Benjamin Travis Laney

Who was Benjamin Travis Laney?

Benjamin Travis Laney, Jr., was the 33rd Governor of Arkansas, having served from 1945-1949.

Laney was born in Camden, where he attended Ouachita County public schools but never graduated from high school. He was, however, admitted in 1915 to Hendrix College, a liberal arts institution in Conway.

His studies were interrupted by World War I. Laney entered the United States Navy in 1918 and served until the end of the war.

In 1924, Laney earned a degree from the University of Central Arkansas, also in Conway. He also took graduate courses from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Laney owned a drugstore in Conway, dealt in real estate, and had interests in cotton gins, feed, and banking. Oil was discovered on Laney's farm near Camden. He was hence called "Business Ben" because of his varied business interests.

Laney was elected mayor of Camden in 1935 and served until 1939. In 1944, he successfully ran for governor. In the Democratic primary, Laney polled 70,965 votes, compared to J. Bryan Sims's 63,454, and former U.S. Representative David D. Terry's 49,685. Sims declined to pursue a party runoff election, and Laney was declared the Democratic nominee. He then overwhelmed the Republican nominee, Harley C. Stump of Stuttgart, 186,401 to 30,422. Stump had also run unsuccessfully in 1940 against Carl E. Bailey.