Fred Preaus
Encyclopedia
Frederick T. Preaus, known as Fred Preaus (April 25, 1912–July 1987), was a businessman and politician
in the U.S. state
of Louisiana
, a native of Farmerville
, the seat of Union Parish
near the Arkansas
state line. He was an unsuccessful Democratic
candidate in the 1956 Louisiana gubernatorial election
.
, German
, and Engish
origin. His mother was the first woman to register to vote in the parish, with ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Preaus graduated in 1933 from Louisiana Tech University
in nearby Ruston
. In 1953, he served as the president of the Tech Alumni Association. Preaus owned a Ford and Mercury
automobile
dealership in Farmerville, was elected to the city council, and was active in the chamber of commerce
In 1952, incoming Governor Robert F. Kennon
appointed Preaus as the state highway director. Preaus was also in the timber business. He and J.A. Auger (1911–2010) developed the first chip mill in Farmerville.
. For lieutenant governor, Preaus allied with former New Orleans City Council member A. Brown Moore, a 1934 graduate of Tulane Law School who had served in General
George S. Patton
's Third Army during World War II
. Prior to the formation of the mayor-council form of government, Moore had served from 1950-1954 as the New Orleans public utilities commissioner.
One of his opponents in the campaign, former governor Earl Kemp Long, belittled Preaus, who had the reputation as a scrupulously honest, small-town car dealer and church deacon:
Preaus was unable to make much headway in the gubernatorial race but carried one parish — not his own Union Parish, but Plaquemines Parish
, then dominated by the political boss
Leander Perez
, one of Preaus's most determined backers. Preaus finished in third place with 95,955 votes (11.7 percent), trailing deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr., the mayor of New Orleans, who made the first of his three unsuccessful gubernatorial races, and Earl Kemp Long, who won the second of his three non-consecutive terms as Louisiana governor. Lagging behind Preaus were former state police superintendent Francis Grevemberg
, and James M. McLemore, an Alexandria
landowner and cattle
man who made a second bid for governor, once again as a particularly avowed segregationist candidate. A. Brown Moore, meanwhile, lost to Long's choice for the second position, Lether Frazar
of Lake Charles
.
at the age of 83. Their son, attorney Frederick Fauntleroy Preaus (1937–2006), died in San Diego
, California
, at the age of 69. Prior to moving to San Diego, Preaus resided in New Orleans. The younger son is Eugene R. Preaus (born 1939) of New Orleans.
The automobile dealership is still known as Preaus Motor Company.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
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...
, a native of Farmerville
Farmerville, Louisiana
Farmerville is a town in and the parish seat of Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,808 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the seat of Union Parish
Union Parish, Louisiana
Union Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Farmerville....
near the Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
state line. He was an unsuccessful 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...
candidate in the 1956 Louisiana gubernatorial election
Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1956
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1956 was held on January 17, 1956. The 1956 election saw the election of Earl K. Long to his second full term as Governor of Louisiana...
.
Early life
Preaus was descended from a pioneer Union Parish family of FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Engish
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
origin. His mother was the first woman to register to vote in the parish, with ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Preaus graduated in 1933 from 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...
in nearby Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
. In 1953, he served as the president of the Tech Alumni Association. Preaus owned a Ford and Mercury
Mercury (automobile)
Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand...
automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
dealership in Farmerville, was elected to the city council, and was active in the chamber of commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
In 1952, incoming Governor 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....
appointed Preaus as the state highway director. Preaus was also in the timber business. He and J.A. Auger (1911–2010) developed the first chip mill in Farmerville.
Run for governor
In 1955, Preaus, with the backing of Kennon, who was ineligible to seek a second consecutive four-year term, declared his candidacy for governor. Preaus's platform stressed law enforcement, industrial development, tidelands oil revenues, no state tax increases, $65 per month welfare checks, the dredging of 20 new lakes, and the maintenance of racial segregationRacial 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...
. For lieutenant governor, Preaus allied with former New Orleans City Council member A. Brown Moore, a 1934 graduate of Tulane Law School who had served in General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
's Third Army during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Prior to the formation of the mayor-council form of government, Moore had served from 1950-1954 as the New Orleans public utilities commissioner.
One of his opponents in the campaign, former governor Earl Kemp Long, belittled Preaus, who had the reputation as a scrupulously honest, small-town car dealer and church deacon:
Fred Preaus is an honest man. If I were buying a Ford car, I'd buy it from Fred Preaus. He would give me a good deal. If I had trouble with the car, he'd give me a loaner while he got it fixed — that's just the kind of man he is. But if I was buying two Fords — well, he's just not big enough to handle a deal that size.
Preaus was unable to make much headway in the gubernatorial race but carried one parish — not his own Union Parish, but Plaquemines Parish
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Plaquemines Parish is the parish with the most combined land and water area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Pointe à la Hache...
, then dominated by the political boss
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
Leander Perez
Leander Perez
Leander Henry Perez, Sr. , was the Democratic political boss of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes in southeastern Louisiana during the middle third of the 20th century. Officially, he served as a district judge, later as district attorney, and as president of the Plaquemines Parish Commission...
, one of Preaus's most determined backers. Preaus finished in third place with 95,955 votes (11.7 percent), trailing deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr., the mayor of New Orleans, who made the first of his three unsuccessful gubernatorial races, and Earl Kemp Long, who won the second of his three non-consecutive terms as Louisiana governor. Lagging behind Preaus were former state police superintendent Francis Grevemberg
Francis Grevemberg
Francis Carroll Grevemberg , was the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police from 1952 to 1955, best remembered for his fight against organized crime....
, and James M. McLemore, an 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....
landowner and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
man who made a second bid for governor, once again as a particularly avowed segregationist candidate. A. Brown Moore, meanwhile, lost to Long's choice for the second position, Lether Frazar
Lether Frazar
Lether Edward Frazar was the Democratic lieutenant governor of Louisiana under Governor Earl Kemp Long from 1956-1960, who had earlier, as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Beauregard Parish, authored the state teacher retirement law...
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...
.
Personal
Preaus was married to the former Mona Gill (1912–1996). She died 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...
at the age of 83. Their son, attorney Frederick Fauntleroy Preaus (1937–2006), died in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, at the age of 69. Prior to moving to San Diego, Preaus resided in New Orleans. The younger son is Eugene R. Preaus (born 1939) of New Orleans.
The automobile dealership is still known as Preaus Motor Company.