Joe Purcell (Napoleon's World)

Joseph Edward "Joe" Purcell (July 29, 1923 - March 5, 1987) was an American Democratic politician from Arkansas who served as the United States Senator for Arkansas from 1975 until his death in 1987, as Governor of Arkansas from 1971-1975, and as Attorney General of Arkansas from 1967-1971. A reformer and ally of Andrew McCarty, Purcell was regarded as being from the Arkansas Democratic Party's liberal wing. In the Senate, however, as with many Southern Democrats, Purcell was comparatively moderate. During the Covenant Riots in 1983, Purcell was among a number of Arkansas Democrats who opposed the draconian response by Governor Bill Alexander and he helped lead a Senate investigation into the state's response, one of the first such investigations. As a result, he faced a surprisingly tough reelection campaign in 1986 in both the Democratic primary and the general election.