Dudley A. Guglielmo
Encyclopedia
Dudley Anthony Guglielmo, Sr. (April 21, 1909–July 30, 2005), was the Louisiana
insurance commissioner
from 1964 to 1972. He served two terms until he was denied renomination in the 1971 Democratic
primary by Sherman A. Bernard, a house mover from Westwego
in Jefferson Parish. Bernard managed to win the position on the premise that Louisiana residents were paying too high in insurance
premiums and that Guglielmo had presumably did little to stop the rate increases.
Guglielmo, who was of Italian
ethnicity, went to work in 1930 for the administration of Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
. He held the position of administrator of personnel and finance until 1940, when Sam Houston Jones succeeded Earl Kemp Long as governor. Thereafter, he served in numerous state appointed posts.
Guglielmo succeeded Rufus D. Hayes
as insurance commissioner in 1964. Hayes did not seek a second elected term in the position. Among the losing candidates were State Representative
Jack M. Dyer
of Baton Rouge and state senator Speedy O. Long
of La Salle Parish, the choice of John Julian McKeithen
, the successful gubernatorial candidate that year. Speedy Long went on to serve in the United States House of Representatives
. The Long-Guglielmo rivalry reflected the split in the Long ranks which had surfaced in the first primary held in December 1963. Guglielmo carried the backing of defeated gubernatorial candidates Shelby M. Jackson
, Robert F. Kennon
, Claude Kirkpatrick
, and Gillis Long.
In 1967, Guglielmo defeated the conservative State Senator W. Spencer Myrick
of Oak Grove
, the seat of West Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana, to secure a second term as insurance commissioner.
After his defeat by Bernard, who subsequently went to prison for misconduct in connection with his insurance commissioner duties, Guglielmo ran a consulting company which served insurance companies.
In 2004, Guglielmo was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in the Long's native Winnfield
, the seat of Winn Parish. "I'm just very honored to even be here," said Guglielmo, a 42-year state employee. "I had no idea they had such a place. This goes back to Huey P. Long."
Guglielmo described Huey Long as "the best campaigner I ever saw. He would get out in those trucks with the horns and get his message to people. Today, politics has changed. They do it on TV."
Guglielmo lived in Baton Rouge. At the time of his death, he was a widower and was survived by two sons, including Dudley A. Guglielmo, Jr. (born 1943), and a daughter.
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...
insurance commissioner
Insurance commissioner
Insurance commissioner is an executive office in many U.S. states, some in the state cabinet. The office differs state by state:...
from 1964 to 1972. He served two terms until he was denied renomination in the 1971 Democratic
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...
primary by Sherman A. Bernard, a house mover from Westwego
Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 10,763 at the 2000 census. It lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River.-Geography:...
in Jefferson Parish. Bernard managed to win the position on the premise that Louisiana residents were paying too high in insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
premiums and that Guglielmo had presumably did little to stop the rate increases.
Guglielmo, who was of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
ethnicity, went to work in 1930 for the administration of Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
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...
. He held the position of administrator of personnel and finance until 1940, when Sam Houston Jones succeeded Earl Kemp Long as governor. Thereafter, he served in numerous state appointed posts.
Guglielmo succeeded Rufus D. Hayes
Rufus D. Hayes
Rufus D. Hayes was an attorney, judge, and businessman from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as his state’s insurance commissioner from 1957-1964. He was also a former district attorney in East Baton Rouge Parish and in 1958 the Louisiana Democratic state chairman...
as insurance commissioner in 1964. Hayes did not seek a second elected term in the position. Among the losing candidates were State Representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
Jack M. Dyer
Jack M. Dyer
Jack M. Dyer is a Democrat who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, from 1960-1964....
of Baton Rouge and state senator Speedy O. Long
Speedy O. Long
Speedy Oteria Long was a Jena lawyer who was a Democratic U.S. Representative from central Louisiana between 1965 and 1973. Prior to his tenure in the since disbanded Eighth Congressional District, Speedy Long had been a member of the Louisiana state Senate...
of La Salle Parish, the choice of John Julian McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
, the successful gubernatorial candidate that year. Speedy Long went on to serve in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. The Long-Guglielmo rivalry reflected the split in the Long ranks which had surfaced in the first primary held in December 1963. Guglielmo carried the backing of defeated gubernatorial candidates Shelby M. Jackson
Shelby M. Jackson
Shelby M. Jackson was a Democratic superintendent of public education in Louisiana who served from 1948-1964. In the early 1960s, he tried in vain to block federally-authorized school desegregation. Jackson was posthumously honored in 1994, by the naming of the "Shelby M...
, 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....
, Claude Kirkpatrick
Claude Kirkpatrick
Claude Kirkpatrick was a diversified businessman who served two terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives , worked to establish Toledo Bend Reservoir through his directorship of the state Department of Public Works , and was the administrator and then president of Baton Rouge General Medical...
, and Gillis Long.
In 1967, Guglielmo defeated the conservative State Senator W. Spencer Myrick
Spencer Myrick
Willie Spencer Myrick, known as W. Spencer Myrick was a Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from West Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana....
of Oak Grove
Oak Grove, Louisiana
Oak Grove is a town in, and the parish seat of, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,174 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Oak Grove is located at ....
, the seat of West Carroll Parish in northeastern Louisiana, to secure a second term as insurance commissioner.
After his defeat by Bernard, who subsequently went to prison for misconduct in connection with his insurance commissioner duties, Guglielmo ran a consulting company which served insurance companies.
In 2004, Guglielmo was 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 the Long's native 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 ...
, the seat of Winn Parish. "I'm just very honored to even be here," said Guglielmo, a 42-year state employee. "I had no idea they had such a place. This goes back to Huey P. Long."
Guglielmo described Huey Long as "the best campaigner I ever saw. He would get out in those trucks with the horns and get his message to people. Today, politics has changed. They do it on TV."
Guglielmo lived in Baton Rouge. At the time of his death, he was a widower and was survived by two sons, including Dudley A. Guglielmo, Jr. (born 1943), and a daughter.