October 21, 2009

In 1941, Lonoke County native Maurice Lee “Footsie” Britt was drafted into the U.S. Army and assigned to the Third Infantry Division. He was engaged in extensive combat in the African, Sicilian, and Italian campaigns. For his heroism at Mignano, Italy, in 1943, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. In later life, Britt became a prominent businessman and was elected lieutenant governor in 1966 and reelected in 1968. Britt died on November 26, 1995, and is buried in the National Cemetery in Little Rock (Pulaski County).