Floyd Smith (Louisiana politician)
Encyclopedia
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 ...
, 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...
, who served as the 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...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of 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....
in Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
from 1966-1970. He was a maternal second cousin of former U.S. Representative 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
La Salle Parish, Louisiana
La Salle Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of 2000, the population was 14,282. The parish seat is Jena.-Geography:The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
in north Louisiana and hence related to various members of the Long family
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...
.
Long family ties
Smith was born and reared in Winnfield, the seat of Winn ParishWinn Parish, Louisiana
Winn Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Winnfield. In 2000, its population was 16,894.The parish has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, to Floyd W. Smith, Sr. (March 28, 1902–January 15, 1969), and the former Carmel Long (died 1994), a daughter of William Morris Long (1887–1967) and the former Fannie Boyd (1893–1955). William Morris Long was an older brother of Felix Franklin Long (1899–1982), the father of Speedy O. Long. Smith's maternal great-grandfather, Charles Felix Long, was a first cousin of Huey Pierce Long, Sr., or Hugh Long, the father of Huey Pierce Long, Jr., who as his political power grew became known as the "Louisiana Kingfish".
Floyd Smith's maternal uncle, named "Huey P. Long" (August 30, 1929–June 14, 2004), was only three years Smith's senior. This Huey P. Long was born on the same calendar day that Huey P. Long, Jr., was mortally wounded—but six years apart. Smith's paternal grandfather, W.W. Smith, was a cattleman in Rapides Parish who once operated a slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
.
In 1950, Smith graduated from Winnfield Senior High School in Winnfield, the traditional home of the Long family. He was the president of both his junior and senior classes. One of his classmates, later 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...
Jimmy D. Long
Jimmy D. Long
Jimmy Dale Long, Sr. , is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He represented District 23 from 1968 until 2000, being the "dean" of the Louisiana House when he returned to private life. He is a recognized authority on educational policy. For sixteen years, he...
of 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...
, was another cousin. Smith said that the two once got into a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
competition. Smith was a paternal Smith and a maternal Long, and Jimmy Long was a paternal Long and a maternal Smith, whose mother was the former Ruby Smith (1906–1984). Ruby Smith Long was a sister of another former state representative, the late P.K. Smith
P.K. Smith
Perry K. Smith, known as P.K. Smith , was a businessman from Winnfield, Louisiana, who served a single term in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1960-1964 during the administration of Governor Jimmie Davis. In 1974, Smith and his sons, Kenneth Michael "Mike" Smith and Perry Joe Smith,...
of Winnfield, and the aunt of former State Senator
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...
Mike Smith
Mike Smith (Louisiana politician)
Kenneth Michael Smith, Sr., known as Mike Smith , is a businessman in Winnfield, Louisiana, who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1996 to 2008....
, also of Winnfield.
Political career
After high school, Smith attended the University of Louisiana at MonroeUniversity of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
, as it was later named, for a semester and worked part-time in a clothing factory. In December 1950, Long enlisted in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and served for eight months at Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
in Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Thereafter, he was employed by the large Central Louisiana Electric Company. From 1962-1966, he was chairman of the Pineville Municipal Democratic Executive Committee. He was elected mayor in 1966, having unseated the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Perry Elmo Futrell, Jr.
P. Elmo Futrell, Jr.
Perry Elmo Futrell, Jr. , was a real estate appraiser who served from 1962-1966 as the Democratic mayor of the small city of Pineville, located east of the Red River across from Alexandria in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana.Futrell was born in Pollock in Grant Parish north of Pineville to Perry...
(October 7, 1916–December 4, 1993), by 121 votes. He ran for alderman at-large in 1970, as Fred Baden
Fred Baden
Frederick Herman Baden, Sr., known as Fred Baden , was a Democratic mayor of Pineville, a small city across the Red River from Alexandria in Rapides Parish, Louisiana...
, a plumber
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
with whom Smith often quarreled, began the first of seven consecutive terms as mayor.
In 1971, Smith left the city council and ran for the Louisiana State Senate
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...
against the incumbent Cecil R. Blair
Cecil R. Blair
Cecil Ray Blair was a Rapides Parish farmer and businessman who was a Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1952 to 1956...
of Lecompte
Lecompte, Louisiana
Lecompte is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,366 at the 2000 census....
in south Rapides Parish. Arnold Jack Rosenthal
Arnold Jack Rosenthal
Arnold Jack Rosenthal was an attorney and businessman from Alexandria, Louisiana, who from 1973 to 1977 was his city's last elected municipal commissioner of finance and utilities.-Family and educational background:...
(1923-2010), an Alexandria businessman and attorney, also entered the race. Smith ran sufficiently strong to force Blair into a runoff, and the third-place candidate, Rosenthal, thereafter endorsed Smith. Blair still prevailed by some two thousand votes and then ran without Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
opposition in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
held on February 1, 1972.
Thereafter, Smith was named executive assistant to Rosenthal, who was elected as the last finance and utilities commissioner in the city of Alexandria prior to the adoption of a new city charter that established the current mayor-council form of municipal government. Smith remained as the assistant to the commissioner until 1975, when Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
John K. Snyder
John K. Snyder
John Kenneth Snyder, Sr., sometimes known as Tillie Snyder , was a colorful, outspoken Democratic mayor of Alexandria, Louisiana, from 1973–1977 and again from 1982-1986....
and Streets and Parks Commissioner Malcolm P. Hebert (1926–2006) dismissed him from the position in a 2-1 vote, which Rosenthal considered to have been invalid and unfair.
After his Pineville and Alexandria years, Smith lived for a time in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where he sold automobiles. He returned to Winn Parish where he engaged in the sale of timber and land through his company called TLMS, Inc.
In 1983, Smith ran for governor, having geared his campaign toward drawing attention to the poor condition of many Louisiana highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
s. He polled only 2,314 votes, as Edwin Washington Edwards handily reclaimed the office from the Republican incumbent David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
. In 1995 and 1999, Smith ran for sheriff
Sheriff
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 Winn Parish, losing both races to incumbent fellow Democrat James E. "Buddy" Jordan. In 2003, Smith waged his final race for office, having contested the Winn Parish seat in the Louisiana House. He lost to the incumbent Thomas D. "Tommy" Wright of Jena
Jena, Louisiana
Jena is a town in and the parish seat of La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census.In September 2006, Jena became the focus of national news stories in the United States for a racial controversy involving its school system and a group of students known...
, who then won the general election against Republican Tony Kevin Owens (born 1960), also from Jena.
Current Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields said that he had developed a relationship with Smith through the years even though Smith had returned to Winn Parish. Fields said that Smith was willing to give advice and share some of his concerns about the city. Similarly, Rapides Parish Police Juror Richard Vanderlick recalled that he and Smith worked together at CLECO in the early 1960s and had remained friends throughout the years. Vanderlick said that Smith "never lost his passion for politics."
Personal life
Smith was twice married. By the former Helen Jordan, whom he wed in 1953, were born three children: Marilyn S. O'Hare (born 1954), Patricia Smith "Tricia" Hensarling (born 1955), and Robert Ray Smith (1959–1998). Marilyn O'Hare is a financial planner in Baton RougeBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
and resident of Prairieville
Prairieville, Louisiana
Prairieville is an unincorporated community in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is south of Baton Rouge and north of Gonzales, Louisiana. The latitude of is 30.302N. The longitude is -90.971W. Elevation is ....
, Louisiana. Tricia is State Adult Services Director for the Office of Mental Health and married to Kinard Dale Hensarling (born 1951), a United Methodist minister 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...
. Robert Smith was a long-distance truck driver who died at the age of thirty-nine.
Floyd and Helen Smith divorced in the early 1970s; she remarried and resides in Houston. In 1977, he married the former Shirley McLean, a native of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, the former wife of Jay Reeves Bond, Sr., of Pineville. The Smiths resided at 188 Floyd Smith Road outside Winnfield.
Smith died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at the age of seventy-seven in Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria. In addition to his wife and daughters, he was survived by a sister, Juanita S. Carter of Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
, and two stepsons, Jay Bond, Jr. (born ca. 1959), of Doyline
Doyline, Louisiana
Doyline is a village in southwestern Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 841 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
and Brad Alan Bond (born ca. 1961) of Gonzales
Gonzales, Louisiana
Gonzales is a city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,156 at the 2000 census. It has been called the "jambalaya capital of the world" and is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival. Gonzales is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.State...
, Louisiana, three step-grandchildren, and three step-great-grandchildren. Services were held at the chapel of Southern Funeral Home in Winnfield on February 14, 2010. Interment was at Pleasant Hill Cemetery near Winnfield.