Orval Faubus

Orval Eugene Faubus (7 January 1910–14 December 1994) was a six-term Democratic Governor of Arkansas, famous for his 1957 stand against integration of Little Rock, Arkansas schools in defiance of U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

Little Rock integration crisis

Faubus came to international attention during the Little Rock Crisis of 1957 when he used the National Guard to stop African-American children from attending Little Rock Central High School as part of federally ordered racial desegregation.

Related Topics:
Little Rock Crisis - 1957 - National Guard - African-American - Little Rock Central High School - Desegregation

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Faubus's decision led to a showdown with President Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower, in October 1957, federalized the Arkansas National Guard and ordered them to return to their barracks which effectively removed them from Faubus's control. Eisenhower then sent elements of the 101st Airborne Division to Arkansas to protect the black students and enforce the Federal court order.

Related Topics:
Dwight Eisenhower - 101st Airborne Division

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ironically, in 1954 Faubus had run for governor as a liberal promising to increase spending on schools and roads. In the first few months of his administration, Faubus desegregated state buses and public transportation and began to investigate the possibility of introducing multi-racial schools.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This, however, led to a political attack by Jim Johnson, leader of the right-wing of the Democratic Party in Arkansas. This attack caused Faubus to reconsider his political position for the upcoming election and led him to fight the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that separate schools were unequal and therefore unconstitutional.

Related Topics:
Jim Johnson - Democratic Party - Brown v. Board of Education - U.S. Supreme Court

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~