Governor McKeithen is in the middle with my grandfather on the right. The man to the left I believe was Kenneth "Doc" Wright, my grandfather's chief deputy.
(Courtesy of Chet Wallace)
As some of you might know, my grandfather was Louisiana Sheriff Chester Baudoin who was sheriff of St. Mary Parish from 1964 to 1984. Poppy, as I affectionately called him, got to meet a lot of famous Louisiana dignitaries during his time. One was former Louisiana Governor John McKeithen. He saw McKeithen speak at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am lucky enough to have a couple of photos that my grandfather personally took of McKeithen from that event. Another photo I have is a professional shot with my grandfather, McKeithen and an unidentified man, whom I believe was my grandfather’s chief deputy Kenneth “Doc” Wright.
Governor McKeithen speaking at the Stardust in Las Vegas. Late 1960s. My grandfather took this photo.
(Courtesy of Chet Wallace)
Governor McKeithen and unidentified man in Las Vegas. My grandfather took this one also.
(Courtesy of Chet Wallace)
McKeithen was born in Grayson, Louisiana on May 28, 1918. He was a veteran of World War II and served from 1942 to 1946. He was a first lieutenant in the 77th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theater and was involved in the battles of Guam, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service. His alma mater was at Louisiana State University and he acquired his law degree from Louisiana Law School. He was a United Methodist.
McKeithen began his political career by serving in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948 to 1952 for his native Caldwell Parish. In 1952 he unsuccessfully ran for Lieutenant Governor and in 1954 was elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission. He stayed at this post until he became Governor.
McKeithen served as governor from 1964 to 1972. This is a quote from his campaign. "I wasn't born to material wealth, nor do I have claim to an aristocratic name. But if I am elected governor, it will prove that any mother's son can aspire to the highest political office of this state. I've come this far because you the people have given me your support – with all the professional politicians, power brokers and big money people fighting me every step of the way. Because I owe you so much, you can be assured when I raise my hand to take the oath of office as Governor of Louisiana, there will be a prayer in my heart that God will always guide me to do what is best for the state and all the people in it. We'll win this race, but I need your help. Won't you help me?"
When McKeithen entered the 1963 Democratic primary, he ran as a segregationist governor and claimed that his opponent, deLesseps “Chep” Morrison, a former mayor of New Orleans, was an integrationist supported by the NAACP. He won the nomination. He then defeated Republican Charlton Lyons, an oilman from Shreveport in the 1964 general election. Upon reelection in 1967 McKeithen won the gubernatorial seat again, running against John Rarick, who was a conservative from St. Francisville. After his gubernatorial seat ended in 1972, McKeithen ran as an independent candidate for the U.S. senate but was defeated by former State Senator J. Bennett Johnston Jr.
McKeithen was best remembered for industrial development and easing tensions during the civil rights movement. He did this by establishing a biracial Louisiana Commission on Human Relations. McKeithen is known for opening the Louisiana Superdome during his administration, which is now known as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
McKeithen was married to Marjorie Howell Funderburk, and they had six children, one being former Louisiana Secretary of State Walter Fox McKeithen, who was known as Fox. Fox switched to the Republican party in 1989, against the recommendations of his father. He was known for historical preservation during his administration. At the age of 58 Fox died as the result of a fall at home that paralyzed him.
After his political career, McKeithen retired to his farm in Caldwell Parish. He continued to practice law and managed an oil and gas exploration company. He also established a law practice in Baton Rouge and was appointed to the LSU Board of Supervisors in 1983. McKeithen died on June 4, 1999, at age 81, in his hometown of Columbia.
It came out about five years ago that McKeithen helped to quell the racial violence in Louisiana during the Civil Rights movement by paying off the Ku Klux Klan, according to FBI documents. Klan leaders of the state, after the 1964 gubernatorial election, were informed that if they kept quiet, the state of Louisiana would pay them for their silence. Even though there were still acts of violence, it is only speculated as to how much worse it could have been had they not been paid off. Even though McKeithen paid them off, this move eventually did not sit well with the KKK because it seemed from the KKK point of view that McKeithen was supporting the black community. The KKK felt double crossed. They came out that McKeithen and other Louisiana politicians should be “tarred and feathered.”
McKeithen’s granddaughter Marjorie McKeithen, an attorney in New Orleans, responded to the report by stating that her grandfather’s greatest accomplishment was “his record on civil rights and race relations during an explosive period in our country’s history. Thanks to his leadership, Louisiana was spared much of the violence that permeated other Southern states. Unlike other Southern governors, he openly and publicly called the KKK ‘racist, hate mongers and troublemakers.”
Thanks for learning!
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