Listed in Arkansas Register of Historic Places on 04/05/06

SUMMARY

The Governor J.M. Futrell House is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places under Criterion B with statewide significance for its association with Governor J.M. Futrell. Junius Marion Futrell was the thirtieth governor of Arkansas and served the state from 1933-1937. He was later appointed, by President Roosevelt, attorney to the federal agricultural colony at Dyess in Mississippi County, Arkansas. Governor Futrell is best known for saving Arkansas from financial ruin during his term in the depression era. He helped to pull the state out of debt by reducing the size of state government and imposing a pay-as-you-go spending philosophy. Governor J.M. Futrell returned to his home of Paragould after his term as governor.

ELABORATION

The year 1882 was a historic year for Greene County, Arkansas. In 1882 two railroads built their lines into the county and crossed at a point where a town would be built. One railroad was the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad (later known as the Missouri Pacific). It was headed by the famous railroad magnate Jay Gould who already controlled some 5,000 miles of track in Arkansas and the Southwest. The other railroad was the Texas and St. Louis, later called the Cotton Belt. This was a very small gauge line, with J.W. Paramore as president. This line originated in Texas and was originally built to ship Texas cotton to the compresses in St. Louis by direct line. The crossing of the two railroads was not coincidence, but the result of Gould’s tactics to cut the business of the fledgling railroad. When a name was sought for the newly created town at the junction of the two railroads, a group of citizens who were promoting the new town wished to supplant the name “Bula”, which was the nearest point of mail delivery. Syllables were combined from the names of the two railroad presidents, thus joining the two protagonists forever in the name “Paragould” – a truly original name for an extraordinary town. Paragould developed as a railroad and industrial town, and was later to serve as the home of Arkansas’ thirtieth Governor, Junius Marion (J.M.) Futrell.

J.M. Futrell was born at Jones Ridge in Greene County on August 14, 1872. His father, Jeptha Frank Futrell, came to Arkansas in 1848 from Kentucky, and his mother, Armina
Lavonia Eubanks Futrell, came to Arkansas from Georgia in 1856. J.M. Futrell received a public school education and attended the University of Arkansas from 1892-93. On September 14, 1893, Futrell married Miss Tera Ann Smith. Together they had six children: Byean Futrell, M.D.; Dan Futrell, M.D.; Mrs. (Nye) Grady McCall; Mrs. (Prentiss) Herbert Ferrell; Mrs. (Ernie) Alfred Maddox, M.D.; and Mrs. (Janice) C.F. Moore.

Futrell taught school in Greene County from 1892 - 1896. He also began farming and entered the timber business while pursuing the study of law. He was elected state representative from Greene County, and was re-elected in 1900 and 1902. He served as Greene County Circuit Clerk from 1906 to 1910. In 1912, Futrell was elected a state senator. His colleagues chose him president pro tempore of the Senate, making him acting governor for five months in 1913 when Joe T. Robinson resigned to become U.S. Senator. Futrell was admitted to the Arkansas Bar in 1913 and returned to Paragould to practice law for the next eight years. In 1921, he was appointed Circuit Judge, and in 1924 and again in 1930, was elected a chancellor of the Twelfth Judicial District. In 1932, Judge Futrell resigned to successfully run for Governor of the State of Arkansas.

Governor Futrell took office in January 1933. He is remembered for his success in attacking the state budget concerns. Revenue shortfalls, the cost of funding of state agencies, and the massive debt from the state’s highway building program had placed Arkansas on the verge of bankruptcy. Governor Futrell reduced the size of state government and placed government funding on a pay-as-you-go basis until the state’s debts had been paid. During Futrell’s tenure, legislature and the voters passed the 19th and 20th Amendments to the Arkansas Constitution. The 19th Amendment required a three-fourths vote to raise any tax then in existence. The 20th Amendment required voter approval of any bond issue. Both of these measures remain in effect today. Futrell’s efforts to rectify Arkansas’ financial woes, though often unpopular, were successful: as noted in The Governors of Arkansas, “as a result of Futrell’s efforts, the state was on a cash basis and possessed a treasury surplus when he left office.”

When Futrell left office, President Roosevelt appointed him attorney to the federal agricultural colony at Dyess, Arkansas. He lived in Paragould until his death on June 20, 1955. His widow resided in Paragould until her death.

Although the exact date of the construction of Governor Futrell’s home in Paragould is uncertain, ‘J.M. Futrell” appears in the city directory of 1908 as residing at 130 South Fourteenth Street. At that time, the city limits of Paragould reached just to the location of the residence. The residence was Futrell’s home while he served as Greene County Clerk, state Senator, Circuit Judge, and Governor of Arkansas. The Futrell family continued to reside in the home until 1938, at which time the residence was sold to another family, who lived there until 1965. In 1965, the house was sold to physicians George and Jon Collier who utilized the residence as a medical clinic and constructed an addition for use as examination rooms. The building was subsequently used as a bridal boutique for several years. The building has been vacant since approximately 1996. In February 2005, the owner of the property, First National Bank of Paragould, donated the property to Greene County Museum, Inc., for use as a museum. Efforts are currently underway to restore the property and utilize it as a museum of state and local history.

SIGNIFICANCE

The Governor J.M. Futrell House is being nominated to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places under Criterion B with statewide significance for its association with Governor J.M. Futrell. Junius Marion Futrell was the thirtieth governor of Arkansas and served the state from 1933-1937. He was later appointed, by President Roosevelt, attorney to the federal agricultural colony at Dyess in Mississippi County, Arkansas. Governor Futrell is best known for saving Arkansas from financial ruin during his term in the depression era. He helped to pull the state out of debt by reducing the size of state government and imposing a pay-as-you-go spending philosophy. Governor J.M. Futrell returned to his home of Paragould after his term as governor.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beverly McClure, retired to Paragould, Arkansas: Associate Professor of Language and Literature, Southwest Tennessee Community College, Memphis, Tennessee

Betty Busby: Historian

Greene County Chamber of Commerce: A Brief History of Paragould, Arkansas, June 2000

Library of Congress: #2001097436 ISBN: 1563117398

Jimmy Dan Maddox, Architect, Jonesboro, Arkansas, Grandson of Governor Futrell

Ellen Johnson, Greene County Circuit Clerk and Recorder

George Hyde: Member of Greene County Central Committee, 30 years

The Governors of Arkansas: edited by Timothy P. Donovan, Thillard B. Gatewood, Jr., Januce M. Hayne, 1981