January 13, 1881

Thomas James Churchill was inaugurated Arkansas’s thirteenth governor. Though his tenure as governor was peppered with controversy, including the revelation of discrepancies in the treasurer’s account during his three terms as state treasurer, Churchill did pass the resolution standardizing the way “Arkansas” was to be pronounced and led advances in health and education while in office, including the establishment of the Medical Department of Arkansas Industrial University (now the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) in Little Rock (Pulaski County).