Morley A. Hudson
Encyclopedia
Morley Alvin Hudson was a Shreveport businessman, engineer
, civic leader, and a pioneer of the modern Republican Party
in Louisiana
.
Hudson was born in San Antonio
, Texas
, the son of Oscar Hudson and the former Ruth Morley. His maternal grandfather, Stephen Kay Morley, was a pharmacist
in early Austin
, Texas, who patented old-time remedies that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In youth, he was an Eagle Scout
. Hudson graduated cum laude from Georgia Tech
in Atlanta
, Georgia
, with a degree in mechanical engineering
. From 1938 to 1940, he played football for the Green Bay Packers
under Coach Curly Lambeau
.
During World War II
, he was a captain in the U.S. Army Infantry
Reserves. When he relocated to Shreveport in 1945, Hudson became president of the Hudson-Rush Company of Shreveport and Dallas
, which specialized in industrial process equipment. He also was one of the original partners of Pelican Supply Company and McElroy Metals in Shreveport. In 1956, Hudson ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the Caddo Parish
School Board.
(1907–1997) were the first two Republicans to have been elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives
since Reconstruction. Hudson and O'Hearn were joined in the Caddo Parish delegation by Democrats
Algie D. Brown
, Frank Fulco
, and newcomer J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., later a member of both the Louisiana State Senate
and the United States Senate
. Hudson was a Louisiana delegate to the Republican national conventions held in San Francisco in 1964 and in Miami Beach in 1968 and 1972.
Hudson was the self-proclaimed Louisiana House "minority leader" between 1964 and 1968 because he had outpolled O'Hearn in the balloting. In 1966, he obtained passage of a bill to grant in-state college students the same right to vote absentee as permitted to out-of-state students. His record was primarily focused on fiscal and management reform of state government.
Two other Republicans joined Hudson and O'Hearn in their only terms of service: Roderick L. "Rod" Miller
of Lafayette
in 1966 and Edward Clark Gaudin
of Baton Rouge in 1967. Miller was defeated in a bid for the Louisiana State Senate
on February 6, 1968. Gaudin was also defeated for reelection to the House in 1968 but returned to the legislature in 1972 and served for another twenty years.
on the Republican ticket with gubernatorial hopeful David C. Treen
, then of Jefferson Parish
. He spent some $40,000 on his race, with no assistance forthcoming from the Republican National Committee
. Hudson polled only 218,169 votes (20.5 percent) to Fitzmorris' 815,794 (76.8 percent) for the successful Democrat, James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr.
, of New Orleans, a former city councilman and an executive for Kansas City Southern Railroad. Hudson failed to win a single parish. He fared best in his home base of Caddo Parish, where he drew 43.6 percent. (A third candidate in the race, Gertrude L. Taylor, also of Shreveport, nominee of the American Independent Party
, received 2.7 percent of the vote.) Treen, running for governor for the first time, polled 42.8 percent, more than twice the number of votes obtained by Hudson. While Caddo Parish supported Fitzmorris over Hudson, it gave majorities to three Republican statewide candidates, Treen for governor, Tom Stagg
of Shreveport for attorney general
against the Democrat William J. Guste
, and for Robert L. Frye
, a native of Webster Parish
, who ran unsuccessfully for state education superintendent against the Democrat Louis J. Michot
of Lafayette
.
In the lieutenant governor's campaign, Hudson wore a friend's red-white-and-blue shoes. According to the Shreveport Times, Hudson repeated the patriotic color scheme in a 1976 visit to the White House
, wearing a red-white-and-blue tie that made him stand out among dozens of other people in gray suits, prompting U.S. President Gerald R. Ford to remark, "It's so good to see someone here in Washington
with the bicentennial
spirit!"
at the White House
Christmas
party for handicapped children of the Washington, D.C.
, area. He was a founder of the Evergreen Presbyterian Vocational School in Minden
in Webster Parish
and the Evergreen House, the forerunner of what became Providence House in Shreveport. His favorite hobby was dancing.
After his second marriage to the former Catherine Franks, Hudson was living at the time of his death in Waskom
in eastern Harrison County
, Texas, west of the Louisiana border. In addition to his parents and two brothers, Hudson was preceded in death by his first wife and a son who died in infancy, Morley Alvin Hudson, Jr., both of whom are interred at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport.
Hudson died in Shreveport from the effects of a brain tumor
. In addition to his second wife, he was survived by three daughters and a son-in-law, Nancy and Joe Ed Ketner, Courtney Morley Hudson and grandsons Max, Alex and Nicholas Hudson, all of Shreveport, and Lucy North Hudson of Pineville
; stepchildren, Rob Franks and his wife, Vicki, of Shreveport, Susan Leake and her husband, Rucker, of St. Francisville
, the seat of West Feliciana Parish, and Allen Franks and his wife, Cathy, of Northfield Township
, Michigan
, and their children and grandchildren. Memorial services were held at the First Presbyterian Church of Shreveport, where Hudson was an active member. He was cremated
.
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
, civic leader, and a pioneer of the modern 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...
in 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...
.
Hudson was born in San Antonio
San 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,...
, 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...
, the son of Oscar Hudson and the former Ruth Morley. His maternal grandfather, Stephen Kay Morley, was a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
in early Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas, who patented old-time remedies that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In youth, he was an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
. Hudson graduated cum laude from Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, with a degree in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
. From 1938 to 1940, he played football for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
under Coach Curly Lambeau
Curly Lambeau
Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau was founder, player, and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team...
.
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 a captain in the U.S. Army Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
Reserves. When he relocated to Shreveport in 1945, Hudson became president of the Hudson-Rush Company of Shreveport and Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, which specialized in industrial process equipment. He also was one of the original partners of Pelican Supply Company and McElroy Metals in Shreveport. In 1956, Hudson ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the Caddo Parish
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Shreveport; as of 2000, the population was 252,161...
School Board.
First Republicans in legislature (1964-1968)
He and Taylor W. O'HearnTaylor W. O'Hearn
Taylor Walters O'Hearn was a pioneer in the rebirth of the Republican Party in Louisiana during the mid-twentieth century. He and Morley A. Hudson, both of Shreveport in Caddo Parish, were the first two Republicans elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives since Reconstruction. The pair...
(1907–1997) were the first two Republicans to have been elected to 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...
since Reconstruction. Hudson and O'Hearn were joined in the Caddo Parish delegation by Democrats
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...
Algie D. Brown
Algie D. Brown
Algie Dee Brown was a Shreveport attorney and a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948-1972. He served under governors Earl Kemp Long, Robert F. Kennon, James Houston "Jimmie" Davis, and John J. McKeithen...
, Frank Fulco
Frank Fulco
Frank J. Fulco, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1956–1972 and a leader of the Italian-American community in his native Louisiana...
, and newcomer J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., later a member of both 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...
and the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Hudson was a Louisiana delegate to the Republican national conventions held in San Francisco in 1964 and in Miami Beach in 1968 and 1972.
Hudson was the self-proclaimed Louisiana House "minority leader" between 1964 and 1968 because he had outpolled O'Hearn in the balloting. In 1966, he obtained passage of a bill to grant in-state college students the same right to vote absentee as permitted to out-of-state students. His record was primarily focused on fiscal and management reform of state government.
Two other Republicans joined Hudson and O'Hearn in their only terms of service: Roderick L. "Rod" Miller
Roderick Miller
Roderick Luke "Rod" Miller was a Lafayette attorney and a pioneer in the development of the Republican Party in Louisiana. He was the third Republican since Reconstruction to be elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives and the first ever from Lafayette Parish, now one of the stronger...
of 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...
in 1966 and Edward Clark Gaudin
Clark Gaudin
Edward Clark Gaudin is a Baton Rouge attorney who served for twenty-one years in the Louisiana House of Representatives as the first Republican member from East Baton Rouge Parish in the 20th century....
of Baton Rouge in 1967. Miller was defeated in a bid for 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...
on February 6, 1968. Gaudin was also defeated for reelection to the House in 1968 but returned to the legislature in 1972 and served for another twenty years.
Running for lieutenant governor, 1972
In 1972, Hudson was a candidate for lieutenant governorLieutenant 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"...
on the Republican ticket with gubernatorial hopeful 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...
, then of Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
. He spent some $40,000 on his race, with no assistance forthcoming from the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
. Hudson polled only 218,169 votes (20.5 percent) to Fitzmorris' 815,794 (76.8 percent) for the successful Democrat, James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr.
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...
, of New Orleans, a former city councilman and an executive for Kansas City Southern Railroad. Hudson failed to win a single parish. He fared best in his home base of Caddo Parish, where he drew 43.6 percent. (A third candidate in the race, Gertrude L. Taylor, also of Shreveport, nominee of the American Independent Party
American Independent Party
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice...
, received 2.7 percent of the vote.) Treen, running for governor for the first time, polled 42.8 percent, more than twice the number of votes obtained by Hudson. While Caddo Parish supported Fitzmorris over Hudson, it gave majorities to three Republican statewide candidates, Treen for governor, 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...
of Shreveport for 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...
against the Democrat William J. Guste
William J. Guste
William J. "Billy" Guste, Jr., is a New Orleans attorney, businessman and popular Democratic attorney general of Louisiana from 1972 to 1992. He succeeded the scandal-plagued Jack P.F. Gremillion, a fellow Democrat who had held the position since 1956. Guste received recognition for molding the...
, and for Robert L. Frye
Robert L. Frye
Robert Lafayette Frye was an educator and politician from the U.S. state of Louisiana.-Early years and education:Frye was born to Jennings Bryan Frye, Sr...
, a native of Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
, who ran unsuccessfully for state education superintendent against the Democrat Louis J. Michot
Louis J. Michot
Louis Joseph Michot, Jr. , is a prominent Lafayette, Louisiana, businessman, entrepreneur of the former Burger Chef restaurant chain, philanthropist, and a former Democratic state representative , member of the Louisiana Board of Education , and Louisiana State Education Superintendent...
of 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...
.
In the lieutenant governor's campaign, Hudson wore a friend's red-white-and-blue shoes. According to the Shreveport Times, Hudson repeated the patriotic color scheme in a 1976 visit to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, wearing a red-white-and-blue tie that made him stand out among dozens of other people in gray suits, prompting U.S. President Gerald R. Ford to remark, "It's so good to see someone here in Washington
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....
with the bicentennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
spirit!"
Supporting the mentally retarded
Hudson and his first wife, the former Lucy North (July 17, 1919–January 15, 1997) were the parents of a mentally-retarded daughter, also named Lucy North Hudson. He became a founding member of both the Shreveport and the Louisiana Association for Retarded Children, and he was a director of the National Association for Retarded Citizens. He was vice chairman of the Louisiana Governor's Commission for Employment of the Handicapped, and was appointed by President Ford to the 24-member President's Committee on Mental Retardation. He delighted in playing Santa ClausSanta Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
party for handicapped children of the 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....
, area. He was a founder of the Evergreen Presbyterian Vocational School in Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
in Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
and the Evergreen House, the forerunner of what became Providence House in Shreveport. His favorite hobby was dancing.
After his second marriage to the former Catherine Franks, Hudson was living at the time of his death in Waskom
Waskom, Texas
Waskom is a city in Harrison County, Texas, United States. It lies about east of the county seat, Marshall, on U.S. Route 80. To the east is Shreveport, Louisiana...
in eastern Harrison County
Harrison County, Texas
Harrison County is a county of the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 62,110. It is named for Jonas Harrison, a lawyer and Texas revolutionary. It is located in the Ark-La-Tex region...
, Texas, west of the Louisiana border. In addition to his parents and two brothers, Hudson was preceded in death by his first wife and a son who died in infancy, Morley Alvin Hudson, Jr., both of whom are interred at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport.
Hudson died in Shreveport from the effects of a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
. In addition to his second wife, he was survived by three daughters and a son-in-law, Nancy and Joe Ed Ketner, Courtney Morley Hudson and grandsons Max, Alex and Nicholas Hudson, all of Shreveport, and Lucy North Hudson of Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
; stepchildren, Rob Franks and his wife, Vicki, of Shreveport, Susan Leake and her husband, Rucker, of St. Francisville
St. Francisville, Louisiana
St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:St...
, the seat of West Feliciana Parish, and Allen Franks and his wife, Cathy, of Northfield Township
Northfield Township, Michigan
Northfield Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County, located north of Ann Arbor in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,252 at the 2000 census...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and their children and grandchildren. Memorial services were held at the First Presbyterian Church of Shreveport, where Hudson was an active member. He was cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
.
External links
- http://www.shreveportashrae.com/PAST-PRESIDENTs.htm
- http://www.obitcentral.com/obitsearch/obits/la/la-eastbatonrouge9.htm
- http://smartmoney.com/mag/index.cfm?story=charity2