Beryl Anthony obit

Beryl Anthony, longtime U.S. congressman from Arkansas, dead at 86

 

He was not on the list.

STUART, FL – Former 4th District U.S. Congressman Beryl Anthony, Jr. has died. The district included Nevada and Hempstead Counties.

Beryl Franklin Anthony Jr. was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, the son of Oma Lee and Beryl Anthony. He stood tall as a leader, was a tried-and-true friend, a devoted husband and father, and a champion of many social and environmental causes throughout his 24 years in public service. Those who knew him loved him, and everything he did came with a good story.

At the University of Arkansas, he earned his B.S. and B.A. in 1961, and his Juris Doctor in 1963; He was Rush Chairman for Sigma Chi Fraternity and a letterman of the Arkansas Razorback golf team from 1959-1960. Hosting a fraternity rush event in Hot Springs, he met his bride to be, Sheila Foster, and they wed in Hope, Arkansas on August 4, 1962. Sheila and Beryl danced through the ups and downs of life together for the next 62 years.

Admitted to the Arkansas bar in 1963, Anthony began his legal practice in his hometown of El Dorado. He then served as a state assistant attorney general from 1964-65 and as deputy prosecuting attorney for Union County, until 1970. He won his first elected public office that year, as the Prosecuting Attorney for the13th Judicial District of Arkansas. During his tenure as president of the State Association of Prosecutors, he led many initiatives to reform the Arkansas criminal code and to improve the professionalism of state Prosecutors. He returned to private practice in 1976, and served as counsel to Anthony Forest Products, a fourth-generation family company.

Family life in El Dorado centered around many friends and colleagues, and his large Anthony family which gathered most weekends and holidays. He was especially close to his siblings, and their 11 combined children. Sundays, he and his brother John packed a picnic lunch and took the kids waterskiing on the Ouachita River. To celebrate America’s bicentennial on July 4, 1976, Anthony organized and hosted a classic day of games, races and fireworks for the neighborhood children, with newly minted Susan B. Anthony silver dollars as prizes. Everyone who attended still remembers the day.

When the 4th Congressional District seat opened up in 1978, Anthony threw his hat in the ring. The make-up of the district covered 25 counties in the southern half of Arkansas and included major diverse interests. After winning the seat, Anthony relocated to Washington DC with his family to serve his constituents for the next 14 years.

Elected Vice-President of his Freshman class, Beryl quickly gained the confidence of fellow House members and leadership. He was assigned to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee where he developed a top voice in tax code negotiations for the country. He also served on the Social Security, Oversight and Trade Subcommittees and the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families.

In 1987 he was nominated to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which he chaired until 1991. In 1988, he founded the Anthony Commission on Public Finance, a bi-partisan group of governors, mayors, state treasurers, county officials and other experts to study tax-exempt finance for states and municipalities and improve the federal tax code in this area. For five years, the Anthony Commission recommended legislation to make the public funding of required infrastructure and facilities more affordable in all 50 states.

Caught up in an era of sea change, Anthony lost his bid for re-election in 1992. He turned again to private law practice as a partner in the Washington office of Winston and Strawn and served on numerous corporate and charitable boards. During this time, he proudly supported his wife through her legal career and her tenure as Federal Trade Commissioner before their eventual retirement.

Splitting time between Hendersonville, NC and Palm City, FL Beryl continued to stay active in local politics, supporting and mentoring young candidates. He and Sheila were active participants in their retirement communities, and he remained an avid golfer where he won a combined total 8 club championships. He created initiatives that support fish and wildlife and taught many visiting children and grandchildren how to fish. An impassioned wildlife photographer, he always appreciated and sought to document the natural world around him.

He is survived by his wife, Sheila Anthony, and daughters, Alison Anthony Bethune (Sam) and Lauren Anthony Cargill, and five granddaughters, Nicole and Olivia Bethune, and Lilia, Hope and Juliet Cargill.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of Beryl’s favorite charities: The Boys and Girls Club of America.

Arrangements by Treasure Coast Seawinds Funeral Home & Crematory,

950 S.E. Monterey Road, Stuart, Florida.