Bill Gwatney
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William A. Gwatney (August 26, 1959 – August 13, 2008) was an American politician who served as the State Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas.AP story
He had previously served as a
State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...
for ten years and as the financial chair of Mike Beebe's campaign for
Governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
in 2006. Gwatney was selected as a
superdelegate In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...
at the
2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The conventi ...
, but was assassinated before the convention.


Death

On August 13, 2008, Gwatney was killed by Timothy Dale Johnson, who entered Democratic Party headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, and shot Gwatney three times. Gwatney was taken to a hospital, but died later that day. The gunman had said he wanted to speak with Gwatney about volunteering, but sidestepped his assistant when she said he was busy. After the shooting, the gunman fled the scene in his truck and led police on a chase out of Little Rock. Johnson was killed by police after a PIT maneuver forced him off the road into a field near
Sheridan Sheridan may refer to: People Surname *Sheridan (surname) *Philip Sheridan (1831–1888), U.S. Army general after whom the Sheridan tank is named *Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816), Irish playwright (''The Rivals''), poet and politician ...
. No motive was discovered, except Johnson quitting his job at a Target retail store earlier that day.


Honors

The
University of Arkansas at Little Rock The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock) is a public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the institution became a private four-year ...
(UALR) Athletic Department posthumously inducted Gwatney into their Hall of Fame during a ceremony prior to the tip-off of the men's basketball game vs. New Orleans on February 26, 2009.


See also

* List of assassinated American politicians *
List of superdelegates at the 2008 Democratic National Convention This is a list of Democratic party unpledged delegates, also known as superdelegates or automatic delegates, who voted in the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the culmination of the party's presidential nominating process that began with the ...
*
2011 Tucson shooting On January 8, 2011, U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, including feder ...


References


External links


Democratic Party of Arkansas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwatney, Bill 1959 births 2008 deaths 2008 murders in the United States 20th-century American politicians American automobile salespeople Arkansas Democratic state chairmen Arkansas state senators Assassinated American politicians Businesspeople from Arkansas Deaths by firearm in Arkansas People murdered in Arkansas 20th-century American businesspeople