J.E. "Pat" Garner: Fort Smith's Renaissance Cowboy
John Edward "Pat" Garner was a radio broadcaster in the 1940s, speaking about the Arkansas war effort (World War II) and promoting his Fort Smith community. In 1949, Garner was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, serving four terms. He also served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961.
John Edward "Pat" Garner, son of T.E. Garner and Mattie A. Fergus, was born June 26, 1893, in Springfield, Missouri, and was reared in Hugo, Indian Territory [now Oklahoma].
Garner had many interests in his life, particularly horses, an interest which he probably inherited from his father. He was a promoter of horses in Fort Smith and served as editor and publisher of the Horse Market News. Garner also promoted the Arkansas-Oklahoma Rodeo and Fair during the 1930s with KFPW Radio Station public service announcements and other publicity. He found a calling in radio as he used this medium in the 1940s to broadcast the Arkansas war effort (World War II) and promote his Fort Smith community. The contacts he made through his radio career in the 1940s no doubt propelled him into the Arkansas State Senate and House of Representatives in the 1950s.
Adventuresome Youth
Garner had his first taste of European adventure when he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman toward the end of the First World War, headed for France. In Garner's war-time journal, he comments on encountering a U.S. Negro division from Battle Creek, Michigan, the horrors of battle, and the joy of Armistice Dat. After the War, Garner enjoyed leisure time in Arkansas and Louisiana. In the early 1930s, he began his career in Journalism and broadcasting.
War Returns
Garner honed his broadcasting talents in the 1930s at the Arkansas-Oklahoma Rodeo and Fair. When World War II came in the early 1940s, he expanded his role by interviewing soldiers at Camp Chaffee on Fort Smith's KFPW Radio Station. Garner, with his experience as an infantry man during the First World War, was in the right time and place to capture the mood and drama of World War II through radio.
The Matured Broadcaster
After the demanding years if World War II, Garner devoted his broadcasting efforts to promoting his Fort Smith community. He was particularly interested in musical groups, such as the Musical Buddies, the Mountain Boys Trio, and the Arkansas Ridge Runners. Garner also promoted youth groups and local churches.
The Statesman
In 1949, Garner was elected to the Arkansas State Senate, serving four terms. He also served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961. During Garner's time in office, he corresponded with political figures such as Francis Cherry, Orval Faubus, John McClellan, Sid McMath Homer Adkins, and Winthrop Rockefeller. He focused on legislation that promoted the livestock industry in the state of Arkansas. But Garner also found time to have fun, as illustrated with his enjoyment of the Budweiser Wagon and his involvement with friends at Subiaco Academy.