Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands

Commissioner of State Lands
Seal of the Commissioner of State Lands
Incumbent Tommy Land
Style	The Honorable
Term length	Four years Two terms [Note 1]
Constituting instrument	Arkansas Constitution
Precursor	Commissioner of Immigration and State Lands (1868–1874)
Formation	1868
First holder	J. M. Lewis
Succession	Appointment (1868–1874) Election (1874–present)
Website	Official website

The Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands is an executive position and constitutional officer within the Arkansas government which has been an elective post since 1874. Land Commissioners are elected to four year terms. The current state Land Commissioner is Republican Tommy Land. ^{[2] [3]}

Powers and duties

The Land Commissioner is responsible for collecting delinquent taxes on real estate through public auction whenever parcels are certified as such by county tax collectors. The proceeds from each sale of tax delinquent property are dedicated to public schools throughout the state. The Land Commissioner also serves as leasing agent for oil, natural gas, sand and gravel deposits on state lands, administers the beds of navigable rivers and streams, and is custodian of Arkansas' original land records. ^[4]

History

The position was created by the Arkansas General Assembly as the Commissioner of Immigration and State Lands in 1868. ^[5] had control over public works in the state, which eventually included road improvements. Under the Arkansas Constitution of 1874, ^{[Note 2]} the position became an elected office. ^[5] The highway duties were so important to the position it was referred to as the Highway Commissioner everywhere except official state documents. ^[7]

In 1929, the General Assembly passed a measure to abolish the position of Highway Commissioner as an elected office in response to corruption in the highway system. However, the measure did not have authority to abolish a constitutional office. The General Assembly instead assigned the highway-related duties to the Arkansas State Highway Commission, which became an appointed office. ^[7] Dwight Blackwood, the incumbent office holder, transitioned to the State Highway Commission, and his sister, Belva Martin was appointed to the State Land Commissioner position. She won election in her own right in 1930, but did not seek reelection in 1932. ^[8] Martin was the first woman to seek the Democratic nomination for a statewide office in Arkansas, ^[7] and as of February 2018, she remains the only female to hold the office.

List of Arkansas Commissioners of State Lands

No. [Note 3]	Name	Party [Note 4]	Service [9]	Notes
1	J. M. Lewis	None	July 2, 1868 – October 15, 1872
2	William Henry Grey	Republican	October 15, 1872 – June 5, 1874
3	J. N. Smithee	Democratic	June 5, 1874 – November 18, 1878	First elected Commissioner
4	D. W. Lear	Democratic	October 31, 1878 – October 30, 1882
5	William P. Campbell	Democratic	October 30, 1882 – March 31, 1884
6	Paul M. Cobbs	Democratic	March 31, 1884 – February 1890	Died in office
7	C. B. Meyers	Democratic	February 12, 1890 – October 30, 1894	Initially appointed, seated via election October 30, 1890
8	J. F. Ritchie	Democratic	October 30, 1894 – October 30, 1898
9	J. W. Colquitt	Democratic	October 30, 1898 – October 30, 1902
10	F. E. Conway	Democratic	October 30, 1902 – October 30, 1906
11	Lafayette L. Coffman	Democratic	October 31, 1906 – October 31, 1910
12	Reuben G. Dye	Democratic	October 31, 1910 – October 31, 1914	Beginning April 1, 1913 led the Department of State Lands, Highways, and Improvements
13	William B. Owen	Democratic	November 1, 1914 – January 1, 1921
14	Herbert R. Wilson	Democratic	January 1, 1921 – January 1, 1927
15	Dwight H. Blackwood	Democratic	1927–1929	Resigned
16	Belva Martin	Democratic	1929–1933	Initially appointed, later seated via election, first Commissioner of State Lands
17	George W. Neal	Democratic	1933–1937
18	Otis Page	Democratic	1937–1943
19	Bish Bentley	Democratic	1943
20	Claude Rankin	Democratic	1943–1954	Died in office
21	Red Jones	Democratic	1954–1957
22	Sam Jones	Democratic	1957–1981
23	Bill McCuen	Democratic	1981–1985
24	Charlie Daniels	Democratic	1985–2003
25	Mark Wilcox	Democratic	2003–2011
25	John Thurston	Republican	2011–2019
26	Tommy Land	Republican	2019–Present

See also

•   United Statesportal
•   Politicsportal

Notes

1. Amendment 73 of the Arkansas Constitution imposed term limits on constitutional officers, including State Land Commissioner. It was passed in 1992, and took effect in 1998. ^[1]
2. The Constitution of 1874 is the current constitution. ^[6]
3. Acting auditors are not numbered.
4. Appointed and acting auditors do not have a party listed.

References

1. Pruden III, William H. (December 29, 2017). "Term Limits". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
2. A Brief History. Office of the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands
3. John Thurston, Commissioner of State Lands Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine . Office of the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands
4. "Historical Documents, Maps & More". Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands Office. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
5. Staff of the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture (March 22, 2017). "Office of Commissioner of State Lands". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture . Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System . Retrieved February 1, 2018.
6. Goss, Kay C. (December 8, 2017). "Arkansas Constitutions". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
7. Staff of the Harrison Daily Times (February 21, 1930). "Man and Woman in State Race". Harrison Daily Times . Vol. 11, no. 131. Harrison: The Times Publishing Company. p. 3. OCLC   18545584 – via NewspaperARCHIVE.
8. Staff of the Associated Press (April 11, 1932). "State Political Notes". Hope Star . Vol. 88, no. 171. Hope: Star Publishing Company. p. 1. OCLC   23187909 – via NewspaperARCHIVE.
9. "Office of Commissioner of State Lands". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Little Rock, Arkansas: Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. December 1, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2024.

External links

• Commissioner of State Lands – State of Arkansas