Second Century
Years stated below in parenthesis denote tenure with the firm.
During its second century, Rose Law Firm continued to add lawyers of extraordinary intelligence, integrity and ingenuity such as Dedrick Cantrell (1905-1943), J. Fairfax Loughborough (1905-1945), Archie F. House (1925-1969), Harry E. Meek (1932-1969), George Rose Smith (1933-1948) and two Rhodes Scholars, William N. Nash (1931-1980) and J. Gaston Williamson (1949-1989).
Meek was the principal author of many of the banking, commercial, and inheritance laws of Arkansas. Nash, a former Dean of the Arkansas Law School, became an authority in municipal finance and authored many legislative proposals including the establishment of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission and constitutional amendments relating to industrial finance.
George Rose Smith, the grandson of U.M. Rose, was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1948 and thereafter became its longest-serving justice. Gaston Williamson joined the firm in 1949 and became the preeminent authority on inheritance and estate planning in the state of Arkansas. He was elected President of the Arkansas Bar Association in 1968.