Frank White: Frank White. Hi, Mary Ann. Nice to see you. Thank you. Good to see you. Hi, Frank. Hi. Nice to meet you. Hello, editor. Good to meet you. Hi, I’m Frank White. Marilyn. Nice to meet you. Bill. Hey, Bill. Good to see you. Glad to see you. Hello. Hi, John. How are you doing? Good to see you.
Kellams: Time for Randy Dixon from the Pryor Center to be with us. Hello, Randy Dixon.
Dixon: Hi. That was Frank White from 1982.
Kellams: He was asking to be your governor, and for a while he was.
Dixon: He was for one term.
Kellams: Yeah. We are picking up where we left off last week as we continue our series on governors of the modern age. Modern age is defined by you and me in Arkansas.
Dixon: And this is Frank White. He was our 41st governor. You know, last week we sort of got him into office. He was only a one-term governor. And back then there were only two-year terms, which really made things, I think, difficult for anyone who had that office.
Kellams: Yeah.
Dixon: So last week, we looked at how he won the governor’s seat. And this week we’ll look at how he sat in that seat and then how he lost it, because there were two-year terms at the time. You were barely into your first year when you had to start campaigning again.
So this is in 1982, and Bob Steel from KATV is covering the reelection campaign opening of Frank White.
Bob Steel: This is Frank White country, Sebastian County, Northwest Arkansas, a Republican stronghold, and where it all began two years ago. It’s the place White chose to officially kick off his 1982 race. A breakfast for the candidate attracts over 250 supporters. The incumbent tells the crowd one of his trade secrets.
White: People make the issues, and right now I’m determining what the issues are as I travel across the state of Arkansas and listen to what the people are talking about.
Steel: Although never mentioning his Democratic opponents by name, Jim Guy Tucker and Bill Clinton draw criticism.
White: All the promises you’re hearing made, and they intrigue me as I pick up the paper and read about that incredible battle going on on the other side right now. And who’s saying who, about what and who did when? And then the next day, when they both go back and deny each and every accusation made the day before. And I’ve kind of nicknamed them the Ipana Boys. And I get real intrigued as I watch the debate.
But here’s the issue. The issue is what you say you’re going to do and whether you did it.
Kellams: And like you said, I mean, as soon as you were seated as governor, back then, you were running, seemingly.
Dixon: Yeah. So it was really hard to prove yourself to voters. And, you know, White had some challenges in his first term. You know, with Clinton, last week we talked about Frank White winning because of the Cubans and car tags that he sort of tagged on to Clinton. I guess in this case, you might call for White budgets and bills, right.
He had a real problem with the state government facing really sharp cuts due to an $80 million revenue shortfall. And then Arkansas citizens were mad about their rising utility bills. So here’s a temperature check from KATV’s Tanya Bean on White’s first year in office.
Tanya Bean: Gov. Frank White, the candidate, reviewed his accomplishments for the annual convention of Arkansas Wholesale Grocers and Tobacco Distributors. Time and again he reminded them of how he, a businessman, had turned the state into a businesslike system, consolidating services and eliminating unneeded job positions.
He also touched on some of the battles he’s lost, like the 80,000-pound truck weight limit issue and state intervention to save the Rock Island, and how those losses will impact Arkansas’ economy.
White: And only yesterday, I was notified of the final decision by William Gibbons, the trustee of the Rock Island Railroad, by letter, that they would petition the federal court at the end of April for a hearing at the end of May for the abandonment and the tearing up and the scrapping of the line of the Rock Island in the state of Arkansas in certain sectors.
And this will forever abolish the opportunity for us to have a right of way across the state, as this land does not stay in its unique form as a right of way, but in fact will revert to the original property owners.
Bean: While he left the formal announcement to the Greater Little Rock Chamber, the governor did mention that one high technology industry is 99% sure it will come to Arkansas. White says he got that word personally today and estimates it will mean 100 new jobs in Little Rock.
Good news on a day when the State Employment Security Division’s March figures show unemployment is still ahead of the national rate at 10.7%. Tanya Bean, News Scene 7.
Dixon: You’re moving in now to the campaign season. And it was, yeah, it was a long summer and fall of campaigning. Now, Bill Clinton had a tough three-way competition in the Democratic primary
Kellams: Because at that point he was seen as vulnerable.
Dixon: Oh, very.
Kellams: He had lost– he had been upset by Frank White. So there were people that thought they could.
Dixon: It was wide open.
Kellams: Right.
Dixon: So he had Jim Guy Tucker and Joe Purcell, his main opposition.
Kellams: There was Monroe Schwarzlose again?
Dixon: Yes. He was a perennial in there. Turkey farmer from Kingsland, but I digress.
Kellams: Yes.
Dixon: There was a runoff in the Democratic primary, and surprisingly, it was Joe Purcell. Everyone expected it to be Jim Guy Tucker. But Clinton won that runoff. That set up the classic rematch between Clinton and White.
So let’s check in here with Amy Oliver. And she followed the incumbent on his last day of campaigning before the general election.
Amy Oliver: Beginning the final campaign day in East Arkansas, Gov. White told Crittenden County supporters that their area, which was Bill Clinton’s two years ago, would be Frank White’s tomorrow. Northwest Arkansas was his in 1980, and that was on his agenda today for a small crowd at the Springdale airport. There would be more rhetoric for the opponent he met, coincidentally, just moments before a friendly farewell.
White: Wave goodbye to Bill there. We’re going to win. When they said we can never do it again. They said the last time that I won that, you know, it really wasn’t a victory for me, that they were voting against my predecessor. Well, I want to tell you, tomorrow they’re going to vote for Frank White, and they’re going to give me a second term.
Oliver: The early evening return to Little Rock holds a surprise.
Supporters: We love the... We love the...
Oliver: Staff members have gathered to welcome him home, and their boss, tired from the trail, is obviously glad for the pick-me-up. The work isn’t over for the day. A live interview at 6 is scheduled, and then he and his staff stay to see the day’s report on his opponent.
Bill Clinton: Keeping it here and developing it the responsible way.
Oliver: And they stay a little longer to watch the Arkansas poll. The results are not the best for the White camp, though. Analyst David Martin still says it could go either way, and White, on the surface, is still confident it will.
White: Because I think very strongly it is a race personalities, and we feel real good about our position. And like I said, you know, two years ago, the pollsters, nobody indicated I’d get more than 30%. And I got 52 on the night of the election. And then in the Democratic primary, Joe Purcell, I believe in your poll, the week before the election, you all indicated he’d get 11. He’d got 29.
Oliver: Throughout the day, the governor reminded voters of the new industry and new jobs that he revealed this weekend were coming to Little Rock. He also said he was disappointed that the real issues of the race, the economy and education, had virtually been neglected. Amy Oliver, News Scene 7.
Kellams: I have to admit, I don’t remember what the temperature was in the state, whether they thought Frank White, if it was popularly believed Frank White would retain the governorship or if Bill Clinton would take it back.
Dixon: It was very, very close. The polls were very tight, and the actual outcome was fairly close. Clinton won with just under 55% of the vote. Frank White was a very gracious loser.
White: Proud of all the tremendous organization that I had and the friends across this state who work night and day over the last eight or nine months to try and give me the impossible dream again. You know, two years ago, I ran, and it was a dream I’d had for a long time. And the Lord chose to let me fulfill it. And now is the time for me to say, I rejoice.
And I commend Bill Clinton for the campaign that he ran. And it’s now the time to set aside our differences and wish him well in the future.
Dixon: He lost. He finished out his term. And this is a clip from January of ‘83 when White made his final address to the legislature.
White: There are many challenges and a great future ahead for Arkansas. I wish for you, my friends, wisdom, sound judgment, strength and God’s blessing in developing public policy that will give you, give our people a state government they can be proud of and one that they can afford.
It has been the greatest experience of my life to serve the state of Arkansas and her citizens, and I feel that there are many great things ahead for us in our state, and with the hard work and discipline and enthusiasm, Arkansas will, in fact, achieve her potential.
I leave with you the promise of our Lord found in Second Chronicles, Chapter 7, verse 14. When God spoke to Solomon, he said, “If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Thank you, and God bless you.
Kellams: Now, here’s something that’s interesting, because most of the governors we’ve talked about in this series, if they lost, they tried again. Orval Faubus. Win Rock was ill, but there was thought that he might come back.
Dixon: Right.
Kellams: Bill Clinton obviously is coming back. Did Frank White ever have an idea of trying again?
Dixon: Oh, he did. Twice. And we’re going to talk about that.
Kellams: OK.
Dixon: Later. But, you know, there is life after the governor’s office. And so he fell back on his day job, I guess you’d call it, which was banking. He was a banking broker, a financier. And of course, he had been the head of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission, so he ended up working for Stephens Inc., which was the largest off-Wall Street brokerage firm in the country at the time.
Let’s listen. This is an interesting story. KATV’s Randy Weber followed him to his first day at work.
Randy Weber: Politics is behind Frank White, if only for the moment. It was the former governor’s first day at work at Stephens. White, of course, worked for years in the investment field before running for governor, and he and Jack Stephens are longtime friends.
White’s principal job at the largest investment house off Wall Street will be investment banking and industrial development. The former governor is still committed to bringing new industry to Arkansas.
White: Well, I think the outlook is extremely good for Arkansas. I am concerned about some of the legislation that’s being looked at in the legislature, because we need to maintain a good business climate, and those states that take an anti-business stance, they’re going to be hurt. And so I hope that we can continue to show that we have a good investment climate. I feel confident that we will.
Weber: What will help White is Stephens’ ability to finance new industry and Jack Stephens’ belief that Arkansas can compete with other states.
Jack Stephens: I think your basic industries in this country are in a sunset area, that is, the sun’s going down on it, and they’re going to be rebuilt somewhere in the country. I strongly feel that the Arkansas River can be as fully developed as the Baton Rouge to New Orleans, to the Houston Ship Channel.
Weber: Both men laughed this morning about the time many years ago when Stephens tried to hire Frank White and White turned him down.
Stephens: As I’ve told him, he made a mistake then. Then when he ran for governor, I didn’t support him. He tells me I made a mistake then. So we’ve each made one mistake, and now we’re together.
Dixon: So White also kept his finger on the pulse of politics. After he was out of office, he maintained his relationship with Republican Party. KATV enlisted his talents on election night. He was an analyst along with Skip Rutherford, and we would do sort of a point-counterpoint, with White representing the Republicans and Skip Rutherford representing the Democrats.
So I have a clip here from 1994 election night, when incumbent Democrat Gov. Jim Guy Tucker faced Republican opponent Sheffield Nelson.
Reporter: We have our political analysts with us now, Mr. Frank White, former Republican governor, and Mr. Skip Rutherford, a former Democratic Party chair. Thank you, both of you, for being with us.
White: Thank you.
Reporter: Let’s start with you, Mr. White. We’ve seen the numbers. We’ve seen projections that Gov. Tucker is, in fact, the winner. It’s still early in the evening. Sheffield Nelson refuses to concede. What’s your feeling right now? Is Tucker the winner?
White: Well, I think based on early figures that you’d have to say you need to see more than what’s out there. But obviously, Gov. Tucker is holding true to what the polls have shown. He’s moved out to an early lead in the early reporting boxes. But, you know, North Arkansas is still not in. I’m sure Sheffield’s looking at that, and he feels he’s going to run very strong up there.
But you have to say that, you know, it’s going to be a tough race for him to win. But he knew that when he came into the race.
Kellams: Frank White had a sense of humor.
Dixon: Oh, he was funny. He was a funny guy. Along with his banking and his politics, he was big on, I guess you’d call it, the rubber circuit. He was an emcee. He was an auctioneer. He would do toasts and roasts. And he was just all over the community. And it really, I think between him and Craig O’Neill, who hosted, I think they pretty much had every evening of the week covered.
But I wanted to play a little of this. This is a clip from a toast and roast of country music superstar and Arkansas native Johnny Cash. This is from 1983, shortly after White was voted out of office.
White: Thank you very much. It’s great not to be forgotten. You know how long it takes to go from who’s who to who’s he? It takes about five weeks.
Yo, Johnny. He was born in Kingsland, and he grew up in Dyess. I want to tell you, though, I am impressed. You’ve come a long way with so little to offer. You know, he’s never been a heavyweight in knowledge. He graduated 14th in his class of 15. And he was always a big kid.
And I remember when he got to high school, his coach tells the story that Johnny went out for football. He was tallest boy. The coach threw him the ball, and he said, “Can you pass that?” He said, “If I can swallow it, I can pass it.”
Kellams: Not only did he have a sense of humor, he could poke fun at himself.
Dixon: Oh, absolutely.
Kellams: I remember when there was a gathering of the living governors in Little Rock. I don’t remember the occasion now. I think it was a fundraiser for the governor’s mansion or something like that. And so you had these incredibly glib speakers, Bumpers, Clinton, and the guy who stole the show that night was Frank White. Oh, he was just hilarious.
Dixon: Yeah, he would have you in stitches. Yeah. Just one on one, just talking to him.
And, you know, not long before his death, he was honored as man of the year by the Easter Seals. And they asked KATV if we would produce a video for the dinner, you know, as is done. So my idea was to sit down with him for about an hour and just talk to him and let him tell his own story. And we put together a tribute to him, which I thought was very nice. But here’s a little portion of that.
White: God has blessed me. He gave me a wonderful family, but he’s also given me a talent for humor. And because my humor has allowed me to participate as a master of ceremonies and auctioneer, you know, I feel that people who have succeeded and been given so much in Arkansas like I have, and boy, this state has blessed me and honored me, and I feel like I have an obligation to do these things and try and help people.
And so I give of my time and my talent, and, you know, I’m the one who benefits from it more than these organizations, because it has a great impact on my life to be able to see that I’m helping these children.
Dixon: I just have to say that Frank White was a larger-than-life character that, you know, I think his presence in the political landscape through the entire ’80s at least certainly changed, you know, the state’s political history.
Kellams: It did, indeed. And I’m glad we’re doing this series so we can have a chance to spend some time with these historical figures.
Dixon: Well, and I want to do one more thing.
Kellams: OK.
Dixon: You know, there were these classic matches between Clinton and White during the ’80s. I’d like next week to do just the Clinton-White, duke it out.
Kellams: OK. So that’s what we’ll do next week.
Dixon: How about that?
Kellams: So the Clinton-White battles coming up next week. Randy Dixon is with the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History. Thank you, Randy.
Dixon: Thank you.
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