Flags will fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset Monday to mark the memorial service of former U.S. Rep. John Paul Hammerschmidt, who died April 1 at age 92, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said.
Hammerschmidt, the Harrison lumberman turned congressman who helped build the state's modern Republican Party and an infrastructure that energized Northwest Arkansas' economic development, served Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District from 1967 to 1993. He was the first Republican elected to Congress from Arkansas since Reconstruction.
Hutchinson’s proclamation ordered both U.S. and Arkansas flags to be lowered to honor the former congressman.
“John Paul Hammerschmidt was an Arkansas icon, a political giant and a personal mentor and friend. As the lone Republican member of Arkansas’s congressional delegation for many of his 13 terms in office, Congressman Hammerschmidt balanced his strong conservative convictions with a remarkable ability to reach across party lines and find common ground to get things done, " Hutchinson said in a statement. "He was respected by all and beloved by many. Arkansas misses him greatly.”
Hammerschmidt’s memorial service will be held in Harrison.
