Joe LeSage
Encyclopedia
Joseph Carnahan LeSage, Jr., known as Joe LeSage (born December 12, 1928), is an attorney in Shreveport
, Louisiana
, who served as a Democratic
member of the Louisiana State Senate
for a single term from 1968 to 1972.
LeSage was born to Joseph LeSage, Sr. (1895–1964), and Avalyn T. LeSage (1907–1991) in Homer
, the seat of Claiborne Parish
in north Louisiana. LeSage played football
at Homer High School and then attended Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
, where he was the quarterback
of the LSU Tigers
in 1948. In 1949, LeSage graduated from LSU, where he was affiliated with Omicron Delta Kappa
and Gamma Eta Gamma. In 1952, he obtained his law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center and was admitted to the Louisiana bar. In 1956, at the age of only twenty-seven, he was appointed to the LSU Board of Supervisors, the governing board of the university. He left the board during his state Senate tenure but returned to serve again much later from 1992 to 1998. He has maintained a lifelong interest in matters relating to his alma mater
.
LeSage was elected to the state Senate in the general election
held on February 6, 1968. LeSage and two other Democrats, J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. (the future U.S. senator), and incumbent state Senator Jackson B. Davis
, defeated the sole Republican
candidate, Tom Stagg
in an at-large race. The Senate seats thereafter were converted to single-member districts. All four state Senate candidates were Shreveport lawyers. Stagg was appointed in 1974 by U.S. President Richard M. Nixon to the U.S. District Court in Shreveport.
LeSage practices in the firm of Booth Lockard Politz & LeSage at 920 Pierremont Road in Shreveport. He specializes in personal injury, white collar criminal defense and estate law. LeSage is a member of the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America
.
LeSage has been twice married. He is divorce
d from the former Lorraine Yearwood, the daughter of Boyd Yearwood (1907–1976) and Olwen M. Yearwood (1907–2003), later of Bossier City
. The couple had two daughters, Susie LeSage and Sherry Anne LeSage (1950–2010), a prominent Shreveport Realtor. Sherry LeSage, her mother Lorraine LeSage, and maternal grandmother Olwen Yearwood, formed Yearwood-LeSage Realtors. The trio was the only three-generations of women engaged in real estate
in Louisiana at the time. In 1987, Yearwood-LeSage merged with Towery Real Estate where it remains. Sherry LeSage was named Shreveport "Realtor of the Year" in 1990 and was appointed to a term on the Louisiana State Real Estate Commission. She died days before her sixtieth birthday, having contracted an auto-immune disease, scleroderma
, which attacks the kidney
s and requires regular dialysis
.
LeSage and his second wife, Dolores, are the parents of Debbie Jackson, who is married to Patrick Jackson, and Sondra Jordon, who is married to Damon Jordon. LeSage has two grandchildren, Zachary and Victoria Jordon.
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....
, 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 a 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...
member of 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...
for a single term from 1968 to 1972.
LeSage was born to Joseph LeSage, Sr. (1895–1964), and Avalyn T. LeSage (1907–1991) in Homer
Homer, Louisiana
Homer is present day parish seat of Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town was named after the Greek poet Homer and was laid out around the Courthouse Square in 1850 by Frank Vaughn. The present day brick courthouse, built in the Greek Revival style of architecture, is one of only...
, the seat of 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....
in north Louisiana. LeSage played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
at Homer High School and then attended 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...
, where he was the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
of the LSU Tigers
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers are the athletic teams of Louisiana State University. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, in the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 14 varsity sports . Its official team nickname is the Fighting Tigers and the school mascot is Mike the Tiger...
in 1948. In 1949, LeSage graduated from LSU, where he was affiliated with Omicron Delta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa
Omicron Delta Kappa, or ΟΔΚ, also known as The Circle, or more commonly ODK, is a national leadership honor society. It was founded December 3, 1914, at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, by 15 student and faculty leaders. Chapters, known as Circles, are located on over 300...
and Gamma Eta Gamma. In 1952, he obtained his law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center and was admitted to the Louisiana bar. In 1956, at the age of only twenty-seven, he was appointed to the LSU Board of Supervisors, the governing board of the university. He left the board during his state Senate tenure but returned to serve again much later from 1992 to 1998. He has maintained a lifelong interest in matters relating to his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
.
LeSage was elected to the state Senate 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 6, 1968. LeSage and two other Democrats, J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. (the future U.S. senator), and incumbent state Senator Jackson B. Davis
Jackson B. Davis
Jackson Beauregard Davis is an American attorney based in Shreveport, Louisiana, who served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate from 1956 to 1980. Now in his nineties, Davis still practices law and is active in community affairs, often addressing public gatherings...
, defeated the sole 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...
candidate, Tom Stagg
Tom Stagg
Thomas Eaton "Tom" Stagg, Jr. , is a Louisiana attorney, businessman, politician, and jurist who has served as a United States federal judge for the Western District of Louisiana since his appointment by President Richard Nixon in the spring of 1974...
in an at-large race. The Senate seats thereafter were converted to single-member districts. All four state Senate candidates were Shreveport lawyers. Stagg was appointed in 1974 by U.S. President Richard M. Nixon to the U.S. District Court in Shreveport.
LeSage practices in the firm of Booth Lockard Politz & LeSage at 920 Pierremont Road in Shreveport. He specializes in personal injury, white collar criminal defense and estate law. LeSage is a member of the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
The American Association for Justice , formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America is the leading organization for lawyers representing plaintiffs in the United States...
.
LeSage has been twice married. He is divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d from the former Lorraine Yearwood, the daughter of Boyd Yearwood (1907–1976) and Olwen M. Yearwood (1907–2003), later 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...
. The couple had two daughters, Susie LeSage and Sherry Anne LeSage (1950–2010), a prominent Shreveport Realtor. Sherry LeSage, her mother Lorraine LeSage, and maternal grandmother Olwen Yearwood, formed Yearwood-LeSage Realtors. The trio was the only three-generations of women engaged in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
in Louisiana at the time. In 1987, Yearwood-LeSage merged with Towery Real Estate where it remains. Sherry LeSage was named Shreveport "Realtor of the Year" in 1990 and was appointed to a term on the Louisiana State Real Estate Commission. She died days before her sixtieth birthday, having contracted an auto-immune disease, scleroderma
Scleroderma
Systemic sclerosis or systemic scleroderma is a systemic autoimmune disease or systemic connective tissue disease that is a subtype of scleroderma.-Skin symptoms:...
, which attacks the kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s and requires regular dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
.
LeSage and his second wife, Dolores, are the parents of Debbie Jackson, who is married to Patrick Jackson, and Sondra Jordon, who is married to Damon Jordon. LeSage has two grandchildren, Zachary and Victoria Jordon.