Hayes McClerkin (December 16, 1931 – January 6, 2016) was an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1970 and Speaker of the House in 1969 and 1970.

Early life and education

McClerkin was born and raised in

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. The city is located across the state line from its twin city ...

. McClerkin was a close childhood friend of Ross Perot. McClerkin graduated from

Arkansas High School Arkansas High School is a public secondary school in Texarkana in Miller County in southwestern Arkansas. The school serves students from ninth through twelve grade and is administered by the Texarkana Arkansas School District. Academics The ...

, where he played on the football team. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in commerce from

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

. After graduating, McClerkin served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1953 until his discharge in 1956. McClerkin then earned a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from the

University of Arkansas School of Law The University of Arkansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a State university system, state university. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M) ...

Career

After graduating from law school, McClerkin was admitted to the Arkansas Bar Association and established a small legal practice with his former law classmates. McClerkin later joined a larger law firm. McClerkin served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1970 and Speaker of the House in 1969 and 1970. McClerkin was an unsuccessful candidate for the

1970 Arkansas gubernatorial election The 1970 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970. Incumbent Republican Governor Winthrop Rockefeller ran for a third term but was defeated by Democratic nominee Dale Bumpers who won 61.66% of the vote. , this was the last ...

. In the 1980s, he worked as a law professor at the William H. Bowen School of Law. After serving as a board member of several organizations in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

, McClerkin returned to politics as a Legislative Liaison under then-Governor

Jim Guy Tucker James Guy Tucker Jr. (born June 13, 1943) is an American politician and attorney from Arkansas. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 43rd governor of Arkansas, the 15th lieutenant governor, state attorney general, and U.S. repre ...

from 1993 to 1995.

Personal life

McClerkin had three daughters. In his retirement, he maintained a home in

Kiawah Island, South Carolina Kiawah is a sea island, or barrier island, on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Located southwest of Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina, it is primarily a private beach and golf resort. It is home to the Kiawah Island Gol ...

. He died on January 6, 2016, at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McClerkin, Hayes 1931 births People from Texarkana, Arkansas Washington and Lee University alumni University of Arkansas School of Law alumni Arkansas lawyers Speakers of the Arkansas House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives 2016 deaths 20th-century American legislators