George W. Donaghey – medicine, education, prisons and a new state capitol
George Washington Donaghey spent years working with other leaders in Conway to build and support the city. Through his efforts, by 1907, three colleges had located in the city, helping to create its reputation as “the city of colleges.” As a builder, Donaghey looked to leave something lasting and positive. By 1908, a clash over a new state capitol led to Donaghey jumping into politics and becoming one of the most influential governors in state history.
Donaghey earned an appointment to the commission overseeing construction of a new capitol in 1899. But by 1901, the new governor, Jeff Davis, was inaugurated and openly hostile to the new building project. He tried to disrupt construction as much as possible. Donaghey and others overseeing construction attempted to reason with Davis, but to no avail. The result was delays in construction and soaring cost overruns.
Construction proponents hoped the situation would improve when Davis moved up to the U.S. Senate in 1907. Davis, however, still fought the project. Donaghey decided he had enough. In 1908, he moved to Little Rock to prepare for a run for governor. Donaghey faced Attorney General William F. Kirby, a favorite of Davis, in the Democratic Primary. He won the primary easily and cruised to an easy victory with nearly 70 percent of the votes in the general election.
He faced many challenges as the new governor. His only previous elected office was that of Conway town marshal. Because of a 1905 tax cut, Donaghey immediately faced a budget shortfall and had to make massive cuts.
In spite of this, he pushed to do more with less. Working with a reform-minded Legislature, he pushed for new programs. Donaghey supported creation of a new tuberculosis sanitorium in 1909, ultimately located in Booneville. The Arkansas Tax Commission was established to oversee property tax issues. He reorganized the Capitol Commission to expedite construction.
Sen. Robert Glover of Sheridan had sponsored a bill to create four district agricultural schools in the four corners of the state. Donaghey enthusiastically signed the legislation into law, which led to the creations of four major state universities: Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas Tech in Russellville, Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Legislators also passed the first compulsory school attendance law in 1909.
He pushed through a 1910 constitutional amendment that created a system of initiative and referendum, allowing the people to put their own proposed laws on the ballot and to vote on laws already passed, making Arkansas the first state in the South with such a system. Donaghey was overwhelmingly re-elected that year.
In 1911, he began his second term, and the Legislature convened in the new, though incomplete, capitol. The state board of education was established in 1911, overseeing the state’s 5,000 school districts. The state also started offering direct aid to high schools.
Public health made major advances under Donaghey. The State Embalmers Board was created in 1909 to oversee proper burial of the dead. Medical degrees began being required for doctors to practice in the state. Working with the Rockefeller Commission in 1910, Arkansas undertook a major effort to combat hookworm, a debilitating condition that infected thousands caused by poor sanitation. By 1911, the state began assuming responsibility for medical education in the state and moved the medical into the recently vacated Old State House. A new health department was created to oversee sanitation as well as the safety of foods and medicines.
He attempted to run for a third term in 1912 but was defeated by U. S. Rep. Joseph T. Robinson of Lonoke.
Convict leasing became a major issue. Prisoners were often used to work in mines and in the fields for private landowners and company owners, with the money given to the state, which in turn used the labor to avoid the costs of housing them. Critics said it amounted to a system of slavery and Donaghey agreed. Men were given long sentences for the smallest crimes and were often detained far beyond their prison terms. Unable to make any progress on the issue, Donaghey took it upon himself. In December 1912, he pardoned 360 prisoners, more than a third of all inmates, neutralizing the convict leasing system.
In the years after his loss, he remained an active member of many different civic organizations. He assisted Little Rock and North Little Rock with the construction of two bridges across the Arkansas River. He created the George W. Donaghey Foundation, giving upwards of $2 million to support Little Rock Junior College in 1929. The college is now the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and many programs are still financed through the Donaghey Foundation, which now has assets of more than $68 million. The City of Conway established Donaghey Avenue as a major thoroughfare. A modest memorial was established on the Louisiana state line to honor the Louisiana native.
Donaghey had a tremendous impact on education in the state. These reforms brought Arkansas into the new century as a leader among the southern states. He died at the age of 81 in Little Rock in 1937.