Arkansas State Treasurer Mark Lowery died Wednesday morning, his office announced Wednesday. He was 66.
Lowery’s daughter, Erin Lowery, said her father was surrounded by family and went peacefully, the treasurer’s office said in a news release.
Lowery had announced Tuesday he planned to retire Sept. 30. Erin Lowery said his condition deteriorated rapidly overnight and he died in the hospital Wednesday morning, according to the treasurer’s office.
Stephen Bright, chief of staff in the treasurer’s office, said in the news release, “We are devastated.
“Losing Mark represents a huge loss for the entire staff,” he said. “Mark was an incredible leader and a humble public servant and this was unexpected.”
Lowery, a Republican from Maumelle, was sworn in as state treasurer Jan. 10, succeeding Benton Republican Dennis Milligan, who is now state auditor.
He suffered a stroke in March and then experienced a second, more severe stroke in mid-June, leading him and his family to their decision to announce his intention to retire Sept. 30 to allow Lowery to focus on his health, the treasurer’s office said Tuesday.
Sen. Mark Johnson, R-Ferndale, said Wednesday that Lowery was his best friend for more than 39 years.
“He was a skilled orator, and a passionate conservative,” Johnson wrote in a statement. “It is so sad that only months after achieving the tremendous honor of being elected overwhelmingly as our State Treasurer, he has succumbed to a stroke.
“Mark was the go-to guy for legislation related to educational choice, and election reform,” Johnson wrote.
He said Lowery’s dedication to the state of Arkansas will be remembered by many, “and those of us who are his close friends are mourning him today.”
Retired Arkansas Senate legal counsel Steve Cook said he first met Lowery when Lowery was chief of staff for then-Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee in 1993, and they discovered a mutual interest in golf and started a golf and friend relationship that lasted 30 years.
“Mark was a person that had many attributes such as unquestioned integrity, trustworthiness, and perseverance,” Cook wrote in a statement. “He was a devoted father/grandfather and was a loyal friend. Mark was a devout Christian and was dedicated to public service. I cherish my memories and our unconditional care for one another and I will immensely miss him.”
The state treasury will continue to be run by Bright and Deputy Treasurer Eric Munson until Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints a replacement for Lowery, the treasurer’s office said Tuesday in a news release.
Sanders’ appointee to replace Lowery as state treasurer will serve until January 2025 and a replacement state treasurer will be elected in the 2024 general election to complete the final two years of Lowery’s four-year term, officials in the secretary of state’s office said Tuesday.
The state treasurer is responsible for the state treasury’s investment portfolio of approximately $11 billion, and serves on the state Board of Finance and the board of trustees for the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System, the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, the Arkansas State Highway Employees Retirement System and the Arkansas Development Finance Authority. The treasurer is paid a salary of $98,564 a year.
Sanders said Wednesday in a news release that she and First Gentleman Bryan Sanders “are saddened to hear about the loss of Arkansas Treasurer Mark Lowery.
“Mark was a lifelong public servant and a dedicated advocate for Arkansas’ children and families,” the Republican governor said.
“To those who knew Mark, it was no surprise that he threw his hat into the ring and ran for the statehouse in 2012 — and it was even less of a surprise that in his decade-long tenure as a State Representative, he brought about several major reforms to Arkansas’ education system,” Sanders said.
In his run for state treasurer last year, Lowery promised to extend that record of public stewardship to Arkansas’ state finances, she noted.
“I am deeply saddened that Mark’s term as Treasurer was cut so short,” Sanders said. “Bryan and my prayers are with the entire Lowery family, his friends, and the Treasurer’s office staff in this difficult time.”
In July 2021, Lowery initially announced a bid for the Republican nomination for secretary of state, vying with incumbent John Thurston and former state Sen. Eddie Joe Williams of Cabot, before pivoting to the state treasurer’s race in January 2022.
In the 2022 Republican primary, Lowery defeated then-state Sen. Mat Pitsch of Fort Smith to win the party’s nomination for state treasurer before Lowery defeated Little Rock Democrat Pam Whitaker in the general election to win the state treasurer’s race. Milligan endorsed Pitsch in the GOP primary, citing his concerns about Lowery’s financial history, but later endorsed Lowery in the November general election.
Milligan said Wednesday in a written statement that “I am shocked and disheartened to hear of the passing of State Treasurer Mark Lowery.
“The death of a fellow constitutional officer and public servant is terrible news to hear,” he said.
“My prayers first and foremost are with his family, especially his children and grandchildren, as they navigate the enormously difficult process of losing someone so dear to them,” Milligan said. “I’m also keeping in my heart the wonderful staff at the Treasury, many of whom I served alongside during my tenure as Treasurer.
“Most importantly, I pray that everyone affected by this unexpected loss experience God’s peace that He speaks of in Philippians, the peace which surpasses all understanding,” he said.
Lowery served in the state House of Representatives from 2013 until this year and served two stints as chairman of the House Insurance and Commerce Committee.
House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, who appointed Lowery as chairman of the House Insurance and Commerce Committee two times, tweeted on Wednesday that Lowery devoted much of his life to the service of the people of Arkansas.
“His dedication and commitment to our state will be deeply missed. I send my prayers and condolences to his loved ones,” he wrote.
Democratic Party of Arkansas Chairman Grant Tennille said Wednesday in a written statement that “On behalf of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, I’d like to extend our condolences to the family and friends of Treasurer Mark Lowrey.
“The impulse to serve your fellow Arkansans, to make our State better and to help people who need it, is honorable,” he said. “Those who follow that path are forever worthy of our respect.”
Lowery started his public service as chief of staff for Mike Huckabee in the lieutenant governor’s office in the mid-1990s and received a master’s degree in communications from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in 2000, according to the treasurer’s office.
He served as editor of the Maumelle Monitor and the Sherwood Voice, and was the lobbyist and executive director of the Arkansas chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors from 2003 to 2011. He also taught communications at the University of Central Arkansas and Henderson State University.
Lowery graduated from Sylvan Hills High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.