Tommy F. Robinson

For other uses, see Tommy Robinson.

Tommy F. Robinson
Official portrait, 1990
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1991
Preceded by	Ed Bethune
Succeeded by	Ray Thornton
Sheriff of Pulaski County, Arkansas
In office 1981–1984
Preceded by	Ken Best
Succeeded by	Carroll Gravett
Personal details
Born	Tommy Franklin Robinson (1942-03-07)March 7, 1942 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	July 10, 2024(2024-07-10) (aged 82) Forrest City, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (before 1989) Republican
Spouse	Carolyn Robinson
Children	6
Alma mater	University of Arkansas at Little Rock (BA)
Occupation	Politician lobbyist businessman police officer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Navy
Years of service	1959–1963

Tommy Franklin Robinson (March 7, 1942 – July 10, 2024) was an American businessman, lobbyist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Arkansas's 2nd congressional district from 1985 to 1991. He was a member of the Republican Party. Before he was elected to Congress, Robinson was the sheriff of Pulaski County.

Early life and education

Tommy Franklin Robinson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He served in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1963.

Law enforcement career

Robinson in police uniform

Robinson had a career in law enforcement, in which he reached the position of sheriff of Pulaski County. He previously served as a North Little Rock city patrolman, Arkansas state trooper, director of campus police at the University of Arkansas, and the police chief in Jacksonville, Arkansas. In 1979, he was appointed by Governor Bill Clinton as director of the short-lived Department of Public Safety, which was abolished in 1981 by Clinton's successor, Republican Frank D. White. Robinson was elected sheriff of Pulaski County in 1980, having defeated the incumbent Ken Best in the Democratic primary. He was re-elected in 1982.

Robinson's tenure was one of non-stop controversies. In early 1981, in order to relieve jail overcrowding he ordered a group of state prisoners being held at the Pulaski County Jail to be taken to the state prison at Pine Bluff. Robinson left the prisoners chained to the (front gate of the prison) when the warden refused to accept them.

The 1982 murder of Little Rock socialite Alice McArthur resulted in Robinson conducting a sensational investigation of her husband, attorney William McArthur. Robinson spent time in jail in 1983 on a federal contempt of court citation for having refused to allow the federally appointed jail master, Kenneth Basinger, to enter the jail. In response, the federal judge overseeing the case, George Howard Jr., an African-American, was described publicly by Robinson as "a token judge".

When his request for more money for his office was denied, he arrested County Judge Bill Beaumont and Comptroller Jo Growcock on charges of obstructing governmental operations. He released Beaumont and Growcock only when threatened with another contempt of court citation. As a result of the constant conflict, Beaumont declined to seek another term in office in 1982.

A well-publicized raid on a "toga party" led by Central Arkansas Socials led to multiple lawsuits and the labeling of Robinson and his deputies as the "Keyhole Kops". Governor Frank White referred to Robinson as "Captain Hotdog". Robinson's profanity-laced tirades at press conferences were common. In response to the high armed robbery rate in the county, Robinson initiated a program of placing hidden deputies in random convenience stores armed with shotguns; the result was a 96 percent drop in armed robberies during his tenure.

U.S. House of Representatives

Robinson was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1984 as a Democrat. He led a five-man field in the Democratic primary that included Secretary of State Paul Riviere, State Senator Stanley Russ of Conway, investment banker and former Senate aide Thedford Collins, and conservative former U.S. Representative Dale Alford. He bested Riviere in the runoff, and defeated Judy Petty, a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and a former aide to the late Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, and independent Jim Taylor, a liberal Democrat horrified by the more conservative Robinson. Petty ran as a Ronald Reagan Republican but lost to Robinson even though Reagan won her district. In the three-way race, Robinson polled 103,165 votes (47%) to Petty's 90,841 votes (41%), while the under-financed Taylor received 25,073 votes (11%). Robinson financed his race on almost $900,000 in unsecured bank loans, making his the most expensive congressional race in state history up to that time.

While in Congress, Robinson was often at odds with the Democratic leadership of Tip O'Neill and Jim Wright, and identified closely with the Boll Weevil faction. On July 28, 1989, Robinson left the Democratic Party and joined the GOP, claiming that the Democratic Party had become too liberal. He ran for governor of Arkansas in 1990 but lost in the primary election to businessman Sheffield Nelson, also a former Democrat. Nelson was in turn defeated by Bill Clinton. Robinson's House seat was assumed in 1991 by the Democrat Ray Thornton, a former congressman and a former Arkansas Attorney General. Thornton defeated the Republican candidate, Jim Keet, then a freshman state representative and restaurateur from Little Rock. In 2010, Keet was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee against Mike Beebe.

In 1992, during the House banking scandal, Robinson, then an ex-representative, was found to have bounced 996 checks from the U.S. House bank, some of which were more than 16 months overdue. Robinson ran again for the U.S. House in 2002 after a twelve-year absence in a district in the northeastern part of the state, but lost to the Democratic incumbent, Marion Berry. In his later years, he farmed milo in Monroe County, owned a political consulting firm, and owned a liquor store. His farm, Ag_Pro Farms, was forced into bankruptcy in 2011. Governor Mike Huckabee later appointed Robinson to the Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, and he served a term as Chair of the Pardons and Parole Board.

Death

Robinson died at a hospital in Forrest City, Arkansas, on July 10, 2024, at the age of 82.

See also

• List of American politicians who switched parties in office
• List of people from Little Rock, Arkansas
• List of United States representatives who switched parties

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN
• United States Congress. "Tommy F. Robinson (id: R000354)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.