Cat Doucet
Encyclopedia
Daly Joseph Doucet, Sr., known as Cat Doucet (November 8, 1899–February 9, 1975), was a Democratic
politician and a law enforcement officer from St. Landry Parish
in south Louisiana. He served as sheriff of St. Landry Parish for a total of twenty years.
in St. Landry Parish to Lucius Doucet and the former Aza Lafleur (1879–1970). He was educated in the public schools of Ville Platte
, the seat of Evangeline Parish
. In 1919, Doucet married the former Anna Dorcey (1892–1979) of Lafayette
. The couple had six children, Alberta, Harold John, I (deceased), Yvonne, Louis Austin, Anna Dale, and Daly, Jr. (1941–1974).
The Doucets were followers of the legendary Huey Pierce Long, Jr., who stayed at their home when he was in the area. Elton J. Doucet (1901–1992), Cat's younger brother, recalled in 1991: "All the farmers and all the poor people was [sic] for Huey P. Long, The Pavys (a reference to anti-Long Judge Benjamin Pavy
who was the father-in-law of presumed Long assassin Dr. Carl Weiss
) couldn't get nothing [sic] they wanted from Huey. If he was your friend, he'd help you. If you were his enemy
he'd stomp you down."
of St. Landry Parish. He emerged as a colorful, controversial figure, much like that of the later Sheriff F.O. "Potch" Didier
, who served from 1960-1980 in Avoyelles Parish
to the north. Didier once even spent time in his own jail on a charge of malfeasance
.
Based in Opelousas
, Doucet served as sheriff from 1936–1940 and again from 1952-1968. He was unseated in the 1940 anti-Long surge that elected Sam Houston Jones of Lake Charles
as governor, rather than incumbent Earl Kemp Long, younger brother of Huey Long. Doucet survived another anti-Long sweep in 1952, which brought Robert F. Kennon
of Minden
to the governorship, to regain the sheriff's position, which he thereafter held in four consecutive elections. Doucet was among the first white politicians in Louisiana to endorse the civil rights
agenda.
In supporting the registration of African American voters in St. Landry Parish as early as 1952, Doucet cemented a hold on black backers that endured throughout his four later terms in office. Buoyed by the large black community in his parish, Doucet was able to fend off the opposition of both "good government" groups and vocal segregation
ists.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
accused Doucet of protecting gambling
and prostitution within his jurisdiction. Doucet presumably even gained his nickname for having allowed prostitution to flourish in the "cathouses," slang for brothels, along U.S. Highway 190 between Opelousas and Krotz Springs
and Opelousas and Eunice. An FBI memorandum dated August 10, 1939, reports that Doucet was "operating all slot machine
s in St. Landry Parish." Some twenty years later, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that "flagrant gambling law violations" continued in St. Landry Parish.
In 1940, the Eunice New Era newspaper accused Doucet and other officials of malfeasance by having "failed to perform their required duties in connection with shutting down of slot machines in St. Landry Parish." Out of office in 1940, a grand jury
indicted
Doucet for the embezzlement
of some $3,000 in public funds. Seven former deputies testified against the sheriff. The case, however, was dismissed because of prosecutorial irregularities. In a subsequent investigation in 1953, the St. Landry Parish grand jury failed to indict Doucet.
In an interview with the historian Michael Kurtz of Southeastern Louisiana University
in Hammond
, co-author with Morgan D. Peoples
of Louisiana Tech University
of The Saga of Uncle Earl and Louisiana Politics (published 1992), Doucet said that the final return of Earl Long to the governorship from 1956-1960 permitted Doucet to "open up the cathouses again . . . he promised to let me get my fair share of the take."
In the 1960s, Curt Hewitt, operator of the Peppermint Lounge on the St. Landry/Evangeline border, who had paid bribes to Doucet in vice trades, brought his expertise to Concordia Parish
, opposite Natchez
, Mississippi. There in Vidalia
and Ferriday
, the veteran Sheriff Noah W. Cross
filled the same role as Doucet in St. Landry Parish.
Hewitt, Cross and several others were in time prosecuted on various federal racketeering, perjury
, and jury tampering
charges in the early 1970s, after a six-year investigation pursued by an FBI agent. Ultimately, Cross went to prison.
and Vincent Riehl in 1972 published The Cat and St. Landry, a biography of Doucet. In 1999, Doucet was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
.
One of Doucet's great-grandsons, Harold John Doucet, III, (July 11, 1982–May 29, 2008), owned a motorcycle shop in Scott
. He died at the age of twenty-five and was interred at Bellevue Memorial Park in Opelousas. He was born some seven years after Sheriff Doucet's death. Another great-grandson, Ryan Doucet, died prior to 2008.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician and a law enforcement officer from St. Landry Parish
St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
St. Landry Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is at the heart of Acadian/Cajun culture and heritage in Louisiana. The parish seat is Opelousas. According to the 2010 census, the population of St. Landry Parish is 83,384.St...
in south Louisiana. He served as sheriff of St. Landry Parish for a total of twenty years.
Background
Doucet was born in Grand PrairieGrand Prairie, Louisiana
Grand Prairie is an unincorporated community in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is the location of two historic houses that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the LaFleur House and the Alexandre Fontenot fils House....
in St. Landry Parish to Lucius Doucet and the former Aza Lafleur (1879–1970). He was educated in the public schools of Ville Platte
Ville Platte, Louisiana
Ville Platte is a city in and the parish seat of Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,145 at the 2000 census. Its name is derived from the French ville plate, or "flat town."-History:...
, the seat of Evangeline Parish
Evangeline Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 35,434 people, 12,736 households, and 9,157 families residing in the parish. The population density was 53 people per square mile . There were 14,258 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
. In 1919, Doucet married the former Anna Dorcey (1892–1979) of Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. The couple had six children, Alberta, Harold John, I (deceased), Yvonne, Louis Austin, Anna Dale, and Daly, Jr. (1941–1974).
The Doucets were followers of the legendary Huey Pierce Long, Jr., who stayed at their home when he was in the area. Elton J. Doucet (1901–1992), Cat's younger brother, recalled in 1991: "All the farmers and all the poor people was [sic] for Huey P. Long, The Pavys (a reference to anti-Long Judge Benjamin Pavy
Benjamin Pavy
Benjamin Henry Pavy was a state district judge in St. Landry and Evangeline parishes, Louisiana, who was gerrymandered out of office through the intervention of his political rival, the powerful Huey Pierce Long, Jr...
who was the father-in-law of presumed Long assassin Dr. Carl Weiss
Carl Weiss
Carl Austin Weiss was a young Baton Rouge, Louisiana physician who assassinated U.S. Senator Huey Pierce Long, Jr. on September 8, 1935.-Baton Rouge doctor:...
) couldn't get nothing [sic] they wanted from Huey. If he was your friend, he'd help you. If you were his enemy
he'd stomp you down."
A 20-year sheriff
Running as a Long Democrat, Doucet was elected in 1936 as sheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of St. Landry Parish. He emerged as a colorful, controversial figure, much like that of the later Sheriff F.O. "Potch" Didier
F.O. "Potch" Didier
Fabius Odell Didier, Jr., known as Potch Didier , was a flamboyant Democratic sheriff of Avoyelles Parish in south Central Louisiana, who served from 1960-1980. In 1970, Didier was tried, convicted and served a seven-day sentence in his own jail for malfeasance in office.Nevertheless, the newspaper...
, who served from 1960-1980 in Avoyelles Parish
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana
Avoyelles is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.-History:...
to the north. Didier once even spent time in his own jail on a charge of malfeasance
Malfeasance
The expressions misfeasance and nonfeasance, and occasionally malfeasance, are used in English law with reference to the discharge of public obligations existing by common law, custom or statute.-Definition and relevant rules of law:...
.
Based in Opelousas
Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
, Doucet served as sheriff from 1936–1940 and again from 1952-1968. He was unseated in the 1940 anti-Long surge that elected Sam Houston Jones of Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
as governor, rather than incumbent Earl Kemp Long, younger brother of Huey Long. Doucet survived another anti-Long sweep in 1952, which brought Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
to the governorship, to regain the sheriff's position, which he thereafter held in four consecutive elections. Doucet was among the first white politicians in Louisiana to endorse the civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
agenda.
In supporting the registration of African American voters in St. Landry Parish as early as 1952, Doucet cemented a hold on black backers that endured throughout his four later terms in office. Buoyed by the large black community in his parish, Doucet was able to fend off the opposition of both "good government" groups and vocal segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
ists.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
accused Doucet of protecting gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
and prostitution within his jurisdiction. Doucet presumably even gained his nickname for having allowed prostitution to flourish in the "cathouses," slang for brothels, along U.S. Highway 190 between Opelousas and Krotz Springs
Krotz Springs, Louisiana
Krotz Springs is a town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana on the Atchafalaya River. The population was 1,219 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
and Opelousas and Eunice. An FBI memorandum dated August 10, 1939, reports that Doucet was "operating all slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s in St. Landry Parish." Some twenty years later, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that "flagrant gambling law violations" continued in St. Landry Parish.
In 1940, the Eunice New Era newspaper accused Doucet and other officials of malfeasance by having "failed to perform their required duties in connection with shutting down of slot machines in St. Landry Parish." Out of office in 1940, a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
Doucet for the embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
of some $3,000 in public funds. Seven former deputies testified against the sheriff. The case, however, was dismissed because of prosecutorial irregularities. In a subsequent investigation in 1953, the St. Landry Parish grand jury failed to indict Doucet.
In an interview with the historian Michael Kurtz of Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
in Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
, co-author with Morgan D. Peoples
Morgan D. Peoples
Morgan Dewey Peoples was a historian who coauthored with Michael L. Kurtz the definitive biography of the late Louisiana Governor Earl Kemp Long. Peoples was a member of the Louisiana Tech University at Ruston history department faculty from 1965 until his retirement in 1985...
of Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
of The Saga of Uncle Earl and Louisiana Politics (published 1992), Doucet said that the final return of Earl Long to the governorship from 1956-1960 permitted Doucet to "open up the cathouses again . . . he promised to let me get my fair share of the take."
In the 1960s, Curt Hewitt, operator of the Peppermint Lounge on the St. Landry/Evangeline border, who had paid bribes to Doucet in vice trades, brought his expertise to Concordia Parish
Concordia Parish, Louisiana
Concordia Parish borders the Mississippi River in eastern Louisiana. The parish seat is Vidalia. As of 2000, the population was 20,247. It is part of the Natchez, MS–LA Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Prehistory:...
, opposite Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
, Mississippi. There in Vidalia
Vidalia, Louisiana
Vidalia is a city in and the parish seat of Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,543 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Vidalia is located at and has an elevation of ....
and Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
, the veteran Sheriff Noah W. Cross
Noah W. Cross
Noah Webster Cross was a controversial Democratic sheriff from Ferriday in Concordia Parish in eastern Louisiana, who served from July 1, 1944 until July 1948 and again from July 1952 until April 4, 1973, when a conviction for perjury and a failed appeal forced him into federal prison. Cross was...
filled the same role as Doucet in St. Landry Parish.
Hewitt, Cross and several others were in time prosecuted on various federal racketeering, perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
, and jury tampering
Jury tampering
Jury tampering is the crime of unduly attempting to influence the composition and/or decisions of a jury during the course of a trial.The means by which this crime could be perpetrated can include attempting to discredit potential jurors to ensure they will not be selected for duty. Once selected,...
charges in the early 1970s, after a six-year investigation pursued by an FBI agent. Ultimately, Cross went to prison.
The Doucet legacy
Louisiana author Mary Alice FontenotMary Alice Fontenot
Mary Alice Fontenot , born in Eunice, Louisiana, was a noted author of regional children's books, best known for the Clovis Crawfish series published by Pelican Publishing, a collection of eighteen books featuring animals from the Louisiana bayou...
and Vincent Riehl in 1972 published The Cat and St. Landry, a biography of Doucet. In 1999, Doucet was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
.
One of Doucet's great-grandsons, Harold John Doucet, III, (July 11, 1982–May 29, 2008), owned a motorcycle shop in Scott
Scott, Louisiana
Scott is the second largest municipality in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population rose to over 8,000 according to the 2010 census results.Scott is a suburb of Lafayette and is part of the Lafayette Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. He died at the age of twenty-five and was interred at Bellevue Memorial Park in Opelousas. He was born some seven years after Sheriff Doucet's death. Another great-grandson, Ryan Doucet, died prior to 2008.