[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 81 (Tuesday, May 11, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S2443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO RETA HAMILTON

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a 
prominent conservative leader, Reta Hamilton, for her long-standing 
commitment to serving and strengthening the Republican Party in 
Arkansas and nationwide.
  Mrs. Hamilton launched her political activism career in 1987. In the 
decades since, she has made numerous contributions to mobilize the 
conservative cause--and with great success. Nicknamed ``the Road 
Warrior'' since her early days, she has driven nearly every highway in 
Arkansas, supporting, encouraging, and building county committees and 
Republican Women clubs. She is a longtime Tusk Club member, which 
denotes her dedication to GOP candidates and ideas.
  Mrs. Hamilton's commitment and impact have been widely felt at the 
local level. She served as president of the Washington County 
Republican Women in 1989 and more than doubled its membership, for 
which she received a newly-created award from the Arkansas Federation 
of Republican Women as well as recognition from the National Federation 
of Republican Women. The Washington County Republican Committee honored 
her as Republican of the Year at its 1989 Lincoln Dinner, with 
Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt participating in the presentation. 
That year, she was also elected as AFRW third vice-president.
  Mrs. Hamilton eventually moved to Benton County and in 1994 was 
elected secretary of the Benton County Republican Party. She later 
served as a State committeewoman and was honored at the 1996 Lincoln 
Dinner as Republican of the Year in Rogers, AR. Mrs. Hamilton was 
elected one of six electors to serve both in the 2008 and 2012 
electoral college.
  During her years of involvement in the Republican Party of Arkansas, 
she became second vice chair and was appointed to the Arkansas 
Governor's Appointments Committee, as well as a serving a record 14 
continuous years on the Executive Committee of the Arkansas GOP.
  Mrs. Hamilton was appointed by the State chairman to serve over 10 
years on the RPA Rules Committee. A pinnacle of her political career 
came in 2003, when she was elevated to the position of RPA State 
chairman. During this time, she was able to refocus the State party and 
set it on a course to majority leadership. Mrs. Hamilton was elected 
Arkansas Republican National Committeewoman in 2005 and served until 
term-limited in 2012. She also served on the RNC Rules Committee from 
2010 through 2012.
  She was also elected by RPA delegates to serve on the RNC Rules 
Committee from 1996 to 2016. Mrs. Hamilton was an elected delegate to 
every Republican National Convention from 1992 through 2020, serving as 
a Trump delegate in 2016 and 2020.
  At the Reagan Rockefeller Dinner in 2016, the RPA awarded Mrs. 
Hamilton the ``Hi, I'm Frank White'' Award for making significant 
contributions to build the State party.
  Having been involved with the National Federation of Republican Women 
since 1983, Mrs. Hamilton was appointed to serve as a nonvoting member 
of the NFRW Board of Directors in 2000 and served until 2020 as a 
regent and capital regent. She has attended nearly every NFRW biennial 
convention since 1987. Mrs. Hamilton was honored with an appointment 
and election to fill the vacancy of national committeewoman from 
December 2020 to June 5, 2021.
  I am honored to call Reta Hamilton my friend, and I am incredibly 
proud of her efforts to elevate and expand the Republican Party in 
Arkansas. Her conservative influence on the Arkansas GOP and this 
Nation has made a difference. The direction of our State and growth of 
the Republican Party into the majority party demonstrates the power 
that passion and commitment to one's ideals can have. I hope her 
example will serve as a lesson to future generations of Arkansans and 
Republican leaders.

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