Odell Pollard (April 29, 1927 – March 12, 2015) was a lawyer and politician in Arkansas. He switched from being a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
to becoming a member of the
Republican Party.
In the 1960s, he chaired the
Arkansas Republican Party
The Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA), headquartered at 1201 West 6th Street in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock, is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in Arkansas. It is currently the dominant p ...
. In 1967, he addressed the
Urban League
The National Urban League (NUL), formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for Afri ...
of Little Rock.
He had a law firm in
Searcy, Arkansas
Searcy ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,767. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statisti ...
, and for many years worked to transform Arkansas from a Democratic stronghold into a two-party state.
He was a
liberal Republican and a close ally of
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller (May 1, 1912 – February 22, 1973) was an American politician and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fourth son and fifth child of American financier John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. He was one of th ...
.
He was born in Union Hill, Arkansas. He graduated from
University of Arkansas School of Law
The University of Arkansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a State university system, state university. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M ...
in 1950.
[
]
Further reading
*“State GOP Elects Pollard Chairman, Hears Caution Plea.” by Mike Barrier ''Arkansas Gazette'', December 11, 1966, pages 1A and 2A.
*“New GOP Chairman Was Once a Democrat, Never Voted That Way.” ''Arkansas Gazette'' December 18, 1966, page 24A.
*''Agenda for Reform: Winthrop Rockefeller as Governor of Arkansas, 1967–1971'' by Cathy Kunzinger Urwin, Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press
The University of Arkansas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Arkansas and has been a member of the Association of University Presses since 1984. Its mission is to publish peer-reviewed books and academic journals. It wa ...
, 1991
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Odell
1927 births
2015 deaths
Arkansas lawyers
Arkansas Republican state chairmen
University of Arkansas School of Law alumni
Arkansas Democrats
Arkansas Republicans
20th-century Arkansas politicians
20th-century American lawyers