The last time the governors of Arkansas and Texas appeared together near Texarkana, Bill Clinton brought a knife.
During his second tenure as the Natural State's governor, Clinton presented Texas Gov. Mark White with an "authentic Arkansas Bowie knife" as a ceremonial gift, according to a report in the next day's Texarkana Gazette. It was June 28, 1986, and the two were in New Boston, Texas, to dedicate the statue of James Bowie at the recently opened Bowie County Courthouse.
A joint appearance of Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott scheduled for Tuesday in downtown Texarkana is expected to be the first occasion since that day when both states' leaders will have met in the area.
Clinton and White took the opportunity to celebrate the states' shared 150th anniversaries, or sesquicentennials. In 1836, the Republic of Texas was founded and Arkansas was admitted into the United States.
During the event, the governors exchanged gifts, admiration and a bit of ribbing, and they also talked politics, commenting on state budgets and spending cuts.
The knife was a replica of the one Bowie made in Washington, Ark., on his way to join Texas independence fighters at the Alamo, Clinton said during the ceremony.
"Being in a campaign, I might have special occasion to use it," White said. White was facing a challenge in the November 1986 election from the former governor he had succeeded, Bill Clements.
White gave Clinton a two-volume edition of the novel "Texas" by James Michener.
Clinton joked about Stephen F. Austin, the early Texas settler and namesake of the state capital, referring to Austin's failed 1820 bid to represent Arkansas in the U.S. House.
"He got disgusted and moved to Texas, and you know the rest," Clinton said. "If we had elected Stephen F. Austin to Congress, Texas might never have come into being."
Clinton said he was glad the two governors appeared together at least once during their states' shared sesquicentennial year.
"There is no place more appropriate than here, and there is no one more appropriate to honor than James Bowie," Clinton said.
White was preparing for a special session of the Texas Legislature to be held that summer, and he spoke about which state agencies should be left alone as lawmakers dealt with a $2.3 billion budget deficit.
Clinton had recently ordered a fourth round of budget cuts in Arkansas, and he compared the two states' economic woes, saying both should diversify their economies by gaining a "new educational and economic perspective."
White lost the 1986 election to Clements and went on to practice law. He attempted to run for governor again in 1990 but was defeated in the primary by Ann Richards, who won in the general election. White died in August 2017 at age 77.
Clinton went from the governorship to serve two terms as U.S. president beginning in 1993. His 72nd birthday was last month.
On Twitter: @RealKarlRichter