourth term in 1984; he instead ran on the Reagan-Bush ticket against Senator Pryor. He was decisively defeated even though Reagan easily topped Walter F. Mondale in Arkansas. Pryor received 502,341 votes (57.3 percent) to Bethune's 373,615 (42.7 percent). Pryor's comfortable victory—it was the fifth time he had been on a statewide ballot—in a largely Republican year convinced the Arkansas GOP not to oppose him in 1990.Bethune's House seat reverted to the Democrats, as Arkansas
Pulaski County
Pulaski County is the name of several counties in the United States:* Pulaski County, Arkansas* Pulaski County, Georgia* Pulaski County, Illinois* Pulaski County, Indiana* Pulaski County, Kentucky* Pulaski County, Missouri* Pulaski County, Virginia...
Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Tommy F. Robinson
Tommy F. Robinson
Tommy Franklin Robinson is a politician from the state of Arkansas.-Early life:Robinson was born in Little Rock and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He served in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1963....
defeated Republican state Representative Judy Petty
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...
in her second bid for the same House seat. Robinson later switched to the Republican Party, but the seat returned to the Democrats with the 1990 election, and no Republican held it until Tim Griffin won it again for the GOP in the 2010 midterm election.
After leaving Congress, Bethune served from 1986-1988 as the Arkansas Republican Party state Chairman.
In 1981, while he was still in the U.S. House, Bethune outlined his vision for the Arkansas Republican future: "I think it's essential to the life of our party that we attract diverse groups. . . . When [Winthrop] Rockefeller headed the party in Arkansas, we had a broader reach across the economic, social, and political spectrum than we have now, and we attracted blacks to our cause in greater numbers than we have today. I think we had a more balanced Republican Party then, and I think it's essential to the life of a party that it include diverse groups."
Law and lobbying
Bethune resumed the practice of law with Bracewell and Patterson in Washington. He represented former House SpeakerSpeaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay
Thomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
after each became involved in ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
allegations. Taped recordings of his work for Gingrich circulated widely in the late 1990s. Bethune represents diverse clients, including Marriott International
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
, Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad and the defense contractor Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
. He is a member of the exclusive Republican Chowder and Marching Society.
Bethune and his wife, Lana, reside in West River, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. They are the parents of two grown children. They are Methodist. In 1990, Lana and Ed Bethune were rescued by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s some two hundred miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The couple had withstood rough seas for some thirty-six hours in their 30 feet (9.1 m) yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
Salute before being located by authorities.