Orval Faubus

Orval Faubus was the 36th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1955 to 1967. He is most notably remembered for his staunch opposition to racial integration during the civil rights movement, particularly for his role in the Little Rock Crisis of 1957, when he used the National Guard to prevent nine African American students from entering Little Rock Central High School. This act of defiance against federal law led to a confrontation with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who ultimately sent federal troops to ensure the students' safe entry into the school. Faubus's actions and policies made him a controversial figure in American history, emblematic of the resistance to desegregation in the South.