Lawson Swearingen
Encyclopedia
Lawson Lewis Swearingen, Jr. (born May 27, 1944), is a former Democratic
member of the Louisiana State Senate
, having represented District 34 (Ouachita Parish
) from 1980 to 1991, and a former president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
, whose tenure extended from 1991 to 2001.
, to Lawson Swearingen Sr. (born 1919) and the former Jean Christine Cadwallader (born 1922). He was raised in Ruston
in Lincoln Parish
, Louisiana
, where he was graduated in 1962 from Ruston High School
. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1966 in the field of government
from ULM, known at the time as Northeast Louisiana State College. He also excelled in college basketball
under the popular coach Lenny Fant
. In 1969, he received his Juris Doctor
degree from Tulane University
in New Orleans
. He then practiced law for 22 years in Monroe while he also served as a state senator.
(1919–1993). In his third and last election to the state senate in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 1987, Swearingen easily defeated the real estate
figure and fellow Democrat Fred Huenefeld Jr., also of Monroe, 26,087 (77.6 percent) to 7,521 (22.4 percent).
Swearingen voted in 1990 to sustain the veto
of then Democratic Governor Buddy Roemer
of a strict anti-abortion
bill authored by State Representative Woody Jenkins
of Baton Rouge. Earlier, Swearingen had voted for passage of the measure, but he stood with Roemer, rather than Jenkins, in the showdown over the veto. Swearingen said that his original support for the measure had been with the expectation that the bill would have been amended in a conference committee
to include exceptions for impregnations through rape
or incest
, which were omitted from the final bill. Jenkins worked frantically to find three state senators to change their votes, but as Swearingen correctly predicted, "I don't believe they'll get the three votes."
called truthatulm.com.
Upon his resignation from the Senate in 1991 to become the ULM president, Swearingen was briefly succeeded by former State Representative
John C. Ensminger
(born 1934), a conservative Democrat who had switched to Republican affiliation while serving in the House in 1985.
Under Swearingen, the university added four doctoral degree programs, expanded the pharmacy program, built new library and computer science buildings, and expanded Biedenharn Hall. Certain selective admissions procedures were also implemented. There was a "no opinion" audit finding of the institution in 2000. Swearingen retired as president in 2001. He remained thereafter on paid leave until August 15, 2002. Prior to his resignation, Swearingen missed a deadline to raise $500,000 to repay the ULM athletic scholarship foundation for funds borrowed to finance the entry of the institution into Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
.
, Louisiana, and Fairhope
in Baldwin County
near Mobile
, Alabama
. He served as a professor
of management, specializing in legal environment of business and other business law courses at Southeastern Louisiana University
in Hammond
in Tangipahoa Parish
before retiring in 2010. He is an active community leader in Hammond and often lectures on education topics. A Baptist
as well as a member of Gideons International
, Swearingen is a trustee serving a term through 2011 on the board of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
.
He is married to the former Sharon Harrelson (born 1947), originally a ULM cheerleader from West Monroe
. Swearingen's parents, who reside in Shreveport
, were active donors in 2008 to the Republican Party
.
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 Senate
The Louisiana State Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All Senators serve four year terms and are assigned multiple committees to work on. The Republicans control the State Senate following a Special Election Victory in District 26 by Jonathan W. Perry...
, having represented District 34 (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...
) from 1980 to 1991, and a former president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
, whose tenure extended from 1991 to 2001.
Early life
Swearingen was born in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, to Lawson Swearingen Sr. (born 1919) and the former Jean Christine Cadwallader (born 1922). He was raised in 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 Lincoln Parish
Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Lincoln Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Ruston. In 2004, its population was estimated to be 42,382...
, 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...
, where he was graduated in 1962 from Ruston High School
Ruston High School
Ruston High School is a 4 year public high school located in the Lincoln Parish School District of Ruston, Louisiana, United States. The school has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students with 85 faculty members; the mascot is the bearcat. The school colors are red and white. Black students...
. He received a 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...
degree in 1966 in the field of government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
from ULM, known at the time as Northeast Louisiana State College. He also excelled in college basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
under the popular coach Lenny Fant
Lenny Fant
Leonard O'Neil Fant, known as Lenny Fant , was from 1957–1979 the men's basketball coach of the University of Louisiana at Monroe Indians . During his tenure, Fant compiled a ULM record of 326–221. His 326-game record was topped in 1999 by one of his understudies, ULM Coach Mickael E...
. In 1969, he received his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New 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...
. He then practiced law for 22 years in Monroe while he also served as a state senator.
Louisiana State Senate
Swearingen was elected to the Senate in 1979 to succeed Democrat H. Lawrence Gibbs Jr.H. Lawrence Gibbs
Henry Lawrence Gibbs, Jr., known as H. Lawrence Gibbs , was a Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature, having served in Ouachita Parish from 1956 to 1980...
(1919–1993). In his third and last election to the state senate in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 24, 1987, Swearingen easily defeated the 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...
figure and fellow Democrat Fred Huenefeld Jr., also of Monroe, 26,087 (77.6 percent) to 7,521 (22.4 percent).
Swearingen voted in 1990 to sustain the veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
of then Democratic Governor Buddy Roemer
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
of a strict anti-abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
bill authored by State Representative Woody Jenkins
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972–2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate....
of Baton Rouge. Earlier, Swearingen had voted for passage of the measure, but he stood with Roemer, rather than Jenkins, in the showdown over the veto. Swearingen said that his original support for the measure had been with the expectation that the bill would have been amended in a conference committee
Conference committee
A conference committee is a joint committee of a bicameral legislature, which is appointed by, and consists of, members of both chambers to resolve disagreements on a particular bill...
to include exceptions for impregnations through rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
or incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, which were omitted from the final bill. Jenkins worked frantically to find three state senators to change their votes, but as Swearingen correctly predicted, "I don't believe they'll get the three votes."
ULM President
In 1991, Swearingen resigned with less than a year remaining in his senate term to become only the fourth president of the then Northeast Louisiana University, which was renamed ULM in 1999 during his presidential tenure. Apparently, alumni were disappointed with the name change, and opposition to Swearingen's administration advanced at a rapid rate. One of Swearingen's university assistants, vice president for external affairs Richard L. Baxter, even filed a defamation suit against John L. Scott, a former ULM professor found to have materials accusing Swearingen of administrative mismanagement, on a websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
called truthatulm.com.
Upon his resignation from the Senate in 1991 to become the ULM president, Swearingen was briefly succeeded by former State Representative
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...
John C. Ensminger
John C. Ensminger
John Clifford Ensminger, Sr. , is a State Farm Insurance agent in Monroe, Louisiana, who served for two decades in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature. Ensminger was elected in 1972 as a conservative Democrat to the Louisiana House of Representatives from Ouachita Parish, now District...
(born 1934), a conservative Democrat who had switched to Republican affiliation while serving in the House in 1985.
Under Swearingen, the university added four doctoral degree programs, expanded the pharmacy program, built new library and computer science buildings, and expanded Biedenharn Hall. Certain selective admissions procedures were also implemented. There was a "no opinion" audit finding of the institution in 2000. Swearingen retired as president in 2001. He remained thereafter on paid leave until August 15, 2002. Prior to his resignation, Swearingen missed a deadline to raise $500,000 to repay the ULM athletic scholarship foundation for funds borrowed to finance the entry of the institution into Division I-A of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
.
Personal life
Swearingen has also lived in PonchatoulaPonchatoula, Louisiana
Ponchatoula is a city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,180 at the 2000 census. Ponchatoula calls itself the "Strawberry Capital of the World". It is part of the Hammond Micropolitan Statistical Area. The current mayor is Bob Zabbia.-Geography:Ponchatoula is...
, Louisiana, and Fairhope
Fairhope, Alabama
Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 16,176....
in Baldwin County
Baldwin County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.7% White*9.4% Black*0.7% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.5% Two or more races*4.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
near Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He served as a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of management, specializing in legal environment of business and other business law courses at Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
in Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
in Tangipahoa Parish
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...
before retiring in 2010. He is an active community leader in Hammond and often lectures on education topics. A 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...
as well as a member of Gideons International
Gideons International
Gideons International is an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 94 languages and 194 countries of the world, most famously in hotel and motel rooms. The organization was founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin, as an early American parachurch...
, Swearingen is a trustee serving a term through 2011 on the board of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
The New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is a private, non-profit institution of higher learning affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was the first institution created as a direct act of the Southern Baptist Convention. Missions...
.
He is married to the former Sharon Harrelson (born 1947), originally a ULM cheerleader from West Monroe
West Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. Swearingen's parents, who reside in 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....
, were active donors in 2008 to the Republican Party
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...
.