Henry L. Bridges
Encyclopedia
Henry L. Bridges, Sr. was a business
man who served from 1928 to 1932 and again from 1934 to 1936 as the mayor
of the small city of Minden
, the seat of Webster Parish
in northwestern Louisiana
.
Bridges was born in nearby rural Athens
in Claiborne Parish
but moved to Minden in 1907, where he operated a clothing store. He was first elected mayor in the Democratic
primary in the spring of 1928, when Robert F. Kennon
, then twenty-six and later the governor of Louisiana from 1952 to 1956, declined to seek a second two-year term. The position is now four years and is elected in the fall of non-presidential years.
Bridges was reelected on April 8, 1930, when he defeated Coleman Lindsey
, later a state senator
and the lieutenant governor in the abbreviated 1939–1940 term of Governor Earl Kemp Long. In that contest, Bridges polled 519 votes to 402 for Lindsey. In 1932, however, Bridges was unseated by his sole opponent, former Mayor Connell Fort
, who had preceded Kennon in the position from 1922 to 1926. Fort polled 709 votes to Bridges's 437 in the primary held on April 12, 1932.
In the primary election held on April 10, 1934, Fort was eliminated from the race, and Bridges then faced his eventual successor as mayor, David William Thomas
, a former university professor, journalist, and a native of Wales
. In the runoff election held on May 15, Bridges defeated Thomas, 624 to 377. In March 1936, Thomas in turn unseated Bridges, 736 to 682, to secure the first of his two consecutive terms in the office.
Bridges was married to the former Miss Forrest Cobb (November 14, 1880 – December 18, 1947) of Athens. The couple had two daughters, Mrs. Helen Moss of Erath
in Vermilion Parish
, later Helen Gallien of Columbus
, Mississippi
, and Mary Elise Bridges, a former Webster Parish schoolteacher then living in Baton Rouge
. Later, she was Mary Hilzim (1908–1988) of Minden, the wife of R. H. "Buster" Hilzim (1883–1961). Henry and Forrest Bridges had four sons, Henry L. Bridges, Jr. (1903–1962), Forrest Lee Bridges (1912–1973), and Jack Clifford Bridges (1917–1977), all of Minden, and Lewell Bridges (1910–1980) of Shreveport
.
Bridges died of a heart attack
at the age of sixty-five while he was returning home from observing a golf game. He was Methodist. Pastors of Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist
churches conducted his services. He is interred beside family members at Minden Cemetery.
Son Lee Bridges was an inspector for the City of Minden and a former municipal sanitation superintendent. He died at the age of sixty in a boating accident on Toledo Bend Reservoir
near Many
, Louisiana, in the company of his friend Albert Simolke (1917-1976) of Minden. Lee Bridges and his wife, the former Roba Watson (1917–2010), had two children, Roba Leah Bridges Miller (born 1949), and her husband, Clif Miller, then of Monroe
, and later from Shreveport, and Henry Watson Bridges (born 1950), subsequently a banker in Minden.
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man who served from 1928 to 1932 and again from 1934 to 1936 as the 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 the small city 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...
, the seat of Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
in northwestern 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...
.
Bridges was born in nearby rural Athens
Athens, Louisiana
Athens is a village in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 262 at the 2000 census.The Pilgrim's Pride poultry hatchery in Athens was designated for closure early in 2009, along with other company businesses in nearby Arcadia in Bienville Parish, Choudrant in Lincoln...
in Claiborne Parish
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Claiborne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Homer and as of 2000, the population is 16,851.-History:The parish is named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne....
but moved to Minden in 1907, where he operated a clothing store. He was first elected mayor in 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...
primary in the spring of 1928, when 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....
, then twenty-six and later the governor of Louisiana from 1952 to 1956, declined to seek a second two-year term. The position is now four years and is elected in the fall of non-presidential years.
Bridges was reelected on April 8, 1930, when he defeated Coleman Lindsey
Coleman Lindsey
Isaac Coleman Lindsey, known as Coleman Lindsey , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, a district judge, and from 1939 to 1940, the lieutenant governor under Governor Earl Kemp Long....
, later a 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...
and the lieutenant governor in the abbreviated 1939–1940 term of Governor Earl Kemp Long. In that contest, Bridges polled 519 votes to 402 for Lindsey. In 1932, however, Bridges was unseated by his sole opponent, former Mayor Connell Fort
Connell Fort
Connell Fort was a businessman and newspaperman who served as the Democratic mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in north Louisiana, from 1922 to 1926 and again from 1932 to 1934....
, who had preceded Kennon in the position from 1922 to 1926. Fort polled 709 votes to Bridges's 437 in the primary held on April 12, 1932.
In the primary election held on April 10, 1934, Fort was eliminated from the race, and Bridges then faced his eventual successor as mayor, David William Thomas
David William Thomas
David William Thomas, Sr. , was a Welsh-American "Renaissance man", journalist, university professor and attorney who served from 1936—1940]] as mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana.-Early years and education:A native of Cardiff, Wales,...
, a former university professor, journalist, and a native of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. In the runoff election held on May 15, Bridges defeated Thomas, 624 to 377. In March 1936, Thomas in turn unseated Bridges, 736 to 682, to secure the first of his two consecutive terms in the office.
Bridges was married to the former Miss Forrest Cobb (November 14, 1880 – December 18, 1947) of Athens. The couple had two daughters, Mrs. Helen Moss of Erath
Erath, Louisiana
Erath is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,187 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.Erath is home of the Acadian Museum....
in Vermilion Parish
Vermilion Parish, Louisiana
Vermilion Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Abbeville. As of the 2010 census, the population was 57,999....
, later Helen Gallien of Columbus
Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States that lies above the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, north of Meridian, south of Tupelo, northwest of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and Mary Elise Bridges, a former Webster Parish schoolteacher then living in Baton Rouge
Baton 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...
. Later, she was Mary Hilzim (1908–1988) of Minden, the wife of R. H. "Buster" Hilzim (1883–1961). Henry and Forrest Bridges had four sons, Henry L. Bridges, Jr. (1903–1962), Forrest Lee Bridges (1912–1973), and Jack Clifford Bridges (1917–1977), all of Minden, and Lewell Bridges (1910–1980) 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....
.
Bridges died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the age of sixty-five while he was returning home from observing a golf game. He was Methodist. Pastors of Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
churches conducted his services. He is interred beside family members at Minden Cemetery.
Son Lee Bridges was an inspector for the City of Minden and a former municipal sanitation superintendent. He died at the age of sixty in a boating accident on Toledo Bend Reservoir
Toledo Bend Reservoir
Toledo Bend Reservoir is a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The lake has an area of 185,000 acres , the largest man-made body of water in Texas, the largest in the South, and the fifth largest in the United States. The dam is capable of generating 92 megawatts of...
near Many
Many, Louisiana
Many is a town in and the parish seat of Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,889 at the 2000 census. The town was named for John B. Many, the commander of nearby Fort Jesup.-History:...
, Louisiana, in the company of his friend Albert Simolke (1917-1976) of Minden. Lee Bridges and his wife, the former Roba Watson (1917–2010), had two children, Roba Leah Bridges Miller (born 1949), and her husband, Clif Miller, then of Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
, and later from Shreveport, and Henry Watson Bridges (born 1950), subsequently a banker in Minden.