Jerry E. Hinshaw

Jerrold Eldon Hinshaw (January 15, 1917 - December 31, 2003), known as Jerry E. Hinshaw, was a farmer and businessman from Tontitown in Washington County in northwestern Arkansas, who was a Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996 from now District 93. Hinshaw represented the principal city of Springdale in Washington and Benton counties for eight consecutive two-year terms in the lower legislative chamber.^[1]

Background

A native of Sheridan in Hamilton County in central Indiana, Hinshaw was a first lieutenant in the United States Army during World War II.^[1][2] After the war, he worked in poultry production with the Ralston Purina Company in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1949, the industrial giant made Hinshaw the manager of southeastern sales in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1951, he joined Western Hatcheries in Dallas, Texas, having become vice president of that firm. In 1956, he became affiliated with Arbor Acres, a worldwide poultry concern. However, Hinshaw subsequently left poultry farming to concentrate on cattle production and operated five ranches in Arkansas and Missouri.^[2]

Political activities

In 1964, Hinshaw was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Arkansas's 3rd congressional district seat, having been defeated by the incumbent Democrat James William Trimble of Berryville. Two years later in 1966, Trimble was unseated by the Republican nominee John Paul Hammerschmidt of Harrison, Arkansas, the first Republican to represent Arkansas in the U.S. House in the 20th century.^[3]

In 1981, Hinshaw filled the House seat vacated after twelve years by Preston Bynum, then of Siloam Springs in Benton County.^[4] Hinshaw was only the third Republican to hold this state House seat since Reconstruction. The first had been James Sheets of Siloam Springs, who was the representative from 1967 to 1968. During much of his tenure in the state House, Hinshaw was a colleague of fellow Republicans Richard L. Barclay of Rogers and Tim Hutchinson of Bentonville, both in Benton County. Several Republicans have filled the District 93 seat since Hinshaw retired.^[5]

Prior to his election to the legislature, Hinshaw served as a justice of the peace and for a single four-year term was a member of the Washington County Quorum Court. He was a commissioner and former president from 1967 to 1989 of the Springdale Housing Authority.^[2]

Personal and civic life

He was a vice president of the Springdale Savings and Loan Association and one of the founders of the Tontitown Area Volunteer Fire Department. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville honored Hinshaw for his contributions and service to the Department of Animal Science.^[2]

Hinshaw wrote a column for the Springdale News ^[2] and penned the history, Call the Roll: The First One Hundred Fifty Years of the Arkansas Legislature".^[6][7]

In their later years, Jerry and Betty Hinshaw lived at the Rocking Chair Ranch on a scenic fishing lake at Tontitown near Springdale. He was also a big-game hunter, horse breeder, and a collector of antique cars. Hinshaw died at the age of eighty-six.^[2]

References