| Office | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 6th district |
|---|---|
| Term start | January 3, 1939 |
| Term end | February 15, 1961 |
| Preceded | John L. McClellan |
| Succeeded | Catherine Dorris Norrell |
| Office 2 | Arkansas State Senator |
| Term start 2 | 1930 |
| Term end 2 | 1938 |
| Office 3 | President of the Arkansas State Senate |
| Term start 3 | 1934 |
| Term end 3 | 1938 |
| Preceded 3 | Ned Stewart |
| Succeeded 3 | Fred S. Armstrong |
| Birth name | William Frank Norrell |
| Birth date | August 29, 1896 |
| Birth place | Milo, Ashley County, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Death date | February 15, 1961 (aged 64) |
| Death place | Washington, D.C. |
| Resting place | Oakland Cemetery Monticello, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Spouse | Catherine Dorris Norrell |
| Party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
William Frank Norrell (August 29, 1896 – February 15, 1961) was a U.S. representative from Arkansas' former 6th congressional district.[1] Upon his death, he was succeeded in Congress by his widow, Catherine Dorris Norrell. He also served in the Arkansas Senate.
Early life and education
Born on a farm in Milo in Ashley County in south Arkansas, Norrell attended the public schools, the University of Arkansas at Monticello, then known as Arkansas Agricultural and Mechanical College, the University of the Ozarks, then College of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law School.[1][2]
Career
During World War I, Norrell served in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps.[1] In 1920, he was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Monticello in Drew County, Arkansas.
From 1930 to 1938, Norrell served as member of the Arkansas State Senate. He was the Senate President from 1934 to 1938 under lieutenant governors William Lee Cazort and Robert L. Bailey.
Norrell was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-sixth and to the eleven succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1939, until his death in Washington, D.C.[2] He was a signatory to the 1956 Southern Manifesto that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education.
Burial
He is interred beside his wife at Oakland Cemetery in Monticello, Arkansas.
See also
References
- ^ "William Norrell Dies; 22 Years in House" The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., 109th year, number 47, February 16, 1961, page B-4. (obituary) (subscription required)
- ^ Pearson, Drew and Allen, Robert S. "The Washington Merry-Go-Round", The Lexington Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, volume 51, number 66, March 18, 1939, page 4. (subscription required)