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| Gov. John Sebastian Little |
Among
Arkansas’s 46 elected governors, Gov. John Sebastian Little stands out, not for
his accomplishments, but because his time as governor was crippled by illness
that led to voters approving the office of lieutenant governor.
On Jan. 18,
1907, Arkansas inaugurated John Sebastian Little as the state’s 21st
governor. Little had a distinguished public career, having served as a state
lawmaker and as a United States congressman for years. Voters hoped Little
would usher in an era of calm by replacing Gov. Jeff Davis, who was
controversial. Davis’s time at the Capitol had been turbulent, so by the time
Little was elected to the U.S. Senate, Arkansans desired tranquility.
During
Little’s inaugural speech, he promised to reform the state’s education system,
to end the controversial system of leasing prison labor to private companies
and to enact financial reforms. In all, it was a bold agenda that offered a
vision for progress in the state. But, it was not to happen.
Three days
after his inauguration, Little stepped from his car in front of the Old State
House for his first full day of work and collapsed on the sidewalk. Immediately,
his son, Paul Little, rushed to his side. The governor was unresponsive, but
Paul Little and several other people helped him to his feet and carried him to
his office. Once there, his staff laid him on a couch and called a doctor.
Dr. Ed.
Dibrell arrived minutes later and attempted to revive the governor with no
success. Believing the governor’s condition to be the result of a nervous
breakdown, the doctor ordered total silence and rest. An hour later, the
governor’s staff loaded him into a car and drove him to his home a few blocks
away.
Dr. Dibrell ordered more rest and quiet and prohibited Little
from trying to attend to his government duties until he had totally recovered.
The next day, his son drove him to his second home in Greenwood, far away from the stress of political life.
Those who knew Gov. Little’s past knew he had suffered from
mental health issues previously. While running for congress in 1890, Little
abruptly withdrew from the race citing illness, which according to press
coverage of the time may have been a nervous breakdown. This illness kept him
out of the public eye for four years before he felt well enough to return to
the political stage.
The governor’s son, acting as the governor’s secretary, told
the press the governor was improving but would remain in Greenwood. The
legislature was in session, however, and the governor would need to sign bills
issued.
Paul Little seemingly organized a system that would ensure
the governor would be able to sign the appropriate legislation. The system
seemed to work, with Paul Little shuttling bills from Little Rock to
Little’s home in Greenwood. Every morning, Paul Little would follow all the
news in the legislative session. At the end of the day, he would forward the
bills to Greenwood with information about the day’s debates.
But, questions remained about Gov. Little’s health. The
governor’s staff informed the press he was resting nicely and would likely
return to work before the end of the session. However, staff was adamant no one
from the press bother the governor. They said any stress might cause a relapse,
therefore the press was banned from talking to him. The doctor even ordered the
telephone at the governor’s Greenwood residence be removed so as to not jar Mr.
Little’s delicate disposition.
As the weeks rolled by without any public appearances, the state’s political rumor mills went
into action. Some of the rumors claimed that the governor was an invalid, and
some even went so far as to claim that the governor was dead. His true
condition was further clouded by claims made by the governor’s staff that he
was improving.
By May 1907, it was clear that the governor’s condition was
likely worse than his staff had told the press. It was especially apparent when
the governor, through his son, appointed John Ike Moore, president of the
Senate, to take the reins of government while he recuperated at a resort in
Corpus Christi, Texas.
His time in Corpus Christi was filled with walks on the
beach and lots of medication. The governor’s doctor, W.P. Hailey, wrote Paul
Little on March 24, 1907, “He is better than at any time since I have been
here…. This improvement makes me feel more confident than ever that he will
soon be his old self again.”
However, the
press learned the governor’s condition was far worse than what his son had told
them. Gov. Little’s mental illness was physically apparent. The governor had
gone from 170 pounds to just under 100 pounds in a matter of a few weeks. He
was unable to walk without help. An observer wrote to the Arkansas
Democrat, “[Little] is mentally and physically a wreck… his condition will
never be improved. He appeared like a little child; at times, he hardly
appeared to know that there were people with him, and at other times he would
speak about the big crowd.”
When Little did not return by May 14, 1907, the president
pro tempore of the state senate took over as acting governor, followed by a
string of other short-term acting governors. The number of acting governors
created tension and revived the discussion to elect a lieutenant governor in
case the governor became incapacitated. Voters approved the new position in
1914, which was confirmed by the state Supreme Court in 1926.
Little died
on Oct. 29, 1916, at the State Hospital for Nervous Diseases. Despite hopes his
administration would bring stability to state government, it only added
confusion. Politics remained tumultuous until 1909, when a new governor, George
Washington Donaghey, was elected and began enacting the reforms Governor Little
had promised.
For more information on Arkansas history, visit the Arkansas State
Archives at 1 Capitol Mall, Suite 215, or call 501-682-6900.
