John L. McClellan
John Little McClellan (February 25, 1896 – November 28, 1977) was an American lawyer and segregationist politician.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1935–1939) and a U.S. Senator (1943–1977) from Arkansas.
"Senator McClellan" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator McClellan (disambiguation).
John L. McClellan
November 28, 1977 (aged 81)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
5
1917–1919
At the time of his death, he was the second most senior member of the Senate and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.[2] He is the longest-serving senator in Arkansas history.[3]
Early life and career[edit]
John Little McClellan was born on a farm near Sheridan, Arkansas to Isaac Scott and Belle (née Suddeth) McClellan.[3] His parents, who were strong Democrats, named him after John Sebastian Little, who served as a U.S. Representative (1894–1907) and Governor of Arkansas (1907).[2] His mother died only months after his birth, and he received his early education at local public schools.[4] At age 12, after graduating from Sheridan High School, he began studying law in his father's office.[5]
He was admitted to the state bar in 1913, when he was only 17, after the Arkansas General Assembly approved a special act waiving the normal age requirement for certification as a lawyer.[2] As the youngest attorney in the United States, he practiced law with his father in Sheridan.[5]
McClellan married Eula Hicks in 1913; the couple had two children, and divorced in 1921.[3] During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant in the aviation section of the Signal Corps from 1917 to 1919.[6] Following his military service, he moved to Malvern, where he opened a law office and served as city attorney (1920–26).[2]
In 1922, he married Lucille Smith, to whom he remained married until her death in 1935; they had three children.[3] He was prosecuting attorney of the seventh judicial district of Arkansas from 1927 to 1930.[6]
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
In 1934, McClellan was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 6th congressional district.[6] He was re-elected to the House in 1936. In March of that year, he condemned CBS for airing a speech by Communist leader Earl Browder, which he described as "nothing less than treason."[5]
During his tenure in the House, he voted against President Franklin D. Roosevelt's court-packing plan, the Gavagan anti-lynching bill, and the Reorganization Act of 1937.[5] In 1937, he wed for the third and final time, marrying Norma Myers Cheatham.[2]
In 1938, McClellan unsuccessfully challenged first-term incumbent Hattie Caraway for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate.[6] During the campaign, he criticized Caraway for her support for the 1937 Reorganization Act and accused her of having "improper influence" over federal employees in Arkansas.[5] Nevertheless, he was defeated in the primary election by a margin of about 8,000 votes.[5] He subsequently resumed the practice of law in Camden, where he joined the firm Gaughan, McClellan and Gaughan.[3] He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1940 (Chicago), 1944 (Chicago), and 1948 (Philadelphia).
Personal life[edit]
McClellan's second wife died of spinal meningitis in 1935 and his son Max died of the same disease in 1943 while serving in Africa during World War II. His son, John L. Jr., died in 1949 in an automobile accident, and his son James H. died in a plane crash in 1958. Both men were members of the Xi chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity at the University of Arkansas. To honor their two fallen brothers, the Chapter initiated Senator McClellan into Kappa Sigma in 1965.
McClellan died in his sleep on November 28, 1977, in Little Rock, Arkansas, following surgery to implant a pacemaker.[17] He was buried at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock. A VA Hospital in Little Rock is named in his honor. A chapter of the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law is named in his honor. Ouachita Baptist University is the repository for his official papers.