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William Leach Spicer | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party | |
| In office 1962–1964 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Charles Henley |
| Succeeded by | John Paul Hammerschmidt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 10, 1918 Yell County, Arkansas, US |
| Died | September 23, 1991 (aged 72) Arkansas, US |
| Residence(s) | Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, USA |
| Occupation | Businessman: owner of a chain of drive-in theaters |
William Leach Spicer (October 10, 1918 – September 23, 1991)[1] was a businessman from Fort Smith, Arkansas, who from 1962 to 1964 was the embattled state chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party.
Originally supported for the position by Winthrop Rockefeller of Morrilton, Spicer soon broke with Rockefeller, the party's key financial backer, over matters of policy issues and party function. Spicer declined to seek reelection as the chairman, but he had resisted intraparty calls that he resign before his term ended in August 1964. He suggested that he could support a "Republicans for Faubus" organization against Rockefeller's gubernatorial bid in 1964, but he remained committed to Republican presidential nominee Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, whom Rockefeller supported once Goldwater was nominated.[2]
- ^ "William Leach Spicer". wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ^ Northwest Arkansas Times, May 20, 1964, p. 20