Congressman Wilbur D. Mills Mills

Congressman Wilbur D. Mills  was a strong advocate and effective ally for farmers and the agricultural economy. From his early days as a boy in Kensett working in his father’s businesses, Wilbur Mills became aware of the problems facing farmers. As a judge in White County, he established and chaired the White County Terracing Association in an effort to promote soil conservation. And Judge Mills led the effort to form the White County Livestock Commission Company, one of the first in the state. When he ran for Congress, his campaign platform emphasized a concern for many of the key agricultural issues of the day, including rural electrification, flood prevention and soil conservation. During his tenure as U. S. congressman and chairman of the powerful Committee on Ways & Means, Congressman Mills was an important contributor to the passage of legislation that was key to Arkansas economic growth. To mention only a few: securing needed considerations for the Rural Electric Cooperatives, designing trade legislation to promote Arkansas products, developing water systems, supporting good roads (from WPA projects to interstate highways), authoring the highway trust fund and providing Medicare for all. Congressman Mills was a constant advocate of legislation to protect rice growers, and rice farmers prospered in his district to such as extent that Arkansas came to produce a large percentage of the rice eaten around the world. Congressman Mills spoke to many agricultural organizations, commodity groups and youth organizations. He was always positive in his assessment of the future of agriculture and ever ready to be actively involved in legislation to improve agricultural conditions.