United States Representatives from Arkansas

The United States Congress, as created by the Constitution of the United States in 1787, consists of an upper and lower house: the Senate and the House of Representatives. A U.S. representative must be at least twenty-five years of age, have held citizenship in the United States for seven years, and be a resident of the state that they represent. Representatives serve a non-term-limited two-year term. The entire membership of the House is up for reelection every two years. The House has 435 members; each of the fifty states is guaranteed one member, and an apportionment calculation is used to divide the remaining 385 seats. Arkansas currently has four House members, although Arkansas has had as many as seven.

As a territory and prior to becoming a state in 1836, Arkansas was represented in Washington DC by a single appointed non-voting congressional delegate. During the period from 1819 to 1836, three men—James Woodson Bates, Henry Wharton Conway, and Ambrose Sevier—held that position.

The first representative elected by the people of Arkansas after statehood in 1836 was Archibald Yell. Since that time, the state has been represented by some of the most powerful and respected representatives in U.S. history, including the likes of Wilbur D. Mills and John Paul Hammerschmidt.

The Democratic Party was the dominant political force before the modern civil rights movement. Republicans have held all of the state’s four House seats by 2012. Arkansas has had as many as seven congressional districts during its history but at present has only four.

NAME (LAST) NAME (FIRST) LIVED SERVED DISTRICT PARTY
Alexander William V.  Jr. (1934–) 1969–1993 1st Democratic
Alford T. Dale (1916–2000) 1959–1963 5th Democratic
Anthony Beryl F. Jr. (1938–) 1979–1993 4th Democratic
Bates James W. (1788–1846) 1819–1823 Territory None
Berry R. Marion (1942–2023) 1997–2011 1st Democratic
Bethune Ed R. Jr. (1935–) 1979–1985 2nd Republican
Boles Thomas (1837–1905) 1868–1871 3rd Republican
1872–1873
Boozman John (1950–) 2001–2011 3rd Republican
Breckinridge Clifton R. (1846–1932) 1883–1885 At-large Democratic
1885–1890 2nd Democratic
1890–1894
Brundidge Stephen Jr. (1857–1938) 1897–1903 6th Democratic
1903–1909 2nd
Caraway Thaddeus H. (1871–1931) 1913–1921 1st Democratic
Cate William H. (1839–1899) 1889–1890 1st Democratic
1891–1893
Conway Henry W. (1793–1827) 1823–1827 Territory None
Cotton Tom B. (1977–) 2013–2015 4th Republican
Cravens Jordan E. (1830–1914) 1877–1879 3rd Independent Democratic
1879–1883
Cravens William B. (1872–1939) 1907–1913 4th Democratic
1933–1939
Cravens William F. (1899–1974) 1939–1949 4th Democratic
Crawford Rick (1966–) 2011–present 1st Republican
Cross Edward (1798–1887) 1839–1845 At-large Democratic
Dickey Jay (1939–2017) 1993–2001 4th Republican
Dinsmore Hugh A. (1850–1930) 1893–1903 5th Democratic
1903–1905 3rd
Driver William J. (1873–1948) 1921–1939 1st Democratic
Dunn Poindexter (1834–1914) 1879–1889 1st Democratic
Edwards John (1815–1894) 1871–1872 3rd Liberal Republican
Elliott James T. (1823–1875) 1869–1869 2nd Republican
Ellis Clyde T. (1908–1980) 1939–1943 3rd Democratic
Featherstone Lewis P. (1851–1922) 1890–1891 1st Union Labor
Floyd John C. (1858–1930) 1905–1915 3rd Democratic
Fulbright J. William (1905–1995) 1943–1945 3rd Democratic
Fuller Claude A. (1876–1968) 1929–1939 3rd Democratic
Gathings Ezekiel C. (1903–1979) 1939–1969 1st Democratic
Gause Lucien C. (1836–1880) 1875–1879 1st Democratic
Glover David D. (1868–1952) 1929–1935 6th Democratic
Goodwin William S. (1866–1937) 1911–1921 7th Democratic
Greenwood Alfred B. (1811–1889) 1853–1859 1st Democratic
Griffin Timothy (1968–) 2011–2015 2nd Republican
Gunter Thomas M. (1826–1904) 1874–1875 3rd Democratic
1875–1883 4th
Hammerschmidt John P. (1922–2015) 1967–1993 3rd Republican
Hanks James M. (1833–1909) 1871–1873 1st Democratic
Harris Oren (1903–1997) 1941–1953 7th Democratic
1953–1966 4th
Hays L. Brooks (1898–1981) 1943–1959 5th Democratic
Hill J. French (1956–) 2015–present 2nd Republican
Hindman Thomas C. (1828–1868) 1859–1861 1st Democratic
Hinds James M. (1833–1868) 1868–1868 2nd Republican
Hodges Asa (1822–1900) 1873–1875 1st Republican
Hutchinson Asa (1950–) 1997–2001 3rd Republican
Hutchinson Y. Tim (1949–) 1993–1997 3rd Republican
Hynes William J. (1843–1915) 1873–1875 At-large Liberal Republican
Jacoway Henderson M. (1870–1947) 1911–1923 5th Democratic
Johnson Robert W. (1814–1879) 1847–1853 At-large Democratic
Jones James K. (1839–1908) 1881–1885 2nd Democratic
Kitchens Wade H. (1878–1966) 1937–1941 7th Democratic
Lincoln Blanche M. L. (1960–) 1993–1997 1st Democratic
Little John S. (1851–1916) 1894–1903 2nd Democratic
1903–1907 4th
Macon Robert B. (1859–1925) 1903–1913 1st Democratic
McClellan John L. (1896–1977) 1935–1939 6th Democratic
McCulloch Philip D. Jr. (1851–1928) 1893–1903 1st Democratic
McRae Thomas C. (1851–1929) 1885–1903 3rd Democratic
Miller John E. (1888–1981) 1931–1937 2nd Democratic
Mills Wilbur D. (1909–1992) 1939–1977 2nd Democratic
Neill Robert (1838–1907) 1893–1897 6th Democratic
Newton Thomas W. (1804–1853) 1847–1847 At-large Whig
Norrell Catherine D. (1901–1981) 1961–1963 6th Democratic
Norrell William F. (1896–1961) 1939–1961 6th Democratic
Oldfield F. Pearl P. (1876–1962) 1929–1931 2nd Democratic
Oldfield William A. (1874–1928) 1909–1928 2nd Democratic
Parks Tilman B. (1872–1950) 1921–1937 7th Democratic
Peel Samuel W. (1831–1924) 1883–1885 4th Democratic
1885–1893 5th
Pryor David H. (1934–2024) 1966–1973 4th Democratic
Ragon H. Heartsill (1885–1940) 1923–1933 5th Democratic
Reed James B. (1881–1935) 1923–1929 6th Democratic
Reid Charles C. (1868–1922) 1901–1903 4th Democratic
1903–1911 5th
Robinson Joseph T. (1872–1937) 1903–1913 6th Democratic
Robinson Tommy F. (1942–) 1985–1989 2nd Democratic
1989–1991 Republican
Rogers Anthony A. C. (1821–1899) 1869–1871 2nd Democratic
Rogers John H. (1845–1911) 1883–1885 3rd Democratic
1885–1891 4th
Roots Logan H. (1841–1893) 1868–1871 1st Republican
Ross Mike A. (1961–) 2001–2013 4th Democratic
Rust Albert (c. 1818–1870) 1855–1857 2nd Democratic
1859–1861
Sawyer Lewis E. (1867–1923) 1923–1923 6th Democratic
Sevier Ambrose H. (1801–1848) 1828–1836 Territory None
Slemons William F. (1830–1918) 1875–1881 2nd Democratic
Snyder Oliver P. (1833–1882) 1871–1875 2nd Republican
Snyder Vic F. (1947–) 1997–2011 2nd Democratic
Tacket Boyd A. (1911–1985) 1949–1953 4th Democratic
Taylor Chester W. (1883–1931) 1921–1923 6th Democratic
Taylor Samuel M. (1852–1921) 1913–1921 6th Democratic
Terry David D. (1881–1963) 1933–1943 5th Democratic
Terry William L. (1850–1917) 1891–1901 4th Democratic
Thornton Ray H. Jr. (1928–2016) 1973–1979 4th Democratic
1991–1997 2nd
Tillman John N. (1859–1929) 1915–1929 3rd Democratic
Trimble James W. (1894–1972) 1945–1967 3rd Democratic
Tucker Jim G. Jr. (1943–) 1977–1979 2nd Democratic
Wallace Robert M. (1856–1942) 1903–1911 7th Democratic
Warren Edward A. (1818–1875) 1853–1855 2nd Democratic
1857–1859
Westerman Bruce E. (1967–) 2015–present 4th Republican
Wilshire William W. (1830–1888) 1873–1874 3rd Republican
1875–1877 Democratic
Wingo Effiegene L. (1883–1962) 1930–1933 4th Democratic
Wingo Otis T. (1877–1930) 1913–1930 4th Democratic
Womack Steve A. (1957–) 2011–present 3rd Republican
Yell Archibald (1797–1847) 1836–1839 At-large Democratic
1845–1846

Jasmine Jobe and Mike Polston
CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Last updated:
July 24, 2024
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