About Me
I'm a sixth-generation Arkansan, born and raised in Little Rock. My father’s side of the family came from Union and Sevier Counties. My mother, a Faulkner County native, grew up in Lonoke and Jefferson Counties. Both of my parents were proud graduates of the University of Arkansas who devoted their careers to serving as teachers and administrators in the public schools. They instilled in me a belief that education and skills training are the best investments a person can make.
Thanks to help from my parents, scholarships, and loans, I got a chance to invest in my future by attending college. I earned my bachelor’s degree in history at William and Mary; a master’s degree and a doctorate in history at Oxford University; and a law degree at Harvard. After law school, I passed the Arkansas bar exam (with the highest score), clerked for a federal appellate judge, and then became a law professor. During my forty-year academic career, I taught law and history at several universities, including UALR, and served for six years as dean of the University of Richmond School of Law.
While teaching at UALR’s law school (now called Bowen), I served on the Pulaski County Quorum Court, an experience which exposed me to local government finance. I subsequently won a seat in the Arkansas Senate, where I served on the Revenue and Taxation Committee and saw first-hand how the state’s financial system actually works.
One of my proudest achievements as a state senator was my sponsorship of the bill that created the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program. This year about 27,000 college and university students are receiving these scholarships, which are funded primarily by proceeds from the Arkansas Lottery.
"I’m running for State Treasurer because lots of doors were opened for me when I was a kid, growing up in the Land of Opportunity. Now I’d like to have a chance to help other Arkansans invest in their own futures."
What I Stand For
Be careful with the taxpayers’ money
Maintain total transparency when receiving and disbursing state funds
Manage the state’s $11.5 billion investment portfolio in a prudent, non-partisan manner that focuses on safety, liquidity, and rate of return
Protect the retirement benefits of teachers, public employees, and ARDOT employees as a member of their retirement systems’ boards of directors
Promote the Arkansas Brighter Future 529 investment plan, a Treasury-sponsored program which enables families to build tax-free savings for education and job training
Advocate using some of the Treasury’s investment earnings to increase scholarships for students enrolled in Arkansas colleges, universities, and vocational-technical schools
To hear John explain why he is running for State Treasurer,
watch this television interview on KARK’s "Capitol View” with Roby Brock:
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