Henry Wilkins III
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
In office
1973–1991
Personal details
Born(1930-01-04)January 4, 1930
DiedFebruary 20, 1991(1991-02-20) (aged 61)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJosetta Wilkins
ChildrenHank Wilkins
OccupationPolitician, educator

Henry Wilkins III (January 4, 1930 – February 20, 1991) was an American politician and educator who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1973 to 1991. Alongside Richard Mays and William Townsend, he was the first African American to serve in the Arkansas Legislature since the Reconstruction era. His wife, Josetta Wilkins, and their son, Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV, also served as state legislators.

Life and career

Wilkins was a professor of political science at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Alongside lawyer Richard Mays and optometrist William Townsend, Wilkins was the first African American to serve in the Arkansas Legislature since the Reconstruction era. Wilkins was narrowly elected in 1972 to represent a Black-majority district of Jefferson County, Arkansas, in the Arkansas House of Representatives.[1] Elected to ten consecutive terms, he served in the Arkansas House until his death in 1991. He also served as a delegate to the 1970 and the 1980 Arkansas Constitutional Conventions (he was the sole African American delegate to the 1970 convention) and co-founded the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus in 1989. Wilkins and state senator Jerry Jewell were instrumental in the 1977 passage of legislation establishing a state civil rights commission.[2][3]

Wilkins died from cancer on February 20, 1991.[2] His wife, Josetta Wilkins, won a special election to fill the remainder of his term in the House. She was reelected four times.[4] Their son, Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV, succeeded his mother in the House in 1999 and served fourteen years in the state legislature. Their daughter, Cassandra Wilkins, married Rodney E. Slater, who served as United States Secretary of Transportation under President Bill Clinton.[5][6]

References

  1. ↑ The Associated Press (1972-11-08). "Blacks Elected to Legislature". The Camden News (Arkansas). p. 11. Archived from the original on 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  2. 1 2 "House Memorial Resolution in Respectful Memory of Representative Henry Wilkins III and in Recognition of His Many Years of Outstanding Service to the State of Arkansas" (PDF). Arkansas State Legislature. 1991. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  3. ↑ Parry, Janine A.; Miller, William H. (2006). ""The Great Negro State of the Country?": Black Legislators in Arkansas: 1973-2000". Journal of Black Studies. 36 (6): 833–872. ISSN 0021-9347.
  4. ↑ Smith, Lindsley Armstrong; Smith, Stephen A. (2022-11-16). Stateswomen: A Centennial History of Arkansas Women Legislators, 1922-2022. University of Arkansas Press. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-68226-216-0.
  5. ↑ Slater, Rodney E.; Lunsford, Scott (2011). "Arkansas Memories: Interviews from the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History". The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. 70 (1): 76. ISSN 0004-1823.
  6. ↑ Johnson III, Ben F. (2014). Arkansas in Modern America, 1930–1999. University of Arkansas Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-1-61075-551-1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.