July 4, 2011

William Read Miller was the first native Arkansan to be elected governor. Born in Batesville (Independence County) in 1823, he pursued a career in law and politics. He served as state auditor five times and was elected governor twice. First elected to the governorship in 1876, he was best known for his sound financial leadership. Due to his reluctance to grant pardons in death sentences, he was known to some as the “hanging governor.”