spans nearly 600 cubic feet of materials, including letters, legislative documents, legal papers, campaign materials, and photographs that cover a wide range of political, social, and economic issues of national and international importance. They richly document the life and career of this accomplished progressive southern Democrat who tried to balance the interests of Democrats and Republicans amid a rapidly-changing national political landscape.

“Gov. Tucker’s papers offer researchers and students a one-of-a-kind source for research and insight into the life of a successful Arkansas politician as well as larger questions surrounding a southern governor during times of political change,” said Dr. Deborah Baldwin, director of the center and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 interim provost.

The papers strengthen 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock’s political research collections and the university’s contribution to scholarship and exploration of the state’s history and importance, added Baldwin.

Tucker’s collection is one of the largest at the center and joins other important collections of former Arkansas governors, including Carl Bailey, Winthrop Rockefeller, Dale Bumpers, and Frank White.

Materials in the Tucker collection document his personal life and political career, during which he served as the state鈥檚 43rd governor from Dec. 12, 1992, to July 15, 1996. His papers include correspondence, photographs, memorabilia, books, and audiovisual material from his time as prosecuting attorney, attorney general, U.S. congressman, chairman of the White House Conference on Families, lieutenant governor, and governor, and from his post-gubernatorial activities.

Additionally, there are materials from the Tucker and White families and items from Jim Guy Tucker, Jr.鈥檚 early life, including letters written by his mother during the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis, Harvard University ephemera, and the manuscript of 鈥淎rkansas Men at War.鈥�

The two-year project included developing a detailed description of the contents of each folder, preservation of the materials in acid-free containers, the creation of an industry-standard online finding aid that allows researchers around the world to view the contents of the collection, as well as a (https://ualrexhibits.org/tucker/).

The virtual exhibit explores the collection and Tucker鈥檚 career. Readers can learn of Tucker鈥檚 family history; however, the bulk of the collection and the exhibit involves Tucker鈥檚 political career and achievements, as well as an entertaining look at the jingle used in his lieutenant governor campaign. An extensive media gallery with more than 200 digitized photographs from his childhood to his governorship will be available. An interactive timeline will use his papers to take readers on a journey through his life, and teachers and students will enjoy the educational materials provided.

The manuscript portions of this collection were processed by John Jones, Colin Woodward, and Garret B. Kremer-Wright, 2014-16. Audio-visual materials and photographs were processed by Shannon Lausch and Bridget Wood, 2014-16. Additional assistance was provided by Sarah Bost, Kaye Lundgren, Jessica Erwin, Michael Fondren, Blake Gilliam, AJ Walker-Carter, and Chad Garrett.

The exhibit is made possible through a $136,851 grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), part of the National Archives and Records Administration, making it the largest NHPRC award in the state to date.

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The University of Arkansas at Little Rock鈥檚 Center for Arkansas History and Culture (CAHC) hosted a reception on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at Cache Restaurant in the River Market to celebrate the receipt of a national grant. The $136,851 grant will be used to process the papers of former Arkansas Gov. James (Jim) Guy Tucker Jr.

Tucker鈥檚 collection spans 746 cubic feet of materials, including letters, legislative documents, legal papers, campaign materials, and photographs that cover a wide range of political, social, and economic issues of national and international importance.

The CAHC expects the processing to take a full two years, but is excited for the finished product.

Associate Provost Dr. Deborah Baldwin began introductions, she briefly detailed the amount of work that the CAHC staff put into the grant. The grant is the largest National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) award in the state to date. The NHPRC is part of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Chancellor Joel Anderson said, shortly after, 鈥淚鈥檓 very enthusiastic about our archives and special collections,鈥� naming other Arkansas gubernatorial greats that Tucker鈥檚 papers will sit alongside, including former Gov. Dale Bumpers and Winthrop Rockefeller. He  continued, 鈥淎 governor鈥檚 collection for the period of time that a governor was in office is the best single source of documents that tell the story of that particular era. 鈥� It鈥檚 a special pleasure to the university to have those papers coming here.鈥�

Before handing the microphone to Tucker, Chancellor Anderson said, 鈥淚 know I speak on behalf of everyone here when I say a big, heartfelt thanks to you for theyears of public service that you have given to the people of Central Arkansas and the state of Arkansas.鈥�

As Tucker listened to the applause, he thanked people by name for coming out to the event. Although he admitted jokingly that he鈥檒l be glad to be rid of the papers from the storeroom, he was excited to be part of an archive.

鈥淭he most important thing about these papers is that they are not just my papers. They are your papers as well, they are the papers of the people, the history the culture of Arkansas, a part of our shared history. 鈥� They reflect what we did together as citizens, voters, workers, business people, doctors, lawyers, legislatures, appointees, board members, state employees, teachers, farmers, mothers fathers, citizens, period, you name it.鈥�

More about the 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 CAHC

CAHC ensures that the history of the state is accessible through the collection and maintenance of archival material, promotes an understanding of the past through scholarly exchange and public dialog, and supports academic achievement through the education of undergraduate and graduate students. The Center鈥檚 archives are a repository that identifies, collects, and preserves Arkansas records and papers that are both of enduring value and in support of the university mission.

This article was originally published by the . 

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鈥淭he papers are unique in that they provide an excellent representation of all aspects of Jim Guy Tucker鈥檚 public life as attorney general, congressman, lieutenant governor, and governor,鈥� said Dr. Colin Woodward, an archivist at the 糖心Vlog传媒LR center.

Once Tucker鈥檚 papers are processed, his papers will be the largest collection held at the 糖心Vlog传媒LR center, which also holds the gubernatorial papers of Arkansas governors Carl Bailey, Winthrop Rockefeller, Dale Bumpers, and Frank White.

Those papers and President Bill Clinton鈥檚 gubernatorial papers held by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, are all housed in downtown Little Rock at the Arkansas Studies Institute, a collaboration between 糖心Vlog传媒LR and the Central Arkansas Library System.

糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 acquisition of the Tucker collection includes personal and professional papers containing approximately 540 linear feet of materials from every phase of Tucker鈥檚 political career.

鈥淲e are delighted Gov. Tucker entrusted his papers to us,鈥� said Dr. Deborah Baldwin, associate provost of the center and dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. 鈥淭he collection will provide a significant contribution to the study of Arkansas and its politics during the late 20th century.鈥�

Born in Oklahoma in 1943, Tucker moved to Arkansas with his family as a young boy. He attended secondary school in Little Rock before graduating and enrolling at Harvard University, where he obtained a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Tucker married Betty Allen in 1975.

After a medical discharge from the Marine Corp officer training, Tucker entered South Vietnam in 1965 as an accredited freelance war correspondent. He later published 鈥淎rkansas Men at War,鈥� a collection of interviews with troops from the state that he followed into combat.

After serving as Arkansas attorney general and representing Arkansas鈥� Second District in Congress, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1978, narrowly losing the Democratic primary to David Pryor, then the sitting governor.

A consistent inter-party rival of Bill Clinton, Tucker briefly ran for governor in 1990, but when Clinton decided to go for a fifth term, Tucker ran for and won election as lieutenant governor. He became governor when Clinton became president.

Tucker鈥檚 donation to 糖心Vlog传媒LR also includes childhood photographs and items documenting the history of the Tucker family, which has deep roots in Arkansas.

Among the early 20th century papers are those of Guy Beckwith Tucker, who was a marshal in El Dorado, Ark., and Tucker鈥檚 father, James Guy Sr., who served along the U.S. southern border during the Mexican Revolution before heading to France during World War I.

In-depth work has already been done on the Tucker Papers, but the project, led by CAHC archivist Woodward, could take several years to complete.

The ASI, which houses the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Center for Arkansas History and Culture and The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, is the largest facility in the state dedicated to the study for Arkansas history and culture.Through its connection to the university, the archives benefit from the rigorous scholarship of 糖心Vlog传媒LR faculty, creating a valuable resource for students, researchers, stakeholders, and the general public.

The research room at ASI is available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, contact Woodward at 501-320-5780.

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