Lether Frazar
Encyclopedia
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. Frazar was also the fourth president of McNeese State University
(then McNeese State College) in Lake Charles
. He served at McNeese from 1944-1955, when he resigned to prepare to become lieutenant governor. He was also the second president of his alma mater, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
(then Southwestern Louisiana Institute), having served from 1938-1941.
Lether Frazar was a nephew by marriage — his maternal aunt was Ellen Perkins Herford — to Drew Dow Herford, a Texas
native who was the first teacher
, mayor
, and member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from DeQuincy
in northern Calcasieu Parish. Frazar spent many summers during his childhood at the home of the Herfords.
Frazar was educated at the then Southwestern Institute in Lafayette
having received a bachelor of arts
degree in history
in 1928. He obtained a Master of Arts
from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge in 1932. He also obtained his Ph.D.
from Columbia University
in New York City
in 1942.
On August 22, 1929, Frazar married the former Lily Hooper (December 12, 1904 — November 5, 1994), who was living in Baton Rouge at the time of her death. She graduated in 1926 from Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
, the seat of Lincoln Parish. At the time, Tech was known as Louisiana Polytechnic Institute. The Frazars had two daughters, Lily Ann Frazar and Margaret Brenda Frazar Malone (born 1941) of Baton Rouge.
Frazar was a high school
principal at Longville (1928–1931) and Merryville
from 1933–1938, both in Beauregard Parish. From 1931-1933, he was a principal in Jackson
in East Feliciana Parish.
in 1936 and served one term until 1940. In addition to his leadership in the adoption of the Louisiana teacher retirement law, Frazar worked for the establishment of the T. H. Harris
scholarship foundation, named for his friend, the Louisiana superintendent of education from 1908-1940.
During the time that he completed his graduate studies at Columbia, he was also employed in Washington, D.C.
, by the new Office of Price Administration
, one of the World War II
federal agencies. Future U.S. Vice President
Richard M. Nixon of California
also worked for the OPA at the time that Frazar was an agency officer. In 1942, Frazar assumed the position of Louisiana director of the OPA.
, which had opened its doors in 1939.
Frazar left McNeese when he was elected lieutenant governor. He unseated incumbent fellow Democrat C. E. "Cap" Barham of Ruston in the party primary, 327,679 votes (44.9 pecent) to 195,616 (26.8 percent). Frazar won the position without a majority because at the time Louisiana did not require Democratic runoff primaries if there was also no contested primary election for governor at the same time. Because Earl Long had won his nomination outright in the gubernatorial primary, Long's ticket-mate Frazar avoided a second race. Another lieutenant governor candidate was A. Brown Moore, a 1934 Tulane Law School graduate who had fought under General
George S. Patton
in World War II
, was a former member of the New Orleans City Council, and carried the endorsement of the third-place gubernatorial candidate, Fred Preaus
of Farmerville
in north Louisiana. Frazar then overwhelmed his Republican
opponent, Harry R. Hill, in the general election
held in the spring of 1956. Hill was the only candidate offered by the Louisiana GOP
in the statewide races that year. Months later, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
became the first Republican candidate to win in Louisiana since Reconstruction.
Frazar came to McNeese with three years experience as the president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then Southwestern Institute.
and had established the office of lieutenant governor independently of the governor.
In the-late summer of 1959, Long actually considered resigning as governor, a move which would have made Frazar the Louisiana chief executive for some seven months. Under the scenario, Long would then run for governor himself in the December 1959 Democratic primary and thereby avoid Louisiana's ban (at the time) on governors succeeding themselves.
Frazar did not seek a second term as lieutenant governor in the 1959 Democratic primary. Instead Long ran to succeed Frazar as lieutenant governor, but he fell far short of primary victory. Long ran on an intraparty "ticket" with former Governor James Albert Noe, Sr.
, with whom Long had once quarreled.
On one occasion as acting governor when Long was out of the state, Frazar signed death warrants for two New Orleans blacks, Edgar Labat and Clifton Poret, who were on Death Row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
in Angola in West Feliciana Parish for the aggravated rape
of a white woman on November 12, 1950. They were scheduled to have been executed on September 20, 1957. The executions were never implemented -- the night before the new court-appointed attorneys for the men obtained a stay of execution from a federal judge. The men declared their innocence, and their cases remained in the federal courts until Louisiana stopped executions between 1961 and 1983.
Frazar died the same month that Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
of Franklin
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
, a conservative
Democrat succeeded him as lieutenant governor. Some four months later, Earl Long himself was dead after having won the Democratic nomination in the now defunct Eighth Congressional District.
, the Kiwanis Club and its Blue Key organization, Pi Sigma, Alpha Sigma Phi
, the Masonic lodge
, and the Shriners
.
Lether and Lily Frazar are interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in his native DeRidder.
McNeese State University honored Frazar through the naming of its Lether Edward Frazar Memorial Library
. The Frazar Collection, including his correspondence from 1935–1959 is housed at McNeese. There is also a Lether E. Frazer Memorial Trophy given annually to the outstanding offensive football
player for the McNeese University Cowboys.
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...
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"...
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...
under Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Earl Kemp Long from 1956-1960, who had earlier, as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
from Beauregard Parish, authored the state teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
retirement law. Frazar was also the fourth president of McNeese State University
McNeese State University
McNeese State University is a public university located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the United States. Founded in 1939 as a junior college, McNeese experienced growth due to economic activity in the region. It adopted its present name in 1970....
(then McNeese State College) in Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
. He served at McNeese from 1944-1955, when he resigned to prepare to become lieutenant governor. He was also the second president of his alma mater, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
(then Southwestern Louisiana Institute), having served from 1938-1941.
Early years, education, family
Frazar was born in DeRidder, the seat of Beauregard Parish, to Moses Edward Frazar and the former Letha Perkins. Mrs. Frazar died when Lether (named for his mother) was twelve days old. Moses Frazar then married the former Nina May Bland in 1906. There were two children from the second marriage, Lether Frazer's half-siblings, Marvin Edward Frazar and Bobbi J. Frazar McGuire.Lether Frazar was a nephew by marriage — his maternal aunt was Ellen Perkins Herford — to Drew Dow Herford, a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
native who was the first teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, and 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 DeQuincy
DeQuincy, Louisiana
DeQuincy is the northernmost city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,398 at the 2000 census. DeQuincy is part of the Lake Charles Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:DeQuincy is located at ....
in northern Calcasieu Parish. Frazar spent many summers during his childhood at the home of the Herfords.
Frazar was educated at the then Southwestern Institute in 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...
having 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 history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
in 1928. He obtained a 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...
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 in 1932. He also obtained his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1942.
On August 22, 1929, Frazar married the former Lily Hooper (December 12, 1904 — November 5, 1994), who was living in Baton Rouge at the time of her death. She graduated in 1926 from Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
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...
, the seat of Lincoln Parish. At the time, Tech was known as Louisiana Polytechnic Institute. The Frazars had two daughters, Lily Ann Frazar and Margaret Brenda Frazar Malone (born 1941) of Baton Rouge.
Frazar was a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
principal at Longville (1928–1931) and Merryville
Merryville, Louisiana
Merryville is a town in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census. It is part of the DeRidder Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Merryville is located at ....
from 1933–1938, both in Beauregard Parish. From 1931-1933, he was a principal in Jackson
Jackson, Louisiana
Jackson is a town in East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,130 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in East Feliciana Parish.
Legislative service and OPA
Frazar was elected to the Louisiana House of RepresentativesLouisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
in 1936 and served one term until 1940. In addition to his leadership in the adoption of the Louisiana teacher retirement law, Frazar worked for the establishment of the T. H. Harris
T. H. Harris
Thomas H Harris was the dominant figure in Louisiana public education in the first half of the 20th century through his role as the state school superintendent from 1908-1940.-Early years and education:...
scholarship foundation, named for his friend, the Louisiana superintendent of education from 1908-1940.
During the time that he completed his graduate studies at Columbia, he was also employed in 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....
, by the new Office of Price Administration
Office of Price Administration
The Office of Price Administration was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA was originally to control money and rents after the outbreak of World War II.President Franklin D...
, one of the 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...
federal agencies. Future U.S. Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
Richard M. Nixon of 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...
also worked for the OPA at the time that Frazar was an agency officer. In 1942, Frazar assumed the position of Louisiana director of the OPA.
President of two colleges
In 1944, after he lost a statewide race to John E. Coxe for Louisiana superintendent of education, Frazar was named the McNeese college president in Lake Charles, the seat of Calcasieu Parish. Technically, he was the first president of the institution because his three predecessors were known as "deans", not presidents. Under his leadership, many new buildings and programs were established on the campus of what had originally been Lake Charles Junior CollegeJunior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
, which had opened its doors in 1939.
Frazar left McNeese when he was elected lieutenant governor. He unseated incumbent fellow Democrat C. E. "Cap" Barham of Ruston in the party primary, 327,679 votes (44.9 pecent) to 195,616 (26.8 percent). Frazar won the position without a majority because at the time Louisiana did not require Democratic runoff primaries if there was also no contested primary election for governor at the same time. Because Earl Long had won his nomination outright in the gubernatorial primary, Long's ticket-mate Frazar avoided a second race. Another lieutenant governor candidate was A. Brown Moore, a 1934 Tulane Law School graduate who had fought under General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
in 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...
, was a former member of the New Orleans City Council, and carried the endorsement of the third-place gubernatorial candidate, Fred Preaus
Fred Preaus
Frederick T. Preaus, known as Fred Preaus , was a businessman and politician in the U.S. state of Louisiana, a native of Farmerville, the seat of Union Parish near the Arkansas state line...
of Farmerville
Farmerville, Louisiana
Farmerville is a town in and the parish seat of Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,808 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in north Louisiana. Frazar then overwhelmed his 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...
opponent, Harry R. Hill, 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 in the spring of 1956. Hill was the only candidate offered by the Louisiana GOP
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...
in the statewide races that year. Months later, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
became the first Republican candidate to win in Louisiana since Reconstruction.
Frazar came to McNeese with three years experience as the president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then Southwestern Institute.
Earl Long loyalist
As lieutenant governor, Frazar was known for his steadfast loyalty to Earl Long. Barham, however, had often quarreled with certain policies of Governor Robert F. KennonRobert 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....
and had established the office of lieutenant governor independently of the governor.
In the-late summer of 1959, Long actually considered resigning as governor, a move which would have made Frazar the Louisiana chief executive for some seven months. Under the scenario, Long would then run for governor himself in the December 1959 Democratic primary and thereby avoid Louisiana's ban (at the time) on governors succeeding themselves.
Frazar did not seek a second term as lieutenant governor in the 1959 Democratic primary. Instead Long ran to succeed Frazar as lieutenant governor, but he fell far short of primary victory. Long ran on an intraparty "ticket" with former Governor James Albert Noe, Sr.
James A. Noe
James Albert Noe, Sr. of Monroe served for three and a half months as the 43rd Governor of Louisiana after the death of Oscar K. Allen on January 28, 1936....
, with whom Long had once quarreled.
On one occasion as acting governor when Long was out of the state, Frazar signed death warrants for two New Orleans blacks, Edgar Labat and Clifton Poret, who were on Death Row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
in Angola in West Feliciana Parish for the aggravated 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...
of a white woman on November 12, 1950. They were scheduled to have been executed on September 20, 1957. The executions were never implemented -- the night before the new court-appointed attorneys for the men obtained a stay of execution from a federal judge. The men declared their innocence, and their cases remained in the federal courts until Louisiana stopped executions between 1961 and 1983.
Frazar died the same month that Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
Clarence C. Aycock
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock , a conservative Democrat from Franklin in St. Mary Parish, was the only three-term lieutenant governor in modern Louisiana history. He served from 1960 to 1972. Aycock failed in his only bid for governor in the 1971 Democratic primary...
of Franklin
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
, a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Democrat succeeded him as lieutenant governor. Some four months later, Earl Long himself was dead after having won the Democratic nomination in the now defunct Eighth Congressional District.
Frazar's legacy
Frazar was Methodist. He was a member of the Southern Regional Education Board, National Education AssociationNational Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
, the Kiwanis Club and its Blue Key organization, Pi Sigma, Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity is a social fraternity with 71 active chapters and 9 colonies. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest fraternity in the United States....
, 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 Shriners
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
.
Lether and Lily Frazar are interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in his native DeRidder.
McNeese State University honored Frazar through the naming of its Lether Edward Frazar Memorial Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. The Frazar Collection, including his correspondence from 1935–1959 is housed at McNeese. There is also a Lether E. Frazer Memorial Trophy given annually to the outstanding offensive 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...
player for the McNeese University Cowboys.