Tucker's Father Line
Governor Jim Guy Tucker came from a service-oriented and political family. Tucker’s grandfather, Guy Beckwith Tucker (1870-1924), was born on April 2, 1870, in Troup County, Georgia. His parents moved to Arkansas when he was an infant. Eventually, Guy served as city marshal of El Dorado, Arkansas, prior to moving to and holding political office in Little Rock. He was so well regarded for his service in Little Rock that on the afternoon of his funeral, Governor Thomas McRae ordered all offices of the state capitol closed in his honor.
Governor Tucker's father, James Guy Tucker, Sr., served as a captain in World War I prior to his 29-year career in the Social Security System.
The Infamous Tucker Parnell Feud
The Tucker Parnell Feud, which took place between 1902 and 1905, involved Tucker’s grandfather and remains a noteworthy slice of south Arkansas history. The events were significant: Three people died in the opening gunfight, and some estimates connect nearly 40 deaths to the quarrel. The feud remained a tense subject in Union County for nearly 40 years.
Many of the surviving participants moved out of Union County. While some of the Parnell's moved to Texas, other remained in south Arkansas. Even after the factions dispersed, the Parnell's and Tuckers would have a couple run-ins before tensions truly eased.
The Parnells and Tucker Sr.
One rainy evening in Little Rock, in the wake of World War I, James Guy Tucker, Sr., dressed in a soldier’s uniform, was walking through the rain. A car slowed, and a cab occupied by girls called out, “Soldier, you need a ride?” Tucker replied in the affirmative and climbed inside.
The girls began chattering and asked his name. He replied, "My name is Guy Tucker." The girls erupted in laughter and Tucker - quite confused- asked, "What's so funny?" They replied that they were all Parnell's.
Tucker immediately exited the vehicle, opting to trudge through the rain instead. For him, the feud was still uncomfortable. As a boy, Tucker Sr. had ridden double horseback with his father, Guy Beckwith, during an ambush that cost his father his right arm. Over the feud's three-year span, Guy Beckwith was shot on multiple occasions, receiving nine bullet wounds and losing this arm. He had also survived an assassination attempt by poison whiskey.
The Feud on the Football Field
When in high school, future Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker played football. He faced another Parnell on the field—head to head—a Hall High Warrior against an El Dorado Wildcat. Each knew the identity of his opponent, and as result the game held added excitement for the two.
A Summer Reenactment
Now over a century later, tensions have eased. The duel is reenacted thrice a summer, every summer, at El Dorado’s downtown Union Square—where the original gunfight occurred.
Governor Tucker has attended the reenactments more than once. In 1933, he and a descendant from the dueling side, Blanche Wade Parnell, met and watched the show together. Blanche's father was one of the three men that died in the initial gunfight.
Paternal Influence
Governor Tucker never knew his paternal grandfather, but he heard many stories of the gallant Guy Beckwith. Tucker Sr. was 49 years old when Jim Guy was born, and was not always in the best of health, because of weak lungs from having been subjected to mustard gas during WWI.
In addition to mustard gas poisoning, Tucker Sr. received minor shrapnel wounds while abroad in France and Germany. Following the war he was awarded an honorable discharge. Tucker's father did not talk much about World War I. He had one story he would recount—one of falling into a French wine cellar and drinking his way out. The rest he kept to himself.
Jim Guy Tucker came from a male lineage known for service and adventure.