Arkansas political legend, longtime office holder, Charlie Daniels, dies

Charlie Daniels, the former Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands, Secretary of State and Auditor of State, has died after a brief illness. He was 83 years old.

Daniels, who served for 30 years in statewide elected office as a Democrat, got his start in politics on his local school board and in the gubernatorial administrations of David Pryor and Bill Clinton.

According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:

Daniels was born on December 7, 1939, in Parkers Chapel (Union County) to Louie Green Daniels and Ruby Marie Hill Daniels. He grew up in nearby El Dorado (Union County). He joined the U.S. Air Force after graduating from high school, and his four years of active duty were followed by 15 years in the Air Force Reserves.

Upon completing his active duty, Daniels attended Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia (Columbia County) and then the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He then worked for 13 years as an electrician with Arkansas Power and Light Company.

In 1972, Daniels was elected to the Parkers Chapel Board of Education. In 1974, Daniels was appointed director of the Arkansas Department of Labor by Governor David Pryor, and he continued serving in that role under Pryor’s successor, Governor Bill Clinton. He later served as governmental relations director for the Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.

In 1984, Daniels ran for Commissioner of State Lands and won. He held the position until 2003 when he was term-limited. He pivoted to Secretary of State and served two terms before winning one term as Auditor of State and then retiring.

In 2013, Daniels sat down for an interview with Talk Business & Politics to reflect on his years of service and pending retirement.

In addition to a good staff and well-run offices, Daniels acknowledged that it didn’t hurt that his name was semi-iconic thanks to the country music hit, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band. When Daniels made his first run for office in 1984, it was just a few years after the song topped the music charts.

“My first radio campaign ad had some fiddle music in it from a person up in Mountain View. It went like this, ‘Charlie Daniels. That’s a name that everyone knows. But this Charlie Daniels doesn’t fiddle around. This Charlie Daniels is running for State Land Commissioner.’ It was fun,” he said.

During his tenure in statewide office, Daniels capitalized on technological changes to bring the offices into the modern age.

“While he was secretary of state, his office established Voter View, an online resource that allows people to see ballots and obtain information about their polling places. The office also created new online business and commercial application services. In his term as state auditor, Daniels oversaw the launch of an e-filing system for unclaimed property. He also took pride in the fact that the land commissioner’s office saw an increase in annual revenue from $300,000 to $12 million, while also noting that it had inaugurated a program to preserve the historical land records that were maintained by the office. In addition, he oversaw major renovations and restoration of the Arkansas State Capitol,” the Encyclopedia of Arkansas noted.

Daniels was a popular figure in political circles, especially at Democratic Party functions. Gregarious and outgoing, his deep voice, hearty laugh and masterful storytelling were always a hit.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday (July 13) at Roller Ballard Funeral Home in Benton. Visitation is 5-7 p.m. Wednesday.