Tom Jefferson Terral

Thomas Jefferson Terral ( born December 21, 1882 Union Parish, Louisiana, † March 9, 1946 in Little Rock, Arkansas ) was an American politician and between 1925 and 1927 Governor of Arkansas.

Early years

Thomas Terral attended the University of Kentucky. After a subsequent law studies at the University of Arkansas, he was in 1910 admitted to the bar. He then practiced in Little Rock and worked part-time as a teacher to improve its income.

Political rise

Like all governors of Arkansas 1874-1967 belonged Terral to the Democratic Party. Between 1911 and 1915 he was employed by the administration of the state Senate ( Assistant Secretary of the Arkansas Senate ). Between 1917 and 1921 he was Secretary of State in Arkansas. In 1920 he wrote his first application to the office of governor, but failed in the primaries. His second candidacy in 1924 was successful.

Governor of Arkansas

Tom Terral joined his two -year term on 13 January 1925. During this time, the governor has reformed the administration. The number of government committees was of eleven ( with more than 60 members ) is reduced to one with only three fully paid members. Some government departments have also been combined for reasons of economy. The savings benefited the education system and the expansion of highways. In Little Rock, a large public hospital was built. At that time originated in Arkansas, the first state-owned National Park. After a constitutional amendment, the number of judges was increased at the Supreme Court of the country. 1926 Terral applied for his re-election. But he had already failed in the primaries. His main opponent John Martineau accused him of bribery, but this was not proven.

Further CV

After the end of his tenure, Terral committed himself again to his private interests. He was working as a lawyer in Little Rock again. There he died in 1946 after a long illness.