The James Guy Tucker, Jr., Papers
Public service defined the career of James Guy Tucker, Jr., better known as Jim Guy. He served the citizens of Arkansas as prosecuting attorney, attorney general, United States Congressman, lieutenant governor, and governor, a political legacy that spans 1970-1996. Included in his collection are family papers, research material for his manuscript Arkansas Men at War, speeches as chairman of the White House Conference on Families, papers relating to his public service career, photographs, audiovisual materials, and memorabilia from his personal life and political career.
Under Tucker's leadership as governor, he reformed the criminal justice system, brought state government to the people with his "Capital for a Day" program, reformed the education system, and signed bills, through additional taxes, to fund Medicaid for Arkansans.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Center for Arkansas History and Culture received a National Historical Publications and Records Commission two-year grant to process Governor Tucker's papers. The finished collection contains over 500 linear feet of material.
Virtual Exhibit
This virtual exhibit offers content written by archivists and historian-advisers processing the collection. Readers can explore topics about Tucker's early life and family background, education during the Little Rock School Integration Crisis, Harvard education, service as a war correspondent in Vietnam, and accomplishments from Tucker's political career.
The site features a media gallery with photos, documents, and video clips from the collection, as well as editorial cartoons featuring Jim Guy Tucker from the Jon Kennedy Cartoon Collection, 1935-1988 (UALR.MS.0023), also housed at Center for Arkansas History and Culture. These illustrations depict some of Tucker's early political battles. Other special features of the site include childhood and political bio cards, a timeline of Tucker's life, a HistoryPin map of Tucker's Capital for a Day program, and a link to the James Guy Tucker, Jr., Processing Blog.
The virtual exhibit includes Education Materials for teachers, with lesson plans covering topics of the Lost Year, Prison Reform in Arkansas, Whitewater, and the Vietnam War.
For additional information on the collection please see the collection finding aid online or plan your visit to the UA Little Rock's Center for Arkansas History and Culture.