Brother of Arkansas Mayor Revealed as $1.8 Billion Powerball Winner

LITTLE ROCK, AR — The winner of the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot drawn on Christmas Eve has been identified as Tracy L. Hartwick of Cabot, Arkansas, the younger brother of North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick, according to documents released Thursday by the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.

The winning ticket, purchased at a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot, matched the numbers drawn on Dec. 24, making it the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. Hartwick claimed the prize on Jan. 5 and chose the lump-sum payment of $834,942,287.04.

The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery released the records after the expiration of a six-month confidentiality period required under state law for lottery winners who are closely related to elected officials. The documents were first reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and later provided to THV11.

Under Arkansas law, lottery winners claiming prizes exceeding $500,000 are generally allowed to remain anonymous for up to three years. However, Act 889 of 2021 limits that confidentiality to six months for elected officials and certain relatives, including siblings. The law does not apply the shortened period to in-laws.

Records show Tracy Hartwick claimed a 94% share of the jackpot. His brother, Timothy A. Hartwick, claimed a 3% interest, while a third, unidentified person received the remaining share.

After federal and state tax withholdings totaling about $219 million, Tracy Hartwick received approximately $565 million. Timothy Hartwick and the unidentified claimant each received about $18.1 million after taxes.

A spokesperson for the City of North Little Rock said Mayor Terry Hartwick does not plan to comment publicly on the lottery win but is happy for his brothers.