January 18, 1901

Jeff Davis was inaugurated as Arkansas’s twentieth governor, having won the election by crusading against the “Yankee trusts,” banks, corporations, and railroads. During his tenure as governor, he struggled to reform the state prison system, oversaw the construction of a new state capitol, and earned the ire of prohibitionists. There were several attempts to drive him from power, including one impeachment effort, but he survived and went on to win a seat in the U.S. Senate following his third term as governor.