In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

EPILOGUE If there is a constant thread that weaves throughout this book, it is that our governors fill a critical role for our state that oftentimes requires extraordinarily difficult decisions to be made. For the most part, our governors over the past sixty plus years have responded courageously. My intent has been to show how supremely difficult the job can be and to hold up for examination important snapshots in the careers of these men that exhibit and reveal their personal character. Arkansas has been blessed with a wide array of talented chief executives.All of the governors profiled in this book fall into that category. The job, however, eventually takes the measure of its officeholders, and this book has examined instances where that has been the case. One unassailable conclusion is that effectiveness requires not only courage but an abundance of what Arkansas Supreme Court Justice George Rose Smith used to call “just plain horse sense.” The two must go hand in hand for one to confront a significant crisis with some measure of success. The subjects of this book had their moments of truth. How they dealt with those moments gives us a historical roadmap and insight into some of Arkansas’s most dynamic political figures.  ...

Share