Dale Bumpers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dale Bumpers
United States Senator from Arkansas
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by	J. William Fulbright
Succeeded by	Blanche Lincoln
38th Governor of Arkansas
In office January 12, 1971 – January 3, 1975
Lieutenant	Bob Riley
Preceded by	Winthrop Rockefeller
Succeeded by	Bob Riley (acting)
Personal details
Born	Dale Leon Bumpers (1925-08-12)August 12, 1925 Charleston, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	January 1, 2016(2016-01-01) (aged 90) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Betty Lou Flanagan ​ (m. 1949)​
Children	3
Education	University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (BA) Northwestern University (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1943–1946

Dale Leon Bumpers (born August 12, 1925 – died January 1, 2016) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975. After that, he became a U.S. Senator for Arkansas, serving from 1975 to 1999. He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Early Life and Education

Dale Bumpers was born on August 12, 1925, in Charleston, a town in Franklin County, Arkansas. His father, William Rufus Bumpers, was also a politician who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives.

Dale went to public schools and then attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. During World War II, he served in the United States Marine Corps from 1943 to 1946. After the war, he studied law at Northwestern University Law School in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated in 1951.

In 1952, Dale Bumpers became a lawyer in Arkansas. He worked as the city attorney for Charleston from 1952 to 1970. During this time, he helped his local school board make an important decision. He convinced them to follow the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. This ruling said that separating public schools by race was against the law. Because of his advice, Charleston became the first school district in the former Confederate States of America to fully integrate its schools. This was an achievement Dale Bumpers was very proud of.

Governor of Arkansas

Bumpers as governor.

In 1970, Dale Bumpers decided to run for governor of Arkansas. He was not very well known at the time. However, he was a great speaker and had a lot of personal charm. People saw him as an outsider who could bring new ideas.

He won the Democratic nomination and then easily defeated the current Republican Governor, Winthrop Rockefeller. His victory was part of a trend across the South. Many new, younger, reform-minded Democratic governors were elected, including Jimmy Carter in Georgia and later Bill Clinton in Arkansas.

In 1972, Bumpers was re-elected as governor. He won easily, even though Richard M. Nixon (a Republican) won Arkansas in the presidential election that same year.

Serving in the U.S. Senate

Senator Dale Bumpers

In 1974, Dale Bumpers was elected to the United States Senate. He defeated the long-serving Senator James William Fulbright in the Democratic primary. Then, he won the general election by a large margin.

He was elected to the Senate four times in total. In the Senate, he was known for his strong speaking skills and his deep respect for the Constitution of the United States. He believed in the Constitution so much that he never supported any changes to it.

Bumpers led the Senate Committee on Small Business from 1987 to 1995. He also served on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

He decided not to run for president in 1984 or 1988, even though many people encouraged him to. He said his main reason was that he didn't want to disrupt his family's close bond.

Clinton Impeachment Trial

Bumpers with First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the White House

After he retired from the Senate in 1999, Dale Bumpers took on a special role. He was a close friend of President Bill Clinton. When President Clinton faced an impeachment trial in the Senate, Bumpers acted as one of his defense lawyers.

He gave a very powerful closing argument during the trial. He reminded the Senators about the history and meaning of the impeachment clause in the Constitution. He argued that President Clinton's actions were not a "political crime against the state."

Bumpers arguing before the Senate during the Clinton impeachment trial

Bumpers with his wife Betty and President Bill Clinton, 1999

In his speech, he said:

Nobody has suggested that Bill Clinton committed a political crime against the state. So, colleagues, if you honor the Constitution, you must look at the history of the Constitution and how we got to the impeachment clause... you can censure Bill Clinton, you can hand him over to the prosecutor for him to be prosecuted, but you cannot convict him. And you cannot indulge yourselves the luxury or the right to ignore this history.
...
The American people are now and for some time have been asking to be allowed a good night's sleep. They're asking for an end to this nightmare. It is a legitimate request.

Important Causes

Dale Bumpers and his wife, Betty, were both very dedicated to helping children get their immunizations. They worked hard to promote childhood vaccinations. The Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institutes of Health was named in their honor. This center helps with research to develop new vaccines.

As mentioned earlier, Bumpers was also proud of his role in helping the Charleston School District integrate its schools in 1954. This was a very early step towards ending segregation in public education.

Later Life and Death

Dale Bumpers passed away on January 1, 2016, at his home in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was 90 years old. He had been dealing with Alzheimer's disease and had a broken hip before his death.

Honors

• In 1995, the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville named the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences after him.
• In 2014, the White River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas was renamed the "Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge."

Electoral History

Books

• Bumpers, Dale. The Best Lawyer in a One-Lawyer Town: A Memoir. New York: Random House, 2003.

See also

In Spanish: Dale Bumpers para niños