Gov. McMath and Race

Sidney Sanders McMath was elected governor of Arkansas in 1948. McMath was part of a regionwide movement led by former veterans in a so-called “G. I. Revolt” that pressed for better public health, education and welfare. Another central tenet was seeking to improve southern race relations. Even the normally skeptical Arkansas State Press newspaper, owned by the husband-and-wife team of L. C. and Daisy Bates, editorialized that “FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR LIVES we felt we were voting for SOMETHING.” President-elect Harry S. Truman hailed McMath as “governor of one of the most progressive states in the Union.” Truman added, “Arkansas stands on the threshold of a great opportunity. It can go forward with progress under...enlightened leadership.”