Francis Cherry (governor)

Francis Adams Cherry (September 5, 1908 – July 15, 1965) was an American politician. He served as governor of Arkansas from 1953 to 1955.[2]

Francis Adams Cherry
Cherry in 1954
35th Governor of Arkansas
In office
January 13, 1953 – January 11, 1955
LieutenantNathan Green Gordon
Preceded bySid McMath
Succeeded byOrval Faubus
Personal details
Born(1908-09-05)September 5, 1908
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 1965(1965-07-15) (aged 56)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic[1]
Alma materOklahoma State University
University of Arkansas

Life and career

Cherry was born in Fort Worth, Texas. He attended Oklahoma State University and the University of Arkansas Law School.[2]

Cherry practiced law from 1936 to 1937 and then became a U.S. Commissioner at Jonesboro.

In 1942, he was elected judge of the 12th Chancery District Court of Arkansas.[3]

Cherry was in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1942 to 1944.

In 1952,[4] Cherry was elected to the Arkansas governorship, defeating Sid McMath who was running for a third term. Cherry defeated McMath even though McMath had gained the endorsement of then President Harry Truman. He served until 1955, when he was defeated for re-election by Orval Faubus.[5] At the time of his defeat, he was only the second Arkansas Governor to lose re-election in the century.

In 1955, President Eisenhower appointed Cherry to the Federal Subversive Activities Control Board. Cherry was appointed to a second term in 1960. In 1963, President Kennedy made Cherry the chairman of the board. At the time of his death in 1965, Cherry was the Chairman of the Federal Subversive Activities Control Board.

Cherry died from a heart ailment related to a prior heart attack on July 15, 1965, at his home in Washington, D.C.,[6] at the age of 56.

References
  1. "Arkansas". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. November 5, 1952. p. 4. Retrieved April 21, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. closed access
  2. "Gov. Francis Adams Cherry". National Governors Association. 15 January 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  3. "Death Claims Francis Cherry At Washington". Mountain Home, Arkansas. Associated Press. July 22, 1965. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  4. Onofrio, Jan (1998). Arkansas Biographical Dictionary. Somerset. p. 67. ISBN 9780403098514 – via Google Books.
  5. Politics in America, 1945-1964, Congressional Quarterly Service, 1965
  6. "Francis Cherry papers, 1952-1955". Arkansas Digital Archives. Retrieved April 21, 2023.


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