Hardy "Spider" Rowland Papers

Collection

Identifier: MC 458

Staff Only
Select files to request

Scope and Content Note

Papers and scrapbooks concerning the Arkansas Gazette newspaper columnist, Hardy "Spider" Rowland.

The papers consist of correspondence, scrapbooks and memorabilia, as well as notes about Rowland which his son Ray Rowland, collected while researching a biography of his father. A notable segment of the correspondence is contained in Folder 1, which includes material concerning alleged attempts by Little Rock's two leading newspapers to violate section 7a of the National Recovery Act.

The scrapbooks consist mainly of clippings of Rowland's columns. They are arranged arbitrarily, and are available only on microfilm. Researchers are encouraged to refer to the microfilm version of the collection before accessing the original documents.

Significant correspondents include: Heywood Broun; J. N. Heiskell.

Dates

1934-1952

Creator

Rowland, Hardy, 1907-1958 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Access Information

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Use Information

No Use Restrictions Apply.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical Note

Born in a log cabin in Hardy, Arkansas, on July 14, 1907, Rowland was left to his own resources at the age of sixteen when his mother died and his father, grief-stricken, turned to alcohol and was unable to provide for his family. Penniless, Rowland traveled the country and supported himself through gambling and the occasional odd job. He eventually returned to Arkansas to open a Little Rock night club and publish a horse racing newsletter in Hot Springs. By coincidence, Rowland happened to be in Rockland, Maine in 1941 at the time of the Atlantic Charter conference between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. Rowland sent the story to the Gazette and was immediately hired as a full-time writer for the paper.

Rowland became well known in Arkansas for his Runyonesque political column, the "Weary-Go-Round." After World War II, he helped elect Democratic reform veterans to office. His support of the GI reformers (particularly the slate of future governor Sid McMath) helped end the boss rule of Hot Springs Mayor Leo McLauglin. Rowland died February 10, 1958.