John Paul Hammerschmidt

For John A. Hammerschmidt, seeList of members of the National Transportation Safety Board.

John Paul Hammerschmidt
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromArkansas's3rddistrict
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	James William Trimble
Succeeded by	Tim Hutchinson
Chairman of theArkansas Republican Party
In office 1964–1966
Preceded by	William L. Spicer
Succeeded by	Odell Pollard
In office 2002–2004
Preceded by	Lloyd Vance Stone Jr.
Succeeded by	Winthrop Paul Rockefeller
Republican National Committeeman fromArkansas
In office 1976–1980
Preceded by	Odell Pollard
Succeeded by	A. Lynn Lowe
Personal details
Born	(1922-05-04)May 4, 1922 Harrison, Arkansas,U.S.
Died	April 1, 2015(2015-04-01)(aged 92) Springdale, Arkansas,U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Virginia Sharp
Children	1
Alma mater	Oklahoma State University(BS)
Occupation	Lumberman;Entrepreneur
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Branch/service	United States Army Air Corps United States Air Force Reserve District of Columbia Army Reserves
Years of service	1942–1945 (Army Air Corps) 1945–1960 (Reserves) 1977–1981 (Army Reserves)
Battles/wars	World War II(South-East Asian theatre)
Awards	Distinguished Flying Crosswith threeOak leaf clusters

John Paul Hammerschmidt(May 4, 1922 – April 1, 2015) was an American politician from the state ofArkansas.ARepublican,Hammerschmidt served thirteen terms in theUnited States House of RepresentativesforArkansas's 3rd congressional district,located in the northwestern quadrant of the state. He served from 1967 until his retirement in 1993.

In 1974, a nationallyDemocraticyear, he secured his fifth term by defeating the then 28-year-oldBill Clinton.He was also the first Republican elected to the House of Representatives from Arkansas sinceReconstruction.Coincidentally, Hammerschmidt left the House the same month in which Clinton became president.

Early life and business career

Born inHarrisoninBoone Countyin northwestern Arkansas, Hammerschmidt was the fourth of five children of the former Junie Mildred Taylor and Arthur Paul Hammerschmidt.Both sets of grandparents migrated to Boone County in the early years of the 20th century and were ofGermandescent.He graduated in 1938 from Harrison High School.

He attendedThe CitadelinCharleston,South Carolina,from 1938 to 1939and theUniversity of ArkansasinFayettevillefrom 1940 to 1941.

Hammerschmidt served in theUnited States Army Air CorpsduringWorld War II.In 1942, he joined the3rd Combat Cargo Groupof theU.S. Army Air Corpsand served in theChina-Burma-India theateruntil the end of the war in 1945. Hammerschmidt received theDistinguished Flying Crosswith threeoak leaf clustersfor his service in the war.

Hammerschmidt returned to theUnited Statesand attended Oklahoma A&M College (nowOklahoma State University) inStillwater,Oklahoma,from 1945 to 1946, having received aBachelor of Sciencedegree.He then entered thelumberindustry, working at the Hammerschmidt Lumber Company, which had been founded by his grandfather, and becoming its president. Hammerschmidt also was president of the Construction Products Company and the Arkansas Lumber Dealers Association and Southwestern Lumberman's Association.

Hammerschmidt continued his military service in theUnited States Air Force Reservesfrom 1945 to 1960, and later in theDistrict of Columbia Army Reservesfrom 1977 to 1981.

Political career

Hammerschmidt was a delegate to theRepublican National Conventionsin1964,1968,1972,1976,1980,1984,and1988.He was twice the state chairman of theRepublican Party of Arkansas,serving from 1964 to 1966 and again from 2002 to 2004.

In the1966 election,Hammerschmidt won the Republican nomination for the 3rd district and then defeated 11-term incumbent DemocratJames William Trimble,by more than nine thousand votes. He became the first Republican to represent Arkansas in Congress sinceReconstruction.Hammerschmidt was elected twelve more times, having served twenty-six years from January 3, 1967 to January 3, 1993, from the90th Congressto the102nd Congress.The 3rd district had begun shaking off itsSolid Southroots before the rest of Arkansas; it has only supported a Democrat for president twice since 1952, and its voters had begun splitting their tickets at the federal level as early as the 1930s.

Hammerschmidt in 2007

Hammerschmidt became very popular in the 3rd district, even though most of its residents had never been represented by a Republican before; indeed, Democrats would hold most state and local offices well into the 1990s. He only faced one contest anywhere near as close as his initial bid for the seat. In the1974 election,he defeated Bill Clinton (then aUniversity of Arkansaslaw professor) by only 6,400 votes.Clinton had harshly criticized Hammerschmidt for being one of the few Republicans to stand byRichard Nixonin the wake of theWatergate scandal.This election was one of only four in which Democrats received more than one-third of the vote against Hammerschmidt, the others being Hardy Croxton in 1968, Donald Poe in 1970, and former Clinton associateJames McDougalin 1982.The district reverted to form in 1976, when Hammerschmidt was reelected unopposed.In 1978, Hammerschmidt faced weak opposition from theHot Springsreal estate broker William C. Mears and instead had the resources to help the Republican gubernatorial nominee,A. Lynn Lowe,a farmer fromTexarkana,win in Boone County. Lowe, who was also the state party chairman, lost to Hammerschmidt's former opponent, Bill Clinton, by an margin of 63-37.

Hammerschmidt was a member of the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism (PCAST) which was organized in September 1989 to review and report on aviation security policy in the light of the sabotage ofPan Am Flight 103on December 21, 1988.

Hammerschmidt had a conservative voting record on foreign policy and social issues, but a slightly more moderate record on economic issues. He supported a constitutional amendment proposing to enactflag desecration laws.

Hammerschmidt was in the Air Force Reserve from 1945 to 1960 and theArmy Reservefrom 1977 to 1981. He was aPresbyterianand a member of theAmerican Legion,Veterans of Foreign Wars,Freemasons,Shriners,Elks,Rotary International,and had alumni status at the Alpha Zeta chapter of thePi Kappa Alphafraternityat theUniversity of Arkansas at Fayetteville.From 1999 to 2004, he was a trustee ofArkansas State UniversityatJonesboro.Hammerschmidt died at the age of 92 of heart and respiratory failure at a hospital inSpringdale,Arkansas.

Legacy

A fellowship at theUniversity of ArkansasatFort Smithwas created in his name to allow a university student to work in the 3rd congressional district office.

TheJohn Paul Hammerschmidt Federal Buildingnear theFayetteville Historic Squareis home to the Fayetteville office of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Interstate 49 in Arkansasis designated as the John Paul Hammerschmidt Highway in northwest Arkansas.

Hammerschmidt was inducted into theArkansas Aviation Hall of Famein 1990 by theArkansas Aviation Historical Society.

External links

• United States Congress."John Paul Hammerschmidt (id: H000124)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• AppearancesonC-SPAN