Leo McLaughlin

Leo Patrick McLaughlin was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on June 5, 1888, as one of eight children of Irish immigrants John Henry McLaughlin and Bridget Adela Russell. John left Ireland during the Great Famine and immigrated to Maryland in 1850, before moving to Memphis, Tennessee, and then Hot Springs. He graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1908, and was president in his senior year.[3][4]

McLaughlin defeated Sidney Nutt in the 1927 election.[29] He defeated Elmer Tackett, a former member of the state house, in the 1937 election.[30] He was accused of electoral fraud during his tenure with allegations of paying people's poll taxes and threatening to fire government workers who did not vote.[31][32]

Criminals, such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, received protection by McLaughlin's Hot Springs government from law enforcement.[32] A political machine was operated in the city and county by McLaughlin, Earl Witt, and Vernal Ledgerwood. Illegal gambling was sanctioned in the city with fees being paid to the local government to avoid police raids and McLaughlin advertised the city as a place to gamble.[33] When an airport was constructed in Hot Springs it was named McLaughlin Field in his honor in 1946, but was later renamed to Hot Springs Memorial Field in 1947.[34]

Sid McMath was one of the leading opponents against McLaughlin's political machine and the Government Improvement League, which was made up almost entirely of veterans, was formed under his leadership in 1945.[4][35] McLaughlin's opponents, with McMath as one of their lawyers, challenged the receipts of 3,825 poll taxes, accounting for over one-third of the amount in the 1946 Democratic primary. Judge John E. Miller ruled that 1,607 of the poll taxes were invalid.[36][37][38] The GI League won all of the county elections in the 1946 election except for constable and state senate. Ledgerwood stated in a post-election radio address that McLaughlin's regime came to an end and he did not seek reelection in 1947.[39]

McLaughlin filed to run in the 1947 election, but later announced that he would not seek reelection after a grand jury launched an investigation into his administration.[40][41][4] Earl T. Ricks defeated Clyde Wilson, who received McLaughlin's support, in the election.[42]

A grand jury indicted McLaughlin on four charges of bribery, two charges of conversion of city funds, and a charge of failure to file a city financial report on March 18, 1947, and was given a bond of $40,500. His brother George, secretary Hazel Marsh, and Elmer Walters were also indicted.[43] Additional charges were filed against him, including robbery.[44] He was acquitted on one charge and the remainder were dismissed.[45][46][47] A lawsuit attempting to remove him as chair of the Garland County Democratic Central Committee was withdrawn due to McLaughlin leaving office and his indictment.[48]

McLaughlin attempted to reenter politics after his mayoral tenure by running for city attorney as an independent in the 1952 election, but failed to qualify.[49] He died on May 5, 1958, due to uremia.[4][50]

J. W. McClendon, the mayor of Hot Springs, threatened to shoot McLaughlin's brother George while he was working as an election judge in a school board election in 1916, and was convicted for aggravated assault resulting in a sentence of one hour in jail and a $50 fine.[51][52]

On June 19, 1918, McLaughlin married Juanita Gilliam in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, but she filed for divorce on September 5, 1919, in Denver, Colorado, and a judgement was made in her favor on November 18, although it was not finalized until June 2, 1921. He married Mary Francis Frink in 1931, but it ended in divorce a few months later. He married Florence Paul on November 4, 1931, the same day his previous marriage ended, and divorced her in 1936.[4]

McLaughlin attended the University of Arkansas for two weeks and never took a bar examination, but he worked as a lawyer for forty-five years.[53] His divorce papers in 1935 stated that he was earning $60,000 (equivalent to $1,185,874 in 2021) per year.[32] In 1937, Paul claimed during their divorce proceedings that McLaughlin's estate was worth $500,000.[54] He was the president of the Hot Springs Broadcasting Company which was formed to prevent the removal of the KTHS station.[55]

• Raines, Robert (2013). Hot Springs: From Capone to Costello. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439642115.
• Ramsey, Patsy (2000). "A Place at the Table: Hot Springs and the GI Revolt". The Arkansas Historical Quarterly. Arkansas Historical Association. 59 (4): 407–428. doi:10.2307/40023192. JSTOR 40023192.
• Nutt, Niven (1987). The Nutt Family. Boston Public Library.