Cleveland Dear was a United States Representative from the state of Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

 and a one-time gubernatorial candidate. He served two terms in Congress as a Democrat

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...

 from central Louisiana. He was a staunch member of the anti-Long

Huey Long

Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...

 political faction

Political faction

A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...

.

Dear was born in Sugartown

Sugartown, Louisiana

Sugartown is an unincorporated community in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States, approximately 16 miles from DeRidder. The geographical center of Sugartown today is posted as the intersection of LA 112 and La 113...

 in Beauregard Parish in western Louisiana. He attended Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

, both undergraduate and law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 school, in Baton Rouge and was admitted to the bar in 1914. He served in the artillery in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and achieved the rank of first lieutenant

First Lieutenant

First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...

. He was then elected district attorney

District attorney

In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...

 for the Ninth District in Louisiana until his election to Congress in 1932. While in Congress he served as chairman of the Committee on Elections No. 1.

Dear ran for governor in the election of 1936

Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1936

The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1936 was held on January 21, 1936. Like most Southern states between Reconstruction and the civil rights era, Louisiana'sRepublican Party was virtually nonexistent in terms of electoral...

 but was defeated by the pro-Long Democrat Richard Webster Leche of New Orleans. He resumed the practice of law and was appointed judge in the Ninth Judicial District of Louisiana, a position in which he served, with subsequent successful elections, until his death. He died in Alexandria

Alexandria, Louisiana

Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....

 and is interred in Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville

Pineville, Louisiana

Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....

.