Jesse Bankston
Encyclopedia
Jesse Homer Bankston, Sr. (October 7, 1907–November 25, 2010) was a politician within the Democratic Party
of Louisiana
, a businessman, and, at his death at the age of 103, a member of the board of Louisiana Public Broadcasting
. He wrote a book on Huey Long and a memoir of his boyhood.
Bankston is best known for a dispute in 1959 with Governor Earl Kemp Long which led to his dismissal as the director of the State Department of Hospital
s. Long's estranged wife had committed him to the Southeast Louisiana (Mental) Hospital in Mandeville
. Long ordered Bankston, an otherwise loyal supporter, to discharge him, but Bankston refused because he believed that Long needed treatment; his recent behavior had been erratic. With the affirmation of Lieutenant Governor
Lether Frazar
, Attorney General
Jack P.F. Gremillion
, and the Senate President Pro Tempore, Long fired Bankston and replaced him with a pliable supporter, who immediately took steps to release the governor from the hospital. During this confrontation, Bankston was also at odds with his political ally, State Senator
Sixty Rayburn
of Bogalusa
in Washington Parish, who remained steadfast to Long.
In June 2007, the Louisiana State Legislature
in a joint resolution
congratulated Bankston on his upcoming 100th birthday. The legislators described Bankston as a "political icon" and a "mover and shaker with nearly seventy years of experience in the public arena."
, Washington Parish, Louisiana
. It was one of the Florida Parishes
.) He was educated in local schools. He received his Bachelor of Arts
and Master of Arts
degrees from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
in 1933 and 1936, respectively. He did further graduate work at the University of North Carolina
in Chapel Hill
, North Carolina
.
s. The Bankstons had a daughter, Shirley, and three sons, Dale Leon, Larry S. Bankston and Jesse Bankston, Jr. Larry Bankston became an attorney
and a Democratic member of the Baton Rouge City-Parish Commission and the Louisiana State Senate
.
Governor Sam Houston Jones, a staunch anti-Long
political figure. Bankston was first a management consultant charged with reorganization of state government. In 1942, he became an organizational specialist in the Louisiana Civil Service Department.
He moved to the state Department of Institutions in 1944 under Governor Jimmie H. Davis as administrative assistant. He was appointed director of the Department of Institutions in 1947. After serving as the appointed director of the Louisiana Hospital Board from 1948-1952 under Governor Earl Long, Bankston left state government after a change in administrations.
He opened a health-care consulting firm, Bankston and Associates. With the return of Governor Long in 1956, Bankston was appointed the director of the newly established Department of Hospitals, where he served until the 1959 dispute over Long's mental health. At that time, Bankston returned to his consulting business, which he maintained until 1990, when he turned eighty-three.
-based Sixth Congressional District on the board. Bankston was also the longest-serving member of the powerful Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee, a party administrative body which he joined in 1960, when James Houston "Jimmie" Davis
began his second nonconsecutive term as governor.
As the director of the Department of Institutions, an agency that encompassed both corrections and hospital
s, Bankston wanted employees to have access to loans. He established the Department of Hospitals Credit Union
, which subsequently became the "Pelican State Credit Union."
After his dismissal by Long, Bankston began his work for Democratic candidates and causes, having worked to deliver Louisiana's then ten electoral votes for the Kennedy
-Johnson
ticket. This carried Louisiana over the Republican
ticket of Richard M. Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
, and an unpledged elector slate that included future Governor David C. Treen
.
Bankston joined the boards of the newly established Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB). Public Broadcasting President Beth Courtney
told the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate that Bankston never misses a board meeting: "He asks good questions, built on a lifetime of public service. He’s got good advice. He's got experience."
In the 1979 gubernatorial general election
campaign, Bankston obtained a censure
resolution against two failed Democratic candidates E.L. "Bubba" Henry and Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr., both of whom openly endorsed the successful Republican candidate, former Democrat David Treen. Bankston warned Mouton, then an outgoing state senator
from Lafayette
and one generally considered to have been a liberal lawmaker, that "if he thinks he is going to get all those people who voted for him in the primary to vote for a Republican, I think he's looking through rose-colored glasses." Bankston questioned whether Treen had agreed to assist in the retirement of Mouton's campaign debts. Bankston blamed confusion over the certification of Democratic candidate Louis Lambert
in part to the competition between the Associated Press
and United Press International
in attempting to be the first to report the ballot tabulations. The Democratic committee did not censure two other Democratic gubernatorial candidates who backed Treen, outgoing Secretary of State Paul J. Hardy and outgoing Lieutenant Governor
Jimmy Fitzmorris
because their support for Treen came after the committee had met.
Bankston noted that during the time that the state Democrats balked over their national nominees, the Louisiana GOP had largely rallied to support all of its candidates. Bankston said that he had warned the Louisiana Democratic congressional representatives in 1979 that Republican Treen could take the governorship:
After going to Washington, Bankston said party officials contacted him and asked what they could do. Bankston said that he told them, "Nothing, you're too dad-blamed late." Bankston said that Fitzmorris, Hardy, Henry, and Mouton "completely misjudged the wrath brought on by the party." Bankston predicted that future Louisiana Democrats eliminated in the nonpartisan blanket primary would not dare to endorse a Republican in a general election showdown.
, Salvation Army
, and the United Way. He was a member of the Masonic lodge
, the Sons of the American Revolution, and the American Hospital Association
and its state equivalent. He was a member of the trustees of the Broadmoor Baptist
Church in Baton Rouge.
After his death, services for Bankston were held on December 3, 2010, at Greenoaks Funeral Home Chapel.
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...
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 businessman, and, at his death at the age of 103, a member of the board of Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
Louisiana Public Broadcasting is a state-run, viewer-supported state network of Public Broadcasting Service non-commercial educational Public television member stations serving the state of Louisiana outside Greater New Orleans. The stations are operated by the Louisiana Educational Television...
. He wrote a book on Huey Long and a memoir of his boyhood.
Bankston is best known for a dispute in 1959 with Governor Earl Kemp Long which led to his dismissal as the director of the State Department of Hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s. Long's estranged wife had committed him to the Southeast Louisiana (Mental) Hospital in Mandeville
Mandeville, Louisiana
Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,421 in 2008. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs...
. Long ordered Bankston, an otherwise loyal supporter, to discharge him, but Bankston refused because he believed that Long needed treatment; his recent behavior had been erratic. With the affirmation of Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
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...
, Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Jack P.F. Gremillion
Jack P.F. Gremillion
Jack Paul Faustin Gremillion, Sr. , was the Democratic attorney general of Louisiana from 1956-1972. He was a member of the Earl Kemp Long political faction. Though he opposed school desegregation, he was a party loyalist and was an elector for the John F. Kennedy--Lyndon B. Johnson presidential...
, and the Senate President Pro Tempore, Long fired Bankston and replaced him with a pliable supporter, who immediately took steps to release the governor from the hospital. During this confrontation, Bankston was also at odds with his political ally, 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...
Sixty Rayburn
Sixty Rayburn
Benjamin Burras Rayburn, Sr., known as B. B. "Sixty" Rayburn , was a veteran politician from Bogalusa, an incorporated city in Washington Parish in southeastern Louisiana in the United States...
of Bogalusa
Bogalusa, Louisiana
Bogalusa is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,365 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Washington Parish and is also part of the larger New Orleans–Metairie–Bogalusa...
in Washington Parish, who remained steadfast to Long.
In June 2007, the Louisiana State Legislature
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...
in a joint resolution
Joint resolution
In the United States Congress, a joint resolution is a legislative measure that requires approval by the Senate and the House and is presented to the President for his/her approval or disapproval, in exactly the same case as a bill....
congratulated Bankston on his upcoming 100th birthday. The legislators described Bankston as a "political icon" and a "mover and shaker with nearly seventy years of experience in the public arena."
Early life and education
Jesse Homer Bankston was the last surviving of eleven children born to the former Allie Magee and Leon V. Bankston in Mount HermonMount Hermon, Louisiana
Mount Hermon is an unincorporated community in northwestern Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is the home of the Yellow Jackets of Mount Hermon High School...
, Washington Parish, Louisiana
Washington Parish, Louisiana
Washington Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Franklinton. In 2000, its population was 43,926....
. It was one of the Florida Parishes
Florida Parishes
The Florida Parishes , also known as the North Shore region, are eight parishes in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana, which were part of West Florida in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike much of Louisiana, this region was not part of the Louisiana Purchase, as it had been...
.) He was educated in local schools. He received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degrees from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
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...
in 1933 and 1936, respectively. He did further graduate work at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
in Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Marriage and family
Jemison married the former Ruth Paine (1918–1997), a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter R. Paine, Sr. She was a member of the East Baton Rouge Parish Democratic Executive Committee and was a delegate to two Democratic National ConventionDemocratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
s. The Bankstons had a daughter, Shirley, and three sons, Dale Leon, Larry S. Bankston and Jesse Bankston, Jr. Larry Bankston became an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and a Democratic member of the Baton Rouge City-Parish Commission and 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...
.
Career
Bankston began government service in 1940 under the staunchly anti-LongHuey 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...
Governor Sam Houston Jones, a staunch anti-Long
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...
political figure. Bankston was first a management consultant charged with reorganization of state government. In 1942, he became an organizational specialist in the Louisiana Civil Service Department.
He moved to the state Department of Institutions in 1944 under Governor Jimmie H. Davis as administrative assistant. He was appointed director of the Department of Institutions in 1947. After serving as the appointed director of the Louisiana Hospital Board from 1948-1952 under Governor Earl Long, Bankston left state government after a change in administrations.
He opened a health-care consulting firm, Bankston and Associates. With the return of Governor Long in 1956, Bankston was appointed the director of the newly established Department of Hospitals, where he served until the 1959 dispute over Long's mental health. At that time, Bankston returned to his consulting business, which he maintained until 1990, when he turned eighty-three.
Political affairs
Bankston was the longest-serving elected member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (1968 to 1996). He represented the 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...
-based Sixth Congressional District on the board. Bankston was also the longest-serving member of the powerful Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee, a party administrative body which he joined in 1960, when 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...
began his second nonconsecutive term as governor.
As the director of the Department of Institutions, an agency that encompassed both corrections and hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s, Bankston wanted employees to have access to loans. He established the Department of Hospitals Credit Union
Credit union
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
, which subsequently became the "Pelican State Credit Union."
After his dismissal by Long, Bankston began his work for Democratic candidates and causes, having worked to deliver Louisiana's then ten electoral votes for the Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
-Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
ticket. This carried Louisiana over the 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...
ticket of Richard M. Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, South Vietnam, West Germany, and the Holy See . He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.-Early life:Lodge was born in Nahant,...
, and an unpledged elector slate that included future Governor 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...
.
Bankston joined the boards of the newly established Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB). Public Broadcasting President Beth Courtney
Beth Courtney
Elizabeth G. Courtney, known as Beth Courtney , has since 1985 been the president and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting, her state's educational technology resources center based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
told the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate that Bankston never misses a board meeting: "He asks good questions, built on a lifetime of public service. He’s got good advice. He's got experience."
In the 1979 gubernatorial 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...
campaign, Bankston obtained a censure
Censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spiritual penalty imposed by a church, and a negative judgment pronounced on a theological proposition.-Politics:...
resolution against two failed Democratic candidates E.L. "Bubba" Henry and Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr., both of whom openly endorsed the successful Republican candidate, former Democrat David Treen. Bankston warned Mouton, then an outgoing 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...
from Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
and one generally considered to have been a liberal lawmaker, that "if he thinks he is going to get all those people who voted for him in the primary to vote for a Republican, I think he's looking through rose-colored glasses." Bankston questioned whether Treen had agreed to assist in the retirement of Mouton's campaign debts. Bankston blamed confusion over the certification of Democratic candidate Louis Lambert
Louis Lambert
Louis Joseph Lambert, Jr. , is a Louisiana attorney, businessman, former member and chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and a former Louisiana state senator....
in part to the competition between the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
in attempting to be the first to report the ballot tabulations. The Democratic committee did not censure two other Democratic gubernatorial candidates who backed Treen, outgoing Secretary of State Paul J. Hardy and outgoing Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
Jimmy Fitzmorris
Jimmy Fitzmorris
James Edward "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr. , is a New Orleans businessman and civic leader who was the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1972–1980...
because their support for Treen came after the committee had met.
Bankston on the Democrat future
In a printed interview in 1980, Bankston said that the Louisiana Democratic Party apparatus was in excellent condition despite losing the governorship for the first time since 1872:"Why, for years, the party was just kind of performing ministerial duties and didn't do anything from a political standpoint. We supported state Democrats and national Republicans. But with President CarterJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's election in 1976 -- when we carried Louisiana for only the [third] since 1944 -- we broke away from the old PerezLeander PerezLeander 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...
group. We were able to get blacks as officers for the first time. We elected Hank Braden [an African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
from New OrleansNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
] as national committeeman. That was the first time we actually came out, as a party, and endorsed the national party's presidential ticket, and that caused a real revolution.
Bankston noted that during the time that the state Democrats balked over their national nominees, the Louisiana GOP had largely rallied to support all of its candidates. Bankston said that he had warned the Louisiana Democratic congressional representatives in 1979 that Republican Treen could take the governorship:
"I went to Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to meet with the Democrats in the congressional delegation and the national party people, and I told them that unless we get our act together and get some money and organization, the Republicans were going to take it. But they wouldn't listen. They said, 'Louisiana is a surplus state: we don't ever put money into Louisiana.' I said, 'Well, this time you better, or you are going to lose the governor and maybe then the congressional delegation because the governor's office in Louisiana is the most powerful office in the United States except the office of U.S. President, and the governor can have a lot of influence on who is elected to Congress."
After going to Washington, Bankston said party officials contacted him and asked what they could do. Bankston said that he told them, "Nothing, you're too dad-blamed late." Bankston said that Fitzmorris, Hardy, Henry, and Mouton "completely misjudged the wrath brought on by the party." Bankston predicted that future Louisiana Democrats eliminated in the nonpartisan blanket primary would not dare to endorse a Republican in a general election showdown.
Civic affairs
In addition to LPB, Bankston served on the boards of the Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
, and the United Way. He was a member of the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
, the Sons of the American Revolution, and the American Hospital Association
American Hospital Association
The American Hospital Association is an organization that promotes the quality provision of health care by hospitals and health care networks through such efforts as promoting effective public policy and providing information related to health care and health administration to health care...
and its state equivalent. He was a member of the trustees of the Broadmoor 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...
Church in Baton Rouge.
Legacy and honors
- 2002, Bankston was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of FameLouisiana Political Museum and Hall of FameThe 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 WinnfieldWinnfield, LouisianaWinnfield 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 and the traditional home of the Longs. - 2007, he received the first annual "T. J. Jemison Race Relations Award" from the Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, named for the black minister and civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
advocate T. J. JemisonT. J. JemisonTheodore Judson Jemison , better known as T. J. Jemison, is the former president of the National Baptist Convention, having served from 1982 to 1994. It is the largest African American religious organization...
. Bankston was recognized for "working to bring people together regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religious backgrounds."
Books
Bankston wrote a book about Earl Long. He also penned a memoir entitled Memories of a Country Boy, an account of his boyhood in Washington Parish.After his death, services for Bankston were held on December 3, 2010, at Greenoaks Funeral Home Chapel.