Ernest S. Clements
Encyclopedia
Ernest S. Clements was a seemingly unlikely member of the Long political faction in Louisiana
in a career which spanned 38 years from the 1930s to the 1970s. The pious, introverted Clements did not fit the public image of the no-holds-barred, extroverted Long man. William J. "Bill" Dodd, a long-time observer of Louisiana politics and a Clements friend, described him as "zealous and a fine orator in the old-school style . . . [but] so humorless, straitlaced, and self-righteous that none of us, from Earl (Earl Kemp Long) on down to the sound-truck drivers, could keep from playing tricks on him."
of Covington
in St. Tammany Parish. Clements polled only 20,404 votes in the Democratic primary. The winner that year was James Houston "Jimmie" Davis
, a popular singer and actor.
In 1948, Governor Earl Long named Clements head of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, a plum political prize. Clements, however, had expected to be named to head the highway department, a patronage distributor, and he was known for placing demanding "deadheads" on the state payroll. These are individuals who collect government checks for doing little or no productive labor. Bill Dodd said that Earl Long told Clements: "Ernest, you ain't gonna take over that highway business. You ain't got sense enough to handle it. I'm willing to put you in charge of them coons and possums [Wildlife and Fisheries]. You can take it or leave it!" So Clements, unsurprisingly but offended at Long's high-handed attitude, accepted the appointment.
In 1952, he worked for the election of Judge Carlos Spaht
of Baton Rouge for governor, as Long instructed him to do. However, he would have supported Dodd, the outgoing lieutenant governor who was making the first of his two unsuccessful bids for governor, had Earl Long's leash not been so long. The winner that year was Robert F. Kennon
of Minden
in Webster Parish.
, a rate-making body that supervises utilities and motor carriers. He was elected to the then District 2 seat in 1956, 1962, and 1968. He stepped down at the end of 1974, when the body was enlarged to five members under the new Louisiana Constitution. Clements was first elected to succeed Wade O. Martin, Sr.
, of St. Martin Parish, who died in August 1956. Martin was first elected to the commission in 1932 and hence served 24 years. After Martin's death, Governor Long had named E.P. Roy to a temporary appointment until the regular election could be held. Clements won that election. In the two years prior to reelection campaigns, Clements served as chairman of the commission. He was also chairman in his last two years on the commission, when the junior member was then 34-year-old Francis Edward Kennon, Jr.
, nephew
of former Governor Robert Kennon.
"He had a strong resonant voice, was an imposing figure of a man, and used words and phrases in his speech (I say speech, for he used the same speech with very slight changes for forty years) that were almost musical. His prose was as good as that of [American orator] Bob Ingersoll
or William Jennings Bryan
. Any politician . . . who arrived at a meeting while Ernest was speaking immediately knew how long he had been on the platform and how much longer he would speak.
"The straitlaced Ernest never looked at a woman except his wife [Rene]; he was a teetotaler, didn't gamble, and didn't like to hear vulgar stories or words. He was what we called a square. Ernest's sterling traits made him a prime target for jokes and pranks, for he took himself very seriously.
"Earl used Ernest to lambast and blackguard former Governor Sam Houston Jones, who was our main opponent in the 1948 governor's race. And since Jones and Ernest were from the same section of southwest Louisiana and had been classmates, but not friends, from college days, Ernest enjoyed his role as the hatchet man in 1948."
Dodd recalled how Clements used an anecdote about a "poor 89-year-old French lady" who got her "old-age pension" check from the Jones administration, and it was not the $30 promised at all, but a mere 25 cents.
Dodd said that Clements was jealous of Dodd because Dodd was eleven years younger than Clements, and Clements was not having quite as much upward mobility in politics as Dodd seemed to be having at the time. They were both from Allen Parish; Clements, form the parish seat in Oberlin
and Dodd from Oakdale
, though Dodd was a native of Texas and grew up in Sabine Parish. "It hurt his ego, for me, an outsider, to have gotten ahead of him," Dodd said.
Dodd recalled on a road trip that he, Clements, and others took to Winnsboro
, the seat of Franklin Parish. Dodd said that Clements was "lecturing us on the evil effects of drinking (we had drunk a beer) and the dangers of fooling around with loose women, particularly during political campaigns. He used his long and successful career in politics free off drinking, womanizing, gambling, and other sins, as he called them, to emphasize the value of abstinence, which he equated with success."
In summation, Dodd laughed that Clements was "a hypocrite when it came to practicing what he preached, but he meant what he was saying when he said it."
Clements hence joins the colorful panorama of that breed known as "Louisiana politicians." His papers are at Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches
.
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...
in a career which spanned 38 years from the 1930s to the 1970s. The pious, introverted Clements did not fit the public image of the no-holds-barred, extroverted Long man. William J. "Bill" Dodd, a long-time observer of Louisiana politics and a Clements friend, described him as "zealous and a fine orator in the old-school style . . . [but] so humorless, straitlaced, and self-righteous that none of us, from Earl (Earl Kemp Long) on down to the sound-truck drivers, could keep from playing tricks on him."
The most loyal Longite
Clements served in the Louisiana state Senate from 1936 to 1944, when he gave up the seat to launch a quixotic campaign for governor. Most of his fellow Longites were openly supporting an elderly attorney, Lewis L. MorganLewis L. Morgan
Lewis Lovering Morgan was an American lawyer and politician form the state of Louisiana.He served in the United States House of Representatives from November 5, 1912, to March 4, 1917, from Louisiana's 6th congressional district, which then included part of the New Orleans area...
of Covington
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
in St. Tammany Parish. Clements polled only 20,404 votes in the Democratic primary. The winner that year was James Houston "Jimmie" Davis
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
, a popular singer and actor.
In 1948, Governor Earl Long named Clements head of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, a plum political prize. Clements, however, had expected to be named to head the highway department, a patronage distributor, and he was known for placing demanding "deadheads" on the state payroll. These are individuals who collect government checks for doing little or no productive labor. Bill Dodd said that Earl Long told Clements: "Ernest, you ain't gonna take over that highway business. You ain't got sense enough to handle it. I'm willing to put you in charge of them coons and possums [Wildlife and Fisheries]. You can take it or leave it!" So Clements, unsurprisingly but offended at Long's high-handed attitude, accepted the appointment.
In 1952, he worked for the election of Judge Carlos Spaht
Carlos Spaht
Carlos Gustave Spaht, I , was a Louisiana judge best remembered for having lost the Democratic gubernatorial runoff election in January 1952 to fellow Judge Robert F. Kennon of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. Spaht's unsuccessful running mate for lieutenant governor...
of Baton Rouge for governor, as Long instructed him to do. However, he would have supported Dodd, the outgoing lieutenant governor who was making the first of his two unsuccessful bids for governor, had Earl Long's leash not been so long. The winner that year was 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...
in Webster Parish.
Public Service Commissioner
Thereafter, Clements spent his last years in politics as one of the three members of the Louisiana Public Service CommissionLouisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
, a rate-making body that supervises utilities and motor carriers. He was elected to the then District 2 seat in 1956, 1962, and 1968. He stepped down at the end of 1974, when the body was enlarged to five members under the new Louisiana Constitution. Clements was first elected to succeed Wade O. Martin, Sr.
Wade O. Martin, Sr.
Wade Omer Martin, Sr. was a Louisiana planter, educator, and politician allied with the Huey Pierce Long, Jr., faction of the Democratic Party. Martin's longest tenure was as the former District 2 member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, having served for twenty-four years, beginning...
, of St. Martin Parish, who died in August 1956. Martin was first elected to the commission in 1932 and hence served 24 years. After Martin's death, Governor Long had named E.P. Roy to a temporary appointment until the regular election could be held. Clements won that election. In the two years prior to reelection campaigns, Clements served as chairman of the commission. He was also chairman in his last two years on the commission, when the junior member was then 34-year-old Francis Edward Kennon, Jr.
Edward Kennon
Francis Edward Kennon, Jr. , usually known as Ed Kennon is a multi-millionaire Shreveport real-estate developer and a former Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the regulatory body for oil, natural gas, and utilities. He represented north Louisiana on the commission for...
, nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
of former Governor Robert Kennon.
Dodd recalls his friend Clements
Dodd, in his memoirs entitled Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics, described Clements accordingly:"He had a strong resonant voice, was an imposing figure of a man, and used words and phrases in his speech (I say speech, for he used the same speech with very slight changes for forty years) that were almost musical. His prose was as good as that of [American orator] Bob Ingersoll
Robert G. Ingersoll
Robert Green "Bob" Ingersoll was a Civil War veteran, American political leader, and orator during the Golden Age of Freethought, noted for his broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism. He was nicknamed "The Great Agnostic."-Life and career:Robert Ingersoll was born in Dresden, New York...
or William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
. Any politician . . . who arrived at a meeting while Ernest was speaking immediately knew how long he had been on the platform and how much longer he would speak.
"The straitlaced Ernest never looked at a woman except his wife [Rene]; he was a teetotaler, didn't gamble, and didn't like to hear vulgar stories or words. He was what we called a square. Ernest's sterling traits made him a prime target for jokes and pranks, for he took himself very seriously.
"Earl used Ernest to lambast and blackguard former Governor Sam Houston Jones, who was our main opponent in the 1948 governor's race. And since Jones and Ernest were from the same section of southwest Louisiana and had been classmates, but not friends, from college days, Ernest enjoyed his role as the hatchet man in 1948."
Dodd recalled how Clements used an anecdote about a "poor 89-year-old French lady" who got her "old-age pension" check from the Jones administration, and it was not the $30 promised at all, but a mere 25 cents.
Dodd said that Clements was jealous of Dodd because Dodd was eleven years younger than Clements, and Clements was not having quite as much upward mobility in politics as Dodd seemed to be having at the time. They were both from Allen Parish; Clements, form the parish seat in Oberlin
Oberlin, Louisiana
Oberlin is a town in and the parish seat of Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,853 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Johan Friedrich Oberlin.-Geography:Oberlin is located at ....
and Dodd from Oakdale
Oakdale, Louisiana
Oakdale is a small city in Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,137 at the 2000 census.Oakdale was founded as "Dunnsville" by William T. Dunn...
, though Dodd was a native of Texas and grew up in Sabine Parish. "It hurt his ego, for me, an outsider, to have gotten ahead of him," Dodd said.
Dodd recalled on a road trip that he, Clements, and others took to Winnsboro
Winnsboro, Louisiana
Winnsboro is a city in and the parish seat of Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of July 2009, the estimated city population was 4,377...
, the seat of Franklin Parish. Dodd said that Clements was "lecturing us on the evil effects of drinking (we had drunk a beer) and the dangers of fooling around with loose women, particularly during political campaigns. He used his long and successful career in politics free off drinking, womanizing, gambling, and other sins, as he called them, to emphasize the value of abstinence, which he equated with success."
In summation, Dodd laughed that Clements was "a hypocrite when it came to practicing what he preached, but he meant what he was saying when he said it."
Clements hence joins the colorful panorama of that breed known as "Louisiana politicians." His papers are at Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
.