John McClellan

John Little McClellan (1896-1977) was a Democratic member of the United States Senate from Arkansas, with service extending from 1943 until his death, He was generally considered a conservative member of his party though he voted to censure Joe McCarthy in 1954 in opposition to the investigations of communist infiltration of the U.S. government.

A native of Sheridan in Grant County, McClellan was named for former Arkansas Governor John Sebastian Little. He graduated from high school at the age of twelve and studied law in his father's office and was admitted to the Arkansas bar when he was only seventeen. He served during World War I and thereafter practice law in Malvern in Hot Spring County. From 1935 to 1939, McClellan was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas' since disbanded 6th congressional district. As a House member, he voted against U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelts attempt to enlarge the composition of the United States Supreme Court. In 1938, he challenged Senator Hattie Carraway, but he lost by some eight thousand votes in the Democratic primary. From 1939 to 1943, he practiced law in Camden in Ouachita County, Arkansas. He rebounded politically in 1942 to win his state's other Senate seat, which he held until his death. For most of his tenure, his senatorial colleague was J. William Fulbright of Fayetteville.

McClellan rarely faced a serious challenger. In his last election in 1972, he defeated U.S. Representative David Pryor, also of Camden, in the party primary. He then dispatched a rare Republican challenge from the veterinarian Wayne Babbitt of North Little Rock, a protege of Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. Oddly, Pryor, who was elected governor in 1974 and 1976, named the interim senator in 1977 to succeed his former rival McClellan. Pryor then won the former McClellan seat in the 1978 election.

In 1955, McClellan was a "mystery guest" on the CBS game program What's My Line?.

McClellan suffered many personal tragedies in his life, having lost to death his second wife and his three sons..He is interred at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock.