Bart Hester

Bart Franklin Hester (born December 9, 1977)^[1] is an American politician serving as a member of the Arkansas Senate from the 33rd district and a Republican. A real estate agent and former baseball player, has served since 2013, and was nominated president pro tempore of the Senate for the 94th Arkansas General Assembly.

Bart Hester
Hester in 2019
President pro tempore of the Arkansas Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2023
Preceded by	Jimmy Hickey
Member of the Arkansas Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 2013
Preceded by	Redistricted
Constituency	1st district (2013–2023) 33rd district (2023–present)
Personal details
Born	Bart Franklin Hester (1977-12-09) December 9, 1977 (age 47) Cave Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Children	4
Education	University of Arkansas (BS)

Early life and education

A native of Conway, Arkansas, Hester graduated from Green Forest High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. For three years, Hester played on the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team.^[2]

Career

Since 2005, Hester has worked as a real estate agent. He was elected to the Arkansas Senate in November 2012 and assumed office on January 14, 2013.^[3] From 2013 to 2015, Hester served as vice chair of the House Children and Youth Committee. During the 2017 legislative session, he served as chair of the House Public Retirement and Social Security Programs Committee. Since 2021, Hester has served as chair of the House Senate Efficiency Committee. Hester has also served as majority leader of the Senate.^[4] In 2022, Hester was chosen as President Pro Tempore for the 2023 session.^[5]

On May 1st, 2024, Hester accused former Arkansas gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones of taking a “Pro Hamas Terrorist” position.^[6] Jones is currently suing Hester for defamation.