Harlan Holleman
Encyclopedia
Harlan Harmon "Bo" Holleman (January 23, 1927—March 12, 1982) was a farmer
and seed
merchant from Wynne
, the seat of Cross County in eastern Arkansas
, and a pioneer in the development of the modern Republican Party
in his home state. He was the Arkansas state GOP
chairman from December 6, 1980, until his death some sixteen months later. Earlier he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Arkansas House of Representatives
(1968) and the United States House of Representatives
(1976).
Holleman was born to farmer Herman Holleman and wife, Moretta, in Hickory Ridge
in Cross County. Holleman's mother died when he was a boy, and his father thereafter married the former Faye Couch (1905–1991) of Parkin
in Cross County. In 1943, Holleman graduated at the age of sixteen from Hickory Ridge High School and trained thereafter at Texas A&M University
in College Station
and Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
in preparation for entering the United States Army Air Corps
, later the Air Force
. His military service took him to Okinawa. After World War II
, he studied briefly at the University of Arkansas
at Fayetteville
. In 1947, he married the former Emaline Moore, and the couple had two children, David Allen Holleman of Wynne and Nancy Moretta Holleman of San Andreas
, California
.
Holleman began farming in 1950, with 320 acres (1.3 km²) of land. He thereafter expanded his holdings to more than 2,500 acres (10 km²). He grew soybeans, rice
, and wheat
. In 1955, he launched Holleman Seed Service Company, Inc., in Cross County. During the administration of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon Holleman was the Southeast Regional Director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
and director of Oilseeds and Special Crops Division in the United States Department of Agriculture
.
When Nixon was first elected President, Holleman lost a bid for the Arkansas House. Eight years later in 1976, when Jimmy Carter
unseated President Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
, and proved particularly strong in Arkansas, Holleman lost in a bid to oust Democratic
U.S. Representative William Vollie "Bill" Alexander, Jr. of Osceola
in Mississippi County. In the heavily Democratic First Congressional District, Alexander secured his fifth term by defeating Holleman, 116,217 (68.9 percent) to 52,562 (31.1 percent). Holleman's showing was nearly identical to the 31.3 percent that Republican Guy M. Newcomb (born ca. 1928), also of Osceola, had received in 1968, when Alexander won his first race for Congress. Ford, as the House minority leader, had come into Arkansas to campaign for Newcomb. Mrs. Emaline Holleman said years later that party leaders determined that neither Newcomb nor her husband could have surpassed one-third of the vote considering the solid Democratic tradition of the First District. Alexander was subsequently unseated in the 1992 Democratic primary by his former aide and future U.S. Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln
.
In 1978, Arkansas party leaders encouraged Holleman to run against Governor] David Hampton Pryor
, who was seeking a U.S.Senate seat, but Holleman declined to seek office again.
In 1980, Holleman attended the Republican National Convention
in Detroit
, Michigan
, along with delegate Ada Mills
of Clarksville
, who had been the only delegate in the nation initially committed to former Governor
John B. Connally, Jr., of Texas
in his bid for the presidential nomination. Others in the delegation were party counsel James Burnett, state chairman Lynn Lowe
, and the state's then two U.S. representatives, John Paul Hammerschmidt
, and Edwin R. Bethune.
In February 1981, in a guest column in the former Arkansas Gazette
(since Arkansas Democrat Gazette), Holleman set forth his vision of worthy goals for the Arkansas GOP. First, he proposed at least one Republican county committee member be stationed at each voting precinct by 1982. Secondly, Holleman, a former Arkansas GOP finance chairman, suggested a stronger financial base, which had deteriorated since the death in 1973 of its benefactor, former Governor
Winthrop Rockefeller
. Thirdly, Holleman said that the GOP should seek to attract more minority voters, who largely support Democrats. At the time of his death, Holleman was recruiting candidates to oppose Democratic U.S. Representatives Bill Alexander and Beryl Franklin Anthony, Jr., of El Dorado
, the seat of Columbia County
in south Arkansas.
Holleman contracted a rapid form of lung cancer
and underwent unsuccessful chemotherapy
. On his death, then Governor Frank D. White
, a Republican, requested that flags at the state capitol be flown at half-staff in Holleman's memory. "I am deeply grieved by the passing of Harlan "Bo" Holleman, who not only was the chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, but was an outstanding citizen of our state," White said.
In addition to his wife and children, Holleman was survived by his stepmother, Faye Holleman of Wynne; three grandchildren, Nicole T. Sloan of Jonesboro
, Arkansas, Beaux Jordan Holleman of Paris
, Tennessee
, and Allen Cade Holleman, a former student in Seoul, South Korea, now the Executive Director of the National Association of Women REO Brokerages, and four sisters.
Services were held at the First United Methodist Church in Wynne. Interment was in Lewis Cemetery in Hickory Ridge.
Holleman was a supporter of the Institute of Politics and Government in Little Rock
. The annual Harlan H. Holleman Political Science Scholarship was established in his honor in 1984 and remains active.
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
merchant from Wynne
Wynne, Arkansas
Wynne is the county seat and largest city of Cross County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,615 at the 2000 Census. Nestled between the Arkansas Delta and Crowley's Ridge, Wynne is home to the largest state park in Arkansas, Village Creek State Park.-Geography:Wynne lies at , the...
, the seat of Cross County in eastern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and a pioneer in the development of the modern Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in his home state. He was the Arkansas state GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
chairman from December 6, 1980, until his death some sixteen months later. Earlier he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Arkansas House of Representatives
Arkansas House of Representatives
The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the state. Each district has an average population of 26,734...
(1968) and the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
(1976).
Holleman was born to farmer Herman Holleman and wife, Moretta, in Hickory Ridge
Hickory Ridge, Arkansas
Hickory Ridge is a city in Cross County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 384 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hickory Ridge is located at ....
in Cross County. Holleman's mother died when he was a boy, and his father thereafter married the former Faye Couch (1905–1991) of Parkin
Parkin, Arkansas
Parkin is a city in Cross County, Arkansas, in the United States, along the St. Francis River. The population was 1,602 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Parkin is located at ....
in Cross County. In 1943, Holleman graduated at the age of sixteen from Hickory Ridge High School and trained thereafter at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
and Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
in preparation for entering the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, later the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. His military service took him to Okinawa. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he studied briefly at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
at Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
. In 1947, he married the former Emaline Moore, and the couple had two children, David Allen Holleman of Wynne and Nancy Moretta Holleman of San Andreas
San Andreas, California
San Andreas is an unincorporated census-designated place and the county seat of Calaveras County, California. The population was 2,783 at the 2010 census, up from 2,615 at the 2000 census. Like most towns in the region, it was originally founded during the California Gold Rush...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Holleman began farming in 1950, with 320 acres (1.3 km²) of land. He thereafter expanded his holdings to more than 2,500 acres (10 km²). He grew soybeans, rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, and wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
. In 1955, he launched Holleman Seed Service Company, Inc., in Cross County. During the administration of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon Holleman was the Southeast Regional Director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service was an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture. It administered programs concerning farm products and agricultural conservation...
and director of Oilseeds and Special Crops Division in the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
.
When Nixon was first elected President, Holleman lost a bid for the Arkansas House. Eight years later in 1976, when Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
unseated President Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, and proved particularly strong in Arkansas, Holleman lost in a bid to oust Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. Representative William Vollie "Bill" Alexander, Jr. of Osceola
Osceola, Arkansas
-Notable natives & residents:* Bill Alexander, U.S. Representative from First Congressional District, 1969–1993* David Barrett, New York Jets cornerback* Maurice Carthon, former NFL and USFL player and NFL assistant coach...
in Mississippi County. In the heavily Democratic First Congressional District, Alexander secured his fifth term by defeating Holleman, 116,217 (68.9 percent) to 52,562 (31.1 percent). Holleman's showing was nearly identical to the 31.3 percent that Republican Guy M. Newcomb (born ca. 1928), also of Osceola, had received in 1968, when Alexander won his first race for Congress. Ford, as the House minority leader, had come into Arkansas to campaign for Newcomb. Mrs. Emaline Holleman said years later that party leaders determined that neither Newcomb nor her husband could have surpassed one-third of the vote considering the solid Democratic tradition of the First District. Alexander was subsequently unseated in the 1992 Democratic primary by his former aide and future U.S. Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln
Blanche Lincoln
Blanche Meyers Lambert Lincoln is a former U.S. Senator from Arkansas and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1998, she was the first woman elected to the Senate from Arkansas since Hattie Caraway in 1932 and, at age 38, was the youngest woman ever elected to the...
.
In 1978, Arkansas party leaders encouraged Holleman to run against Governor] David Hampton Pryor
David Pryor
David Hampton Pryor is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. Pryor also served as 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1966...
, who was seeking a U.S.Senate seat, but Holleman declined to seek office again.
In 1980, Holleman attended the Republican National Convention
1980 Republican National Convention
The 1980 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States convened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, from July 14 to July 17, 1980. The 32nd Republican National Convention nominated former Governor Ronald W. Reagan of California for President of the United States and former...
in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, along with delegate Ada Mills
Ada Mills
Ada Belle Parks Mills was a Republican political activist in the U.S. state of Arkansas who in 1980 was the only delegate initially committed to the candidacy for president of former Governor John B. Connally, Jr., of Texas. Connally spent some $11 million in his 13-month primary campaign, which...
of Clarksville
Clarksville, Arkansas
Clarksville is a city in Johnson County, Arkansas, United States. The population was approximately 9,300 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Johnson County.. Clarksville is nestled between the Arkansas River and the foot hills of the Ozark Mountains and Interstate 40 and US Hwy 64...
, who had been the only delegate in the nation initially committed to former Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
John B. Connally, Jr., of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in his bid for the presidential nomination. Others in the delegation were party counsel James Burnett, state chairman Lynn Lowe
Lynn Lowe
Aylmer Lynn Lowe, known as A. Lynn Lowe , was a farmer and politician from Garland in Miller County in southwestern Arkansas, who was a major figure in the Arkansas Republican Party...
, and the state's then two U.S. representatives, John Paul Hammerschmidt
John Paul Hammerschmidt
John Paul Hammerschmidt is an American politician from the U.S. state of Arkansas. A Republican, Hammerschmidt served for thirteen terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from the northwestern Arkansas district before he retired in 1993...
, and Edwin R. Bethune.
In February 1981, in a guest column in the former Arkansas Gazette
Arkansas Gazette
The Arkansas Gazette, known as the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River, and located from 1908 until its October 18, 1991 closing at the now historic Gazette Building, was for many years the newspaper of record for Little Rock and the State of Arkansas...
(since Arkansas Democrat Gazette), Holleman set forth his vision of worthy goals for the Arkansas GOP. First, he proposed at least one Republican county committee member be stationed at each voting precinct by 1982. Secondly, Holleman, a former Arkansas GOP finance chairman, suggested a stronger financial base, which had deteriorated since the death in 1973 of its benefactor, former Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller was a politician and philanthropist who served as the first Republican Governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was a third-generation member of the Rockefeller family.-Early life:...
. Thirdly, Holleman said that the GOP should seek to attract more minority voters, who largely support Democrats. At the time of his death, Holleman was recruiting candidates to oppose Democratic U.S. Representatives Bill Alexander and Beryl Franklin Anthony, Jr., of El Dorado
El Dorado, Arkansas
El Dorado , a multi-cultural arts center: South Arkansas Arts Center , an award-winning renovated downtown, and numerous sporting, shopping, and dining opportunities. El Dorado is the population, cultural, and business center of the 7,300 mi² regional area...
, the seat of Columbia County
Columbia County, Arkansas
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 24,552. The county seat is Magnolia. Columbia County was formed on December 17, 1852, and was named for Christopher Columbus...
in south Arkansas.
Holleman contracted a rapid form of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
and underwent unsuccessful chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
. On his death, then Governor Frank D. White
Frank D. White
Frank Durward White was the 41st Governor of the U.S. state of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He served a single two-year term from 1981 to 1983. He is one of only two people to have defeated President Bill Clinton in an election. Frank Durward White (June 4, 1933 – May 21, 2003) was...
, a Republican, requested that flags at the state capitol be flown at half-staff in Holleman's memory. "I am deeply grieved by the passing of Harlan "Bo" Holleman, who not only was the chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, but was an outstanding citizen of our state," White said.
In addition to his wife and children, Holleman was survived by his stepmother, Faye Holleman of Wynne; three grandchildren, Nicole T. Sloan of Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
, Arkansas, Beaux Jordan Holleman of Paris
Paris, Tennessee
Paris is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, United States, west of Nashville, on a fork of the West Sandy River. In 1900, 2,018 people lived in Paris, Tennessee; in 1910, 3,881; and in 1940, 6,395. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,763. It is the county seat of Henry...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and Allen Cade Holleman, a former student in Seoul, South Korea, now the Executive Director of the National Association of Women REO Brokerages, and four sisters.
Services were held at the First United Methodist Church in Wynne. Interment was in Lewis Cemetery in Hickory Ridge.
Holleman was a supporter of the Institute of Politics and Government in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. The annual Harlan H. Holleman Political Science Scholarship was established in his honor in 1984 and remains active.