Bob Cohee
| Robert L. "Bob" Cohee | |
|---|---|
Cohee in undated photo
|
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| State Chairman, Arkansas Republican Party | |
|
In office March 1982 – December 1982 |
|
| Preceded by | Harlan Holleman |
| Succeeded by | Morris S. Arnold |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 17, 1938 Brawley, Imperial County, California, USA |
| Died | February 14, 2013 (aged 74) Cotter, Baxter County, Arkansas |
| Resting place | Not revealed |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Ann Miller Cohee (married 1956-2013, his death) |
| Children |
Dan, David, and Don Cohee |
| Parents | Russell and Pearl Taylor Cohee |
| Residence | Cotter, Arkansas |
| Occupation | Real estate businessman |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
Dan, David, and Don Cohee
Robert L. Cohee, known as Bob Cohee (August 17, 1938 – February 14, 2013), was a businessman and politician from Baxter County in northern Arkansas.
A native of Brawley in Imperial County in far southern California, Cohee was one of three sons of Russell Cohee and the former Pearl Taylor. He served in the United States Navy.
Cohee was the owner and former operator of Cohee Realty Company in Midway in Baxter County. He served as a county judge of Baxter County and was a former director of the Arkansas Racing Commission. He was president of the interest group, Citizens for Clean Water.
In March 1982, Cohee became the state chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party upon the death of Harlan Holleman of Wynne in eastern Arkansas. During his brief tenure as chairman, the GOP Governor Frank D. White was defeated for a second term by Bill Clinton, the Democrat whom White had unseated in 1980.Cohee had resigned a $27,000 per year position as deputy director of the Arkansas Housing Development Agency in Little Rock to serve as the full-time unpaid chairman during the election campaign. After the election, Governor White and U.S. Representatives Edwin Bethune of Arkansas's 2nd congressional district and John Paul Hammerschmidt of the 3rd district announced that they preferred Morris S. Arnold, a law professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, as the new state chairman, rather than the more conservative Cohee. The exact vote of the 119 delegates to the state convention held in Little Rock was not released. Cohee later said that he would not have sought a full term as chairman had he known in advance of the opposition from White, Bethune, and Hammerschmidt, the party's then "Big Three". The nomination of Arnold was made by State Representative Carolyn Pollan of Fort Smith, a backer of the late Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, who called Arnold "a bringer-together, a unifier" who would offer "strong leadership." In accepting the chairmanship, Arnold said he would "call Bill Clinton out if he fails to keep his promises." A native of Texarkana, Texas. Arnold said that he would keep his law professorship at the William H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and serve as a part-time chairman. He vowed to seek African American support but said the task would be difficult because of Clinton's black voter base.Arnold resigned as chairman after only a year in the position.
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