Tommy Franklin Robinson

Tommy Franklin Robinson, 82, died Wednesday, July 10, following a short illness. Tommy was one of the most high-profile figures in Arkansas during the 1980s and 1990s, serving two terms as Pulaski County sheriff followed by three terms representing Arkansas' Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

His fame was such that he was simply known as Tommy or TR by most Arkansans. Tommy was the only child of Hoover and Esther Robinson. He was born March 7, 1942. His father was a fireman and his mother was a state worker. He grew up in the Rose City neighborhood of North Little Rock and graduated with a degree in criminal justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Tommy married Carolyn Barber of Scott and had six children.

Tommy had a long, distinguished career in law enforcement that saw stints with the North Little Rock Police Department, the Arkansas State Police and the U.S. Marshals Service (where one of his duties was to be in Wounded Knee, S.D., during the American Indian Movement uprising in 1973). He moved up quickly through the ranks, serving as a law enforcement administrator for the University of Arkansas System and as director of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety during the first term of Gov. Bill Clinton.

Tommy then served as Jacksonville police chief. He was elected Pulaski County sheriff in 1980 and was re-elected in 1982. Tommy received national media attention for his successful efforts to reduce crime in Pulaski County and achieved folk hero status across Arkansas for the innovative methods he used.

In 1984, Tommy was elected to the first of his three terms in Congress as a Democrat. A conservative, Tommy worked closely with President Ronald Reagan's administration to line up Democratic votes. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush announced during a news conference at the White House that Tommy had switched to the Republican Party.

Returning from Washington to his beloved Arkansas, Tommy ran for governor in 1990. Though he was not successful in that race, he made new friends in all 75 counties of Arkansas and introduced those outside the Second Congressional District to his unique style of politics. After leaving Congress at the end of 1990, he returned to his home in Brinkley. Tommy farmed, owned small businesses and worked as a political consultant. He remained a regular presence at the state Capitol during legislative sessions.

Tommy is survived by his wife Carolyn; six children -- Bill Robinson (Tanya) of Beebe; Fran Moseley of Hot Springs; Debbie Holt (Andy) of Denver, Colo.; Leslie Corbett (Clayton) of Hot Springs; Greg Robinson of Bentonville and Jeff Robinson of Brinkley; 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to the Brinkley School District, 200 Tiger Drive, Brinkley, AR 72021.