Winthrop Rockefeller: Toward a Better Arkansas

Leah Nerenberg, student guest contributor

Winthrop Rockefeller — yes, from that Rockefeller family—played a key role in shaping Arkansas politics, and the state wouldn’t be what it is today without his influence. Born into oil money on May 1, 1912, he was the fifth of six kids of John D. Rockefeller Jr. After spending some time at Yale, he ditched college, worked oil rigs in Texas, bounced around New York, then enlisted in the Army in 1941, serving in World War II. After the war, he worked in oil back in New York before eventually settling in Arkansas to escape his family and lifestyle, where he bought 927 acres on top of Petit Jean Mountain.

Rockefeller first made a splash in Arkansas politics when Governor Orval Faubus appointed him to the new Arkansas Industrial Development Commission (AIDC) in 1955—a bold move since Rockefeller was a Republican and a Yankee. But he made a real impact. In his nine years as chairman, new factories opened, wages went up 88%, and the state’s economy saw a serious boost (Lisenby, 1984, pg. 145). His personal venture, WinRock Farms, also helped improve Arkansas’s image. The farm produced high-quality cattle and new types of turfgrass, bringing attention to the state in a good way—a nice change from the negative press surrounding Governor Faubus’s pro-segregation stance. Rockefeller, on the other hand, was publicly against segregation. He argued that racial tension was scaring off Northern investors, so ending segregation wasn’t just moral—it made economic sense, too. His efforts to promote desegregation, two-party politics, and a modern image of the South became part of what he called The New South.

To make that vision real, Rockefeller reluctantly ran for governor in 1964). He lost to Orval Faubus, but not by much. He came back strong in 1966 and won, beating segregationist Jim Johnson—thanks in large part to support from Black voters. His campaign focused on “racial peace and economic progress,” while Johnson’s platform was all about division and fear, according to Blair and Barth’s Arkansas Politics: Do the People Rule?. As governor, Rockefeller didn’t waste time. First, he went after the state’s brutal prison system, pushing for better food, medical care, and education for inmates, and replacing guards appointed as “trustees” with those who would uphold the law, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. He was also firmly against the death penalty — during his final weeks in office, he commuted the sentences of everyone on death. This move sparked backlash, particularly because most of the inmates were Black, but Rockefeller stood by it. To him, the death penalty symbolized deeper societal problems, especially during a time when the country was grappling with civil rights and the Vietnam War.

Rockefeller also worked hard to improve race relations across the state. When he moved to Arkansas, the country was already dealing with the fallout from Brown v. Board of Education, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Little Rock Central High School crisis—where Faubus had used the National Guard to block integration, leading President Eisenhower to send in federal troops. Nationally, civil rights were gaining ground, and Rockefeller was determined to be part of that change locally. Even before taking office in 1967, Rockefeller spent his own money registering Black voters, which later may have helped get him elected, according to Blair and Barth. As governor, he appointed Black Arkansans to commissions and boards such as Corrections, Parole, and Public Welfare—something that would be continued by the next generation of political leaders, including Dale Bumpers, David Pryor, and Bill Clinton

Another major shift Rockefeller helped lead was Arkansas’s political identity. By winning as a Republican in a traditionally Democratic state, he broke the old political dynasty and laid the groundwork for a real two-party system. He used his wealth to support the state’s Republican Party, helping the GOP become strong enough to challenge Democrats in future elections. Unlike national contemporary Republicans, like Barry Goldwater—who sought to pull the GOP in a more conservative direction, Rockefeller’s moderate platform and connected with Black voters who felt left out of both parties.

After Rockefeller, Arkansas politics began to change. Voters started splitting tickets, the Republican Party slowly gained traction, and eventually, the state shifted from solidly blue to solidly red. At first, Rockefeller’s efforts helped elect more centrist Democrats—the “Big Three”—but over time, Arkansas voters began to align closer to national Republican values, especially as the National Democratic Party became more socially progressive. In the end, Winthrop Rockefeller didn’t just govern—he reshaped Arkansas. His push for desegregation, his belief in a balanced two-party system, and his economic investments created lasting change.