Pratt C. Remmel
Encyclopedia
Pratt Cates Remmel, Sr. (October 26, 1915 - May 14, 1991), was the only 20th century Republican
elected on a partisan ballot to have served as mayor
of Little Rock, Arkansas
. He was elected to the first of two two-year terms in 1951, was reelected in 1953, and then defeated in 1955 by the Democrat
Woodrow Wilson Mann, who like Remmel was in the insurance
business. In 1954, Remmel was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate against the Democrat Orval Eugene Faubus
, who won the first of his six consecutive two-year terms as the state's highest constitutional officer. Remmel's 37 percent of the general election
vote was the greatest then attained by a Republican candidate since Reconstruction. In some ways, he paved the beginning of a long route that would bring fellow Republican Winthrop Rockefeller
to the governorship in 1967. Rockefeller moved into the state only a year before Remmel ran for governor.
, having served from 1928 until 1957. Remmel's father died when he was five, and his mother reared her children without a husband. One of Remmel's great-uncles, Harmon Liveright Remmel (1852–1927, usually known as H. L. Remmel), served as Republican state chairman from 1900–1925 and GOP
national committeeman in 1924 and ran unsuccessfully for Arkansas governor
in 1894, 1896, and 1900 and for the United States Senate
in 1916.
Remmel graduated from high school
in Little Rock in 1933. In 1937, he procured a bachelor's degree
in economics
from the University of Virginia
at Charlottesville
.
During World War II
, Remmel was a United States Navy
lieutenant
, a pilot
, and flight instructor.
Remmel married the former Catherine Couch (April 22, 1918 - January 24, 2006), the daughter of Harvey C. Couch
of Pine Bluff
, the founder of Arkansas Power & Light (a subsidiary of Entergy
) and the director the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
. Lake Catherine
near Hot Springs
, the seat of Garland County, is named for Catherine Couch Remmel.
Remmel spent decades trying to build the Arkansas Republican Party. In 1940, he became chairman of the Pulaski County (Little Rock) Republican Executive Committee. Thereafter, at various times he was treasurer of the Republican State Central Committee, finance director of the Arkansas Republican Party (1949–1951), chairman of the Young Republicans of Arkansas and vice chairman of the Young Republican National Federation. Remmel attended the national Republican conventions as a delegate in 1952 and 1956 and as an alternate in 1948 and 1960.
organization from the summer Democratic primary. Wassell claimed incorrectly that a Republican could not be elected in Little Rock because the party during Reconstruction had "left such an awful stink they haven't been back in seventy years."
Remmel termed the Wassell administration "ineffectual, half-hearted, do-nothing government". Near the end of the race when Wassell detected that Remmel was making rapid gains, the mayor listed his own accomplishments as (1) a newly-constructed airport, (2) the establishment of a municipal budget system, (3) modern garbage disposal, (4) a revised building code, and (5) improvements in city-owned properties.
The Arkansas Gazette (since the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a WEHCO Media, Inc.
, publication) remained neutral in the mayoral campaign but instead urged the establishment of a nonpartisan
city commission-manager form of government. "We don't know what the Democratic Party or the Republican Party has to do with municipal taxation and revenue, streets, sewers, drainage, health and sanitation, parks and recreation," the newspaper
declared. Little Rock established a nonpartisan city manager government starting in January 1958. Therefore, Remmel's election victory as a Republican cannot be duplicated in Little Rock.
Remmel not only defeated Wassel: he won by a landslide, 7,794 votes (68 percent) to 3,668 (32 percent). He won all but three of the city's then twenty-six precincts. He was the first Republican to have sought the position in a quarter century. Then Democratic Governor Sidney Sanders McMath
attributed Remmel's victory to local factors, particularly a divisive Democratic primary with Alderman
Franklin E. Loy (February 10, 1915 - February 6, 1999), also an insurance agent.
The Little Rock election caught the eye of Republican U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio
who told an audience in Biloxi, Mississippi
, that he hoped Remmel's victory would be "indicative of a new trend in the South." In the 1952 Republican convention in Chicago
, Remmel first favored a largely ceremonial choice, general Douglas MacArthur
, a fellow Little Rock native whom he had hosted when the general visited Little Rock. Delegates Remmel, his mother "Nell" Remmel, National Committeeman Wallace Townsend (1882–1979) and state GOP chairman Osro Cobb (May 28, 1904 - January 17, 1996) all voted at the convention for Taft. The Arkansas delegation split 6-4 for Taft, and an eleventh delegate abstained. When the nomination went to Dwight D. Eisenhower
, a Texas
native who grew up in Kansas
, Remmel worked for the national ticket, but the Adlai E. Stevenson and John J. Sparkman
electors still won in Arkansas, a traditional Democratic political bastion at that time.
stations to carry a simultaneous rally.
The Remmel-Kerr race assumed broader ramifications in that Remmel was expected to run for the U.S. Senate in 1954, if former Governor McMath who was defeated for renomination in the 1952 primary by Francis A. Cherry should unseat Democratic Senator John L. McClellan of Camden
in the senatorial primary. Or, Remmel was seen as a possible Republican challenger to Fifth District U.S. Representative Brooks Hays
, a liberal
member from Little Rock. The Democrats denounced Remmel as the "silk-stocking candidate" and the "tool of the Republican Party." Such rhetoric came from Alderman Franklin Loy and Arkansas Attorney General
Thomas J. Gentry, who had become hostile critics of the Remmel administration.
Remmel defeated Kerr, 9,724 (59.2 percent) to 6,693 (40.8 percent). While Remmel claimed that his reelection had partisan implications because Kerr had emphasized party, state Republican Chairman Cobb said that the results merely reflected that Little Rock "places good government ahead of party labels." Kerr's campaign manager, Frank H. Dodge, said, quite prematurely it turned out, that Remmel's reelection meant that "the two-party system is now at work in Little Rock."
, Remmel was a member of the board of stewards of the First United Methodist Church in Little Rock and the Methodist Men's Club. He was a former state president of the Gideons International
, the men's organization which distributes Bible
s in public places, such as hotel
and motel
rooms.
On his mayoral reelection, Remmel said that one of his objectives would be to "help Little Rock grow more righteous." He addressed a high school graduating class in Corning
in 1953 and urged the young people to accept the "fundamental belief in God as the key to success." At a Mena
civic club, Remmel warned that the United States
was "moving farther away from the Constitution and is giving up freedoms which were bought by the flood of the founders of the country."
In his second inaugural address, Remmel quoted from Proverbs
and stressed that "in this era of our world's history
, we need to turn to God."
In the 1954 gubernatorial race, Remmel conceded that "some folks have said that Remmel is too religious, but that's exactly why Remmel has a chance at all." While campaigning for governor, Remmel sought the prayers of ministers he met, carried his Bible in his hip pocket, and read five chapters daily.
, Sebastian, Garland, Searcy, and Newton
. He received at least 40 percent in five other counties, including Jefferson, Union, and Washington
. He carried the cities of Fayetteville
, El Dorado
, and Brinkley
though he lost the respective counties.
Faubus recalled Remmel as "a most gracious loser. The day following the election, he and his brother, Roland (Roland R. Remmel, September 26, 1917 - July 2, 2006), came . . . to congratulate me on my victory and to wish me well. Their attitude made a strong, favorable impression on me which I never forgot."
Among Democrats supporting Remmel was governor was Odell Pollard
, an attorney from Searcy
, who switched parties himself in 1958 and later served as the GOP state chairman from 1966-1970.
. Remmel did not commit himself to seeking a third term until a month before the election. In retrospect, Remmel said that he should have been contented with the customary two terms and not reached beyond his grasp, but he wanted voters to have a second choice in regard to Mann, whom he considered to have an unsavory reputation in the insurance business. Remmel spent $18,000 in his losing campaign.
The third-term bid brought out the united Democratic hierarchy, including Governor Faubus, Senator James William Fulbright, and U.S. Representatives Brooks Hays, and Wilbur Daigh Mills
. All urged the rejection of a two-party system. Faubus later expressed regret over his support of Mayor Mann, whom he called the "mouthpiece" of anti-Faubus forces in the 1957 Little Rock desegregation
crisis.
Mann upset Remmel by 1,128 votes in a moderately close outcome. Mann polled exactly 10,000 votes (53 percent) to Remmel's 8,872 (47 percent). After his tenure as mayor, Mann relocated to Houston
, where he was engaged in the life insurance business. His primary rival, Franklin Loy, also in the life insurance business, later moved to Lexington, Kentucky
.
Through his mayoral tenure, Remmel was a former member of the advisory committee to the United States Conference of Mayors
and a former chairman of the Arkansas Municipal League. He was once a member of the United States National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
, a Shriner, and a member of the American Legion
, Amvets, the Sertoma Club, Optimist Club, and the United Fund. He was a former Arkansas president of the American Red Cross. He was affiliated with Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity
and the Little Rock Country Club.
Remmel was a board member of the Arkansas River Basin Commission and chairman of the Arkansas Waterways Commission.
Remmel died in Little Rock. Services were held in his First United Methodist Church. In addition to his wife and brother Roland, Remmel was survived by a son, Pratt Remmel, Jr. (born ca. 1948); two daughters, Catherine R. "Cathie" Matthews (born ca. 1942) and Rebecca Couch Remmel (born ca. 1950); another brother, Augustus C. Remmel, Jr. (June 14, 1914 - February 27, 2000); two sisters, Mrs. Richard C. Butler and Mrs. H. Tyndall Dickinson, and three granddaughters, all of Little Rock.
Pratt Remmel Park off Interstate 440 and Pratt Remmel Road are named in Remmel's honor. In addition, Pratt Remmel, Jr., the director of the Arkansas Ecology Center, is the founder of Dunbar Garden, an urban park and green space in Little Rock.
The Remmels are interred at Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock.
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...
elected on a partisan ballot to have served as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of 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 was elected to the first of two two-year terms in 1951, was reelected in 1953, and then defeated in 1955 by the Democrat
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...
Woodrow Wilson Mann, who like Remmel was in the insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
business. In 1954, Remmel was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate against the Democrat Orval Eugene Faubus
Orval Faubus
Orval Eugene Faubus was the 36th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1955 to 1967. He is best known for his 1957 stand against the desegregation of Little Rock public schools during the Little Rock Crisis, in which he defied a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court by ordering the...
, who won the first of his six consecutive two-year terms as the state's highest constitutional officer. Remmel's 37 percent of the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
vote was the greatest then attained by a Republican candidate since Reconstruction. In some ways, he paved the beginning of a long route that would bring fellow Republican Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller was a politician and philanthropist who served as the first Republican Governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was a third-generation member of the Rockefeller family.-Early life:...
to the governorship in 1967. Rockefeller moved into the state only a year before Remmel ran for governor.
Family, education, military
Remmel was born in Little Rock to former Arkansas Republican state chairman Augustus Caleb "Gus" Remmel (1882–1920) and the former Ellen Lucy "Nell" Cates (1888–1961), who was the Arkansas Republican national committeewoman, a position equivalent to membership on the Republican National CommitteeRepublican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
, having served from 1928 until 1957. Remmel's father died when he was five, and his mother reared her children without a husband. One of Remmel's great-uncles, Harmon Liveright Remmel (1852–1927, usually known as H. L. Remmel), served as Republican state chairman from 1900–1925 and 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...
national committeeman in 1924 and ran unsuccessfully for Arkansas governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
in 1894, 1896, and 1900 and for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1916.
Remmel graduated from 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 Little Rock in 1933. In 1937, he procured a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
at Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Remmel was a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, and flight instructor.
Remmel married the former Catherine Couch (April 22, 1918 - January 24, 2006), the daughter of Harvey C. Couch
Harvey C. Couch
Harvey Crowley Couch, was an Arkansas entrepreneur who rose from very modest beginnings to control a regional utility and railroad empire...
of Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
, the founder of Arkansas Power & Light (a subsidiary of Entergy
Entergy
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. It is headquartered in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:...
) and the director the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was an independent agency of the United States government, established and chartered by the US Congress in 1932, Act of January 22, 1932, c. 8, 47 Stat. 5, during the administration of President Herbert Hoover. It was modeled after the War Finance Corporation...
. Lake Catherine
Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine
Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine are a pair of man-made lakes around Hot Springs, Arkansas. The two lakes have greatly improved the tourism in Hot Springs. Both Lakes were created by Arkansas Power & Light .-Lake Hamilton:...
near 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...
, the seat of Garland County, is named for Catherine Couch Remmel.
Remmel spent decades trying to build the Arkansas Republican Party. In 1940, he became chairman of the Pulaski County (Little Rock) Republican Executive Committee. Thereafter, at various times he was treasurer of the Republican State Central Committee, finance director of the Arkansas Republican Party (1949–1951), chairman of the Young Republicans of Arkansas and vice chairman of the Young Republican National Federation. Remmel attended the national Republican conventions as a delegate in 1952 and 1956 and as an alternate in 1948 and 1960.
Election as mayor, 1951
In the 1951 mayoral race, Remmel unseated the Democrat Sam M. Wassell, who sought a rarely-given third term. Not since Ben D. Brickhouse (1919–1925) had anyone served longer than four years as mayor of Little Rock. Wassell ignored Remmel, for he viewed the Republican nominee as too weak to warrant the reactivation of the precinctPrecinct
A precinct is a space enclosed by the walls or other boundaries of a particular place or building, or by an arbitrary and imaginary line drawn around it. The term has several different uses...
organization from the summer Democratic primary. Wassell claimed incorrectly that a Republican could not be elected in Little Rock because the party during Reconstruction had "left such an awful stink they haven't been back in seventy years."
Remmel termed the Wassell administration "ineffectual, half-hearted, do-nothing government". Near the end of the race when Wassell detected that Remmel was making rapid gains, the mayor listed his own accomplishments as (1) a newly-constructed airport, (2) the establishment of a municipal budget system, (3) modern garbage disposal, (4) a revised building code, and (5) improvements in city-owned properties.
The Arkansas Gazette (since the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a WEHCO Media, Inc.
WEHCO Media, Inc.
WEHCO Media, Inc., based in Little Rock, is a privately held media company with holdings that include newspapers, cable television systems, and internet service. Walter E. Hussman, Jr. , is the president....
, publication) remained neutral in the mayoral campaign but instead urged the establishment of a nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
city commission-manager form of government. "We don't know what the Democratic Party or the Republican Party has to do with municipal taxation and revenue, streets, sewers, drainage, health and sanitation, parks and recreation," the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
declared. Little Rock established a nonpartisan city manager government starting in January 1958. Therefore, Remmel's election victory as a Republican cannot be duplicated in Little Rock.
Remmel not only defeated Wassel: he won by a landslide, 7,794 votes (68 percent) to 3,668 (32 percent). He won all but three of the city's then twenty-six precincts. He was the first Republican to have sought the position in a quarter century. Then Democratic Governor Sidney Sanders McMath
Sid McMath
Sidney Sanders McMath was a decorated U.S. Marine, attorney and the 34th Governor of Arkansas who, in defiance of his state's political establishment, championed rapid rural electrification, massive highway and school construction, the building of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences,...
attributed Remmel's victory to local factors, particularly a divisive Democratic primary with Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
Franklin E. Loy (February 10, 1915 - February 6, 1999), also an insurance agent.
The Little Rock election caught the eye of Republican U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
who told an audience in Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, that he hoped Remmel's victory would be "indicative of a new trend in the South." In the 1952 Republican convention in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Remmel first favored a largely ceremonial choice, general Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
, a fellow Little Rock native whom he had hosted when the general visited Little Rock. Delegates Remmel, his mother "Nell" Remmel, National Committeeman Wallace Townsend (1882–1979) and state GOP chairman Osro Cobb (May 28, 1904 - January 17, 1996) all voted at the convention for Taft. The Arkansas delegation split 6-4 for Taft, and an eleventh delegate abstained. When the nomination went to Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
native who grew up in 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...
, Remmel worked for the national ticket, but the Adlai E. Stevenson and John J. Sparkman
John Sparkman
John Jackson Sparkman was an American politician from the state of Alabama. A conservative Southern Democrat, Sparkman served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate from 1937 until 1979. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President as Adlai Stevenson's running mate in...
electors still won in Arkansas, a traditional Democratic political bastion at that time.
Reelection, 1953
Remmel announced that his second campaign would not accent the party issue, and the GOP declined even to offer an aldermanic slate. Remmel claimed that his record had been "fair to all and partial to none." He spent some $15,000 in his second race and, in a technological innovation, linked six Little Rock radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
stations to carry a simultaneous rally.
The Remmel-Kerr race assumed broader ramifications in that Remmel was expected to run for the U.S. Senate in 1954, if former Governor McMath who was defeated for renomination in the 1952 primary by Francis A. Cherry should unseat Democratic Senator John L. McClellan of Camden
Camden, Arkansas
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the southern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Long an area of American Indians villages, the French also made a permanent settlement here because of its advantageous location above the Ouachita River. According to 2007 Census...
in the senatorial primary. Or, Remmel was seen as a possible Republican challenger to Fifth District U.S. Representative Brooks Hays
Brooks Hays
Lawrence Brooks Hays was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Arkansas....
, a 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,...
member from Little Rock. The Democrats denounced Remmel as the "silk-stocking candidate" and the "tool of the Republican Party." Such rhetoric came from Alderman Franklin Loy and Arkansas Attorney General
Attorney 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...
Thomas J. Gentry, who had become hostile critics of the Remmel administration.
Remmel defeated Kerr, 9,724 (59.2 percent) to 6,693 (40.8 percent). While Remmel claimed that his reelection had partisan implications because Kerr had emphasized party, state Republican Chairman Cobb said that the results merely reflected that Little Rock "places good government ahead of party labels." Kerr's campaign manager, Frank H. Dodge, said, quite prematurely it turned out, that Remmel's reelection meant that "the two-party system is now at work in Little Rock."
Remmel the Christian
A devout ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, Remmel was a member of the board of stewards of the First United Methodist Church in Little Rock and the Methodist Men's Club. He was a former state president of the Gideons International
Gideons International
Gideons International is an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 94 languages and 194 countries of the world, most famously in hotel and motel rooms. The organization was founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin, as an early American parachurch...
, the men's organization which distributes Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s in public places, such as hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
rooms.
On his mayoral reelection, Remmel said that one of his objectives would be to "help Little Rock grow more righteous." He addressed a high school graduating class in Corning
Corning, Arkansas
Corning is a city in Clay County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,679 at the 2000 census. It is one of the two county seats of Clay County, along with Piggott.-Geography:Corning is located at ....
in 1953 and urged the young people to accept the "fundamental belief in God as the key to success." At a Mena
Mena, Arkansas
Mena is a city in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Polk County.It was founded by Arthur Edward Stilwell during the building of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad . It was Stilwell who decided Mena would be the name of this new town along the route to...
civic club, Remmel warned that the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was "moving farther away from the Constitution and is giving up freedoms which were bought by the flood of the founders of the country."
In his second inaugural address, Remmel quoted from Proverbs
Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...
and stressed that "in this era of our world's history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, we need to turn to God."
In the 1954 gubernatorial race, Remmel conceded that "some folks have said that Remmel is too religious, but that's exactly why Remmel has a chance at all." While campaigning for governor, Remmel sought the prayers of ministers he met, carried his Bible in his hip pocket, and read five chapters daily.
1954 gubernatorial results
Faubus defeated Remmel, 208,121 (62.1 percent) to 127,004 (37.9 percent). The turnout was forty thousand fewer than in the Democratic ruofff. Faubus polled just 16,793 more votes against Remmel than he had against Cherry. Theoretically, large numbers of Cherry supporters either stayed home in the general election for voted for Remmel. The Republican won six counties: ArkansasArkansas County, Arkansas
Arkansas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,019. The county has two county seats, De Witt and Stuttgart...
, Sebastian, Garland, Searcy, and Newton
Newton County, Arkansas
Newton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population is 8,330. The county seat is Jasper. Newton County is Arkansas's 46th county, formed on December 14, 1842, and named for Thomas W. Newton, an Arkansas Congressman...
. He received at least 40 percent in five other counties, including Jefferson, Union, and Washington
Washington County, Arkansas
Washington County is a county located in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 203,065. The county seat is Fayetteville. Washington County is Arkansas's 17th county, formed on October 17, 1828, and named for George Washington, the first President of the...
. He carried the cities of 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...
, 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...
, and Brinkley
Brinkley, Arkansas
Brinkley is the most populous city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2000 census.It is located almost exactly half-way between Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee; the city has used the slogan "We'll Meet You Half-Way" in some of its advertising...
though he lost the respective counties.
Faubus recalled Remmel as "a most gracious loser. The day following the election, he and his brother, Roland (Roland R. Remmel, September 26, 1917 - July 2, 2006), came . . . to congratulate me on my victory and to wish me well. Their attitude made a strong, favorable impression on me which I never forgot."
Among Democrats supporting Remmel was governor was 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:...
, an attorney from 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...
, who switched parties himself in 1958 and later served as the GOP state chairman from 1966-1970.
Defeat in 1955
Woodrow Mann (November 13, 1916 - August 6, 2002) won the Democratic mayoral nomination over the opposition of persistent Alderman Franklin Loy, who had campaigned more against Remmel than he did against Mann by asking voters why they would even consider giving Little Rock "a black eye" by reelecting Remmel. Mann claimed that Remmel lacked interest in the office, had refused to allow the city attorney to oppose utility rate increases, had ignored the need for parks and playgrounds, and had failed to secure a third bridge across the Arkansas RiverArkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
. Remmel did not commit himself to seeking a third term until a month before the election. In retrospect, Remmel said that he should have been contented with the customary two terms and not reached beyond his grasp, but he wanted voters to have a second choice in regard to Mann, whom he considered to have an unsavory reputation in the insurance business. Remmel spent $18,000 in his losing campaign.
The third-term bid brought out the united Democratic hierarchy, including Governor Faubus, Senator James William Fulbright, and U.S. Representatives Brooks Hays, and Wilbur Daigh Mills
Wilbur Mills
Wilbur Daigh Mills , was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Arkansas...
. All urged the rejection of a two-party system. Faubus later expressed regret over his support of Mayor Mann, whom he called the "mouthpiece" of anti-Faubus forces in the 1957 Little Rock desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
crisis.
Mann upset Remmel by 1,128 votes in a moderately close outcome. Mann polled exactly 10,000 votes (53 percent) to Remmel's 8,872 (47 percent). After his tenure as mayor, Mann relocated to Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, where he was engaged in the life insurance business. His primary rival, Franklin Loy, also in the life insurance business, later moved to Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
Through his mayoral tenure, Remmel was a former member of the advisory committee to the United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors
United States Conference of Mayors, sometimes referred to as the United States Council of Mayors, is the official non-partisan organization for cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayor or other chief elected official...
and a former chairman of the Arkansas Municipal League. He was once a member of the United States National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
Remmel's obituary
In addition to his Republican and religious affiliations, Remmel was a 32nd degree MasonMasonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
, a Shriner, and a member of the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, Amvets, the Sertoma Club, Optimist Club, and the United Fund. He was a former Arkansas president of the American Red Cross. He was affiliated with Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
and the Little Rock Country Club.
Remmel was a board member of the Arkansas River Basin Commission and chairman of the Arkansas Waterways Commission.
Remmel died in Little Rock. Services were held in his First United Methodist Church. In addition to his wife and brother Roland, Remmel was survived by a son, Pratt Remmel, Jr. (born ca. 1948); two daughters, Catherine R. "Cathie" Matthews (born ca. 1942) and Rebecca Couch Remmel (born ca. 1950); another brother, Augustus C. Remmel, Jr. (June 14, 1914 - February 27, 2000); two sisters, Mrs. Richard C. Butler and Mrs. H. Tyndall Dickinson, and three granddaughters, all of Little Rock.
Pratt Remmel Park off Interstate 440 and Pratt Remmel Road are named in Remmel's honor. In addition, Pratt Remmel, Jr., the director of the Arkansas Ecology Center, is the founder of Dunbar Garden, an urban park and green space in Little Rock.
The Remmels are interred at Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock.