Monroe Schwarzlose
Encyclopedia
Monroe Alfred Julius Schwarzlose (September 6, 1902 - November 24, 1990) was a turkey
farmer
in Cleveland County, Arkansas, who polled 31 percent of the vote in the 1980 Democratic
primary
against the incumbent
Governor
and future U.S. President William Jefferson Blythe "Bill" Clinton
, who was seeking his second two-year term. Political observers at the time believed that Schwarzlose's support represented an intraparty protest to Clinton's policies as governor. In the general election
, Clinton was unseated by the Republican
nominee, the late Frank Durward White
, a former savings and loan association president. Clinton came back in 1982 to reclaim the governorship from White.
Scharzlose was born of German
ancestry in Seguin
in Guadalupe County
in the Texas Hill Country
. Schwarzlose was living in Oregon
at the time he procured his Social Security number
. He settled in Kingsland
, but his obituary
does not say when he moved to Arkansas.
Schwarzlose ran as a Republican in 1974, a heavily Democratic year nationally, for a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives
from a district which then encompassed Dallas and Calhoun, and part of Cleveland counties in southern Arkansas. He was easily beaten by the Democrat Thomas Sparks of Fordyce
, the seat of Dallas County.
In 1978, Schwarzlose polled 1 percent of the vote in the Democratic gubernatorial primary against then Attorney General
Bill Clinton and three other rivals. He ran on a platform calling for legalized gambling
and a state lottery
. Schwarzlose said that gambling will continue to be practiced, and the state government should obtain a portion of the proceeds.
In 1980, Schwarzlose, at seventy-eight, became the focus of much anti-Clinton sentiment in Arkansas even though he was personally friendly with the young governor. Clinton's voter appeal seemed to rest on his advocacy of utility reform, consumer protection, and environmental quality. Others were disturbed when Mrs. Clinton, the former Hillary Rodham
, used her maiden name as an attorney in Little Rock
. A retired military man, Billy Geren of Fayetteville
, called Clinton a "draft dodger" in the Vietnam War
. Others objected to Clinton's embrace of a 30 percent hike in motor vehicle registration fees, a one-cent per gallon increase in motor fuel taxes, and a 20 percent boost in state aid to local school districts. Others felt even then that Clinton had presidential aspirations and had become bored with the job of governor of a small state. Yet, no prognosticators expected Clinton to be defeated by the politically unknown Frank White. Then troubles developed for Clinton involving Cuba
n refugees sent into Fort Smith
by President Jimmy Carter
.
Schwarzlose spent only $4,000, mostly for travel and for distributing home-canning recipes as campaign literature. The Arkansas Gazette called Schwarzlose "an engaging gentleman with good home-canning recipes and some fetching stories about turkey farming and bucolic life around his home in Kingsland." Ernest Dumas, then the Gazette associate editor described Schwarzlose as a "quixotiic candidate" and a maverick using his own money and campaigning on the most undesirable platform planks and making the "most outrageous" promises. Schwarzlose, for instance, said that if he were elected governor in 1980, he would donate his farm to the Arkansas Sheriff
's Association Boys and Girls Ranches for use as an orphanage
. Dumas said of Schwarzlose that "even Hee Haw gets tiresome on the third rerun."
Schwarzlose ran again for governor in the 1982 Democratic primary against Clinton, former Lieutenant Governor Joe Purcell
, U.S. Representative Jim Guy Tucker
, and State Senator Kim Hendren
of Benton County
. Clinton won the nomination in a runoff with Purcell, and Schwarzlose finished in fifth place. In 1986, Schwarzlose filed as a write-in candidate, when Clinton won the first of his two four-year terms. He would not finish the second term because of his election as U.S. President.
At the time of Schwarzlose's death, Clinton said through a spokesman that he had first met Schwarzlose at a campaign event in 1978 in Lake Village
, the seat of Chicot County
in the heavily Democratic southeastern corner of the state. He last saw him in 1989 at the Veterans Administration
Hospital
in Little Rock. Schwarzlose was a veteran of World War II
. Clinton added that he "really enjoyed knowing him."
Schwarzlose was Lutheran. He was survived by a daughter, Carol Johnson of Dayton, Ohio
, and a grandchild. Schwarzlose was interred in the Zorn Cemetery
in the Zorn
community in Guadalupe County, Texas, near his family members.
The Schwarzlose family suggested memorials to the Kingsland public school, which tragically was razed by a fire
in 2003.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
farmer
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...
in Cleveland County, Arkansas, who polled 31 percent of the vote in the 1980 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...
primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
against the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
and future U.S. President William Jefferson Blythe "Bill" Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, who was seeking his second two-year term. Political observers at the time believed that Schwarzlose's support represented an intraparty protest to Clinton's policies as governor. In the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, Clinton was unseated by the Republican
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...
nominee, the late Frank Durward 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 former savings and loan association president. Clinton came back in 1982 to reclaim the governorship from White.
Scharzlose was born of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
ancestry in Seguin
Seguin, Texas
Seguin is a city in Guadalupe County, Texas, in the United States. It is part of the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,011; the July 1, 2009 Census estimate, however, showed the population had increased to 26,842...
in Guadalupe County
Guadalupe County, Texas
Guadalupe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 89,023. It is named for the Guadalupe River. The seat of the county is Seguin. It was founded in 1846....
in the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
. Schwarzlose was living in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
at the time he procured his Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
. He settled in Kingsland
Kingsland, Arkansas
Kingsland is a city in Cleveland County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 447 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, but his obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
does not say when he moved to Arkansas.
Schwarzlose ran as a Republican in 1974, a heavily Democratic year nationally, for a seat in 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...
from a district which then encompassed Dallas and Calhoun, and part of Cleveland counties in southern Arkansas. He was easily beaten by the Democrat Thomas Sparks of Fordyce
Fordyce, Arkansas
Fordyce is a city in Dallas County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,799 at the 2000 census.The city is the county seat, home to the 1911 Dallas County Courthouse .-Geography:...
, the seat of Dallas County.
In 1978, Schwarzlose polled 1 percent of the vote in the Democratic gubernatorial primary against then Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Bill Clinton and three other rivals. He ran on a platform calling for legalized gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
and a state lottery
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
. Schwarzlose said that gambling will continue to be practiced, and the state government should obtain a portion of the proceeds.
In 1980, Schwarzlose, at seventy-eight, became the focus of much anti-Clinton sentiment in Arkansas even though he was personally friendly with the young governor. Clinton's voter appeal seemed to rest on his advocacy of utility reform, consumer protection, and environmental quality. Others were disturbed when Mrs. Clinton, the former Hillary Rodham
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, used her maiden name as an attorney 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...
. A retired military man, Billy Geren of 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...
, called Clinton a "draft dodger" in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Others objected to Clinton's embrace of a 30 percent hike in motor vehicle registration fees, a one-cent per gallon increase in motor fuel taxes, and a 20 percent boost in state aid to local school districts. Others felt even then that Clinton had presidential aspirations and had become bored with the job of governor of a small state. Yet, no prognosticators expected Clinton to be defeated by the politically unknown Frank White. Then troubles developed for Clinton involving Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n refugees sent into Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
by President 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...
.
Schwarzlose spent only $4,000, mostly for travel and for distributing home-canning recipes as campaign literature. The Arkansas Gazette called Schwarzlose "an engaging gentleman with good home-canning recipes and some fetching stories about turkey farming and bucolic life around his home in Kingsland." Ernest Dumas, then the Gazette associate editor described Schwarzlose as a "quixotiic candidate" and a maverick using his own money and campaigning on the most undesirable platform planks and making the "most outrageous" promises. Schwarzlose, for instance, said that if he were elected governor in 1980, he would donate his farm to the Arkansas Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
's Association Boys and Girls Ranches for use as an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
. Dumas said of Schwarzlose that "even Hee Haw gets tiresome on the third rerun."
Schwarzlose ran again for governor in the 1982 Democratic primary against Clinton, former Lieutenant Governor Joe Purcell
Joe Purcell
Joseph Gregory Purcell -References:...
, U.S. Representative Jim Guy Tucker
Jim Guy Tucker
James "Jim" Guy Tucker, Jr. is an Arkansas political figure. He served as the 43rd Governor of Arkansas, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, Arkansas Attorney General, and U.S. Representative...
, and State Senator Kim Hendren
Kim Hendren
Kim D. Hendren is the Republican minority leader and the chairman of the Energy Committee of the Arkansas State Senate. A native and resident of Gravette in Benton County in northwestern Arkansas, Hendren represents District 9. He is a former Democrat in the most Republican part of the state....
of Benton County
Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 153,406. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 population is 221,339. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S...
. Clinton won the nomination in a runoff with Purcell, and Schwarzlose finished in fifth place. In 1986, Schwarzlose filed as a write-in candidate, when Clinton won the first of his two four-year terms. He would not finish the second term because of his election as U.S. President.
At the time of Schwarzlose's death, Clinton said through a spokesman that he had first met Schwarzlose at a campaign event in 1978 in Lake Village
Lake Village, Arkansas
Lake Village is a city in Chicot County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,823 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Chicot County.Lake Village is named for its location on Lake Chicot, an oxbow lake formed from the Mississippi River...
, the seat of Chicot County
Chicot County, Arkansas
Chicot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population is 11,800. The county seat is Lake Village. Chicot County is Arkansas's tenth county, formed on October 25, 1823, and named after Point Chicot on the Mississippi River.Landmarks around the county include...
in the heavily Democratic southeastern corner of the state. He last saw him in 1989 at the Veterans Administration
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
Hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Little Rock. Schwarzlose was a veteran of 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...
. Clinton added that he "really enjoyed knowing him."
Schwarzlose was Lutheran. He was survived by a daughter, Carol Johnson of Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, and a grandchild. Schwarzlose was interred in the Zorn Cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in the Zorn
Zorn, Texas
Zorn, Texas is located in Northern Guadalupe County, Texas on US Highway 123 approximately thirteen miles north of the town of Seguin, Texas.-History:...
community in Guadalupe County, Texas, near his family members.
The Schwarzlose family suggested memorials to the Kingsland public school, which tragically was razed by a fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
in 2003.