Lawrence A. Sheridan
Encyclopedia
Lawrence A. Sheridan, known as Buster Sheridan (December 15, 1919–April 9, 2001), was from 1960-1988 a Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the village
of Angie
in Washington Parish
, the most easterly of the Florida Parishes
of southeastern Louisiana
. During his latter part of House service he succeeded Shady Wall
of Ouachita Parish
as the chairman of the House Retirement Committee.
Sheridan’s obituary
in the Bogalusa Daily News does not give the names of his parents, his place of birth, his formal education, or his occupation outside the legislature. He had one brother, the late Morby "Bob" Sheridan. He served in the United States Army
during World War II
. He was affiliated with the American Legion
, the Veterans of Foreign Wars
, the Masonic lodge
, and the Order of the Eastern Star
. He was a member and deacon
of the Angie Baptist Church. He was a president of the Washington Parish Fair Board.
Sheridan’s legislative tenure coincided with that of legendary State Senator
B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn, Sr.
, of Bogalusa. Until 1968, he and two other members served in an at-large district including Washington Parish. Sheridan then served in District 75, while colleague Ed Scogin
of Slidell
, won the District 76 seat. Sheridan was defeated for an eighth term in the legislature in the nonpartisan blanket primary in 1987 by the Democrat, later Republican
, Jerry Thomas
, a physician
from Franklinton
, who was then serving as the coroner
of Washington Parish. Thomas polled 9,266 votes (60.2 percent) to Sheridan's 6,121 (39.8 percent). In 1991, Sheridan sought a comeback but again lost to Thomas by an identical percent: 6,312 (39.8) to 9,532 (60.2 percent). Senator Rayburn, meanwhile, was finally defeated in the 1995 general election
by the Republican retired military officer Phil Short
, who served only three years of a single term. Short in 1999 was succeeded for five years by Sheridan’s House successor, Dr. Jerry Thomas.
Sheridan died at the age of eighty-one at the LSU
Washington-St. Tammany
Regional Medical Center in Bogalusa
. He was preceded in death by his wife, the former Melba Spencer (September 12, 1919–June 29, 1993). Survivors included a daughter, Peggy Sheridan Arcement (born December 21, 1950), and her husband, George J. Arcement Jr. (born September 29, 1949), of Baton Rouge
; a son, Dennis A. Sheridan (born 1953) and wife, Paula Mangum Sheridan (born 1954), of Whittier
, California
; four grandsons, Brad Joseph Arcement, David Arcement, Samuel Sheridan, and Kevin Sheridan, and a niece, Sue Sheridan Gardener of Bogalusa.
Services were held at the Angie Baptist Church. Interment, with military rites, was at Spencer Cemetery in Enon in Washington Parish.
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 House of Representatives
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 the village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Angie
Angie, Louisiana
Angie is a village in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 240 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Angie is located at ....
in Washington Parish
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....
, the most easterly 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...
of southeastern 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...
. During his latter part of House service he succeeded Shady Wall
Shady Wall
Shady Robert Wall was a banker and philanthropist from West Monroe, Louisiana, who served nonconsecutively as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948–1956 and 1968-1984. Wall is remembered for his colorful dress, speeding in his Rolls Royce, flamboyant personality,...
of Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
-National protected areas:* Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge* D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 147,250 people, 55,216 households, and 38,319 families residing in the parish. The population density was 241 people per square mile...
as the chairman of the House Retirement Committee.
Sheridan’s obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in the Bogalusa Daily News does not give the names of his parents, his place of birth, his formal education, or his occupation outside the legislature. He had one brother, the late Morby "Bob" Sheridan. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
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...
. He was affiliated with the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, the Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
, 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...
, and the Order of the Eastern Star
Order of the Eastern Star
The Order of the Eastern Star is a fraternal organization that both men and women can join. It was established in 1850 by Rob Morris, a lawyer and educator from Boston, Massachusetts, who had been an official with the Freemasons. It is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all...
. He was a member and deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
of the Angie Baptist Church. He was a president of the Washington Parish Fair Board.
Sheridan’s legislative tenure coincided with that of legendary 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...
B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn, Sr.
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. Until 1968, he and two other members served in an at-large district including Washington Parish. Sheridan then served in District 75, while colleague Ed Scogin
Ed Scogin
Edward C. Scogin, known as Ed Scogin , was from 1972-1992 a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Slidell in St. Tammany Parish in suburban New Orleans, Louisiana, known as a fiscal watchdog over state government...
of Slidell
Slidell, Louisiana
Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000...
, won the District 76 seat. Sheridan was defeated for an eighth term in the legislature in the nonpartisan blanket primary in 1987 by the Democrat, later 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...
, Jerry Thomas
Jerry Thomas (Louisiana politician)
Jerry Aroe Thomas is a family practice physician in Franklinton, Louisiana, who served in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from 1988 to 2004. In 1979, at the age of twenty-six, Thomas was elected coroner of Washington Parish, the easternmost of the Florida Parishes in the...
, a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
from Franklinton
Franklinton, Louisiana
Franklinton is a town in and the parish seat of Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,657 at the 2000 census. It is an average of above sea level....
, who was then serving as the coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
of Washington Parish. Thomas polled 9,266 votes (60.2 percent) to Sheridan's 6,121 (39.8 percent). In 1991, Sheridan sought a comeback but again lost to Thomas by an identical percent: 6,312 (39.8) to 9,532 (60.2 percent). Senator Rayburn, meanwhile, was finally defeated in the 1995 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...
by the Republican retired military officer Phil Short
Phil Short
Philip Granville Short, known as Phil Short , is a retired military officer formerly of Covington, Louisiana, USA, who served in the Louisiana State Senate from District 12 from 1996 to 1999...
, who served only three years of a single term. Short in 1999 was succeeded for five years by Sheridan’s House successor, Dr. Jerry Thomas.
Sheridan died at the age of eighty-one at the LSU
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...
Washington-St. Tammany
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
St. Tammany Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The parish seat is Covington....
Regional Medical Center in 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...
. He was preceded in death by his wife, the former Melba Spencer (September 12, 1919–June 29, 1993). Survivors included a daughter, Peggy Sheridan Arcement (born December 21, 1950), and her husband, George J. Arcement Jr. (born September 29, 1949), of 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...
; a son, Dennis A. Sheridan (born 1953) and wife, Paula Mangum Sheridan (born 1954), of Whittier
Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
, 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...
; four grandsons, Brad Joseph Arcement, David Arcement, Samuel Sheridan, and Kevin Sheridan, and a niece, Sue Sheridan Gardener of Bogalusa.
Services were held at the Angie Baptist Church. Interment, with military rites, was at Spencer Cemetery in Enon in Washington Parish.