Noble Ellington
Encyclopedia
Noble Edward Ellington, II (born May 25, 1942), is a wealthy cotton
merchant
from Winnsboro
, the seat of Franklin Parish in northeastern Louisiana
, who is a freshman, and as of December 17, 2010, a Republican
, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from District 20. Ellington served previously in the House from 1988 to 1996, and then in the State Senate
(District 32) from 1996 to 2008. He returned to the House on January 14, 2008, after an absence of a dozen years because he was term-limited from seeking a fourth consecutive Senate term.
Late in 2007, Ellington, as a returning but still freshman member, sought to chair the House Appropriations Committee, but he ran into a bloc of opposition from conservatives
, including the statewide radio
talk show
host Moon Griffon
of Monroe
. The conservatives stopped Governor
Bobby Jindal
from recommending that Speaker
Jim Tucker
name Ellington as the chairman of the critical committee. They contend that Ellington is an advocate of raising taxes to fund expanded government
, rather than a lawmaker committed to reducing taxes and cutting programs. Ellington had asked for the appointment on grounds that no House members from northeastern Louisiana had otherwise been named committee chairmen. Jindal had agreed to the recommendation until Tucker informed him that Ellington does not share Jindal's philosophy of limited government
.
in Richland Parish. In 1964, he obtained a bachelor's degree
from Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
, the seat of Lincoln Parish
. Ellington has been active in such civic organizations as the Farm Bureau, the Northeast Louisiana Agriculture/Business Council, and the Chamber of Commerce
. He is a past director of the Winnsboro Economic Development Corporation. He is a former bank
director and hospital
board member. Ellington is a patron of the restored Princess Theatre in Winnsboro. He and his sons operate Noble Ellington Cotton Company, Inc., in Winnsboro.
In his earlier years, he was a national director of the Jaycees. He sits on the board of directors of the Louisiana Baptist
Children's Home orphanage
in Ruston. He is the co-chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council
. Ellington is Baptist.
During his first legislative stint in the House, Ellington was named "Legislator of the Month" by the interest group which represents city officials, the Louisiana Municipal Association. Another interest group, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, gave Ellington its "Golden Apple Award" for his support of public schools. Similarly, the Louisiana Association of Educators named him to its "Legislative Honor Roll". He has also been named "Guardian of Small Business".
d on May 11, 1998. In their family-owned company, Noble handled the negotiation of deals with suppliers and customers, while Peggy ran the office, kept the books, and performed paperwork associated with the business. Their sons joined the business, Ryan in 1992 and Noble, III, in 1995. The company buys cotton from farmers, cotton gin
s, and other producers and sells to textile
mills and shippers. The gross profit of the company comes from the margin made from this activity. The Ellington firm made a profit each year from 1979 through 1998.
By August 1996, when the Ellingtons separated, they had made more than $2 million in the cotton business. They used some of their proceeds to purchase apartment
s, office buildings, and farms. Peggy sued Noble over the division of the company but lost her claim on appeal. After the divorce, Peggy married Chet D. Traylor
(born 1945), a Republican who served on the Louisiana Supreme Court
from 1997 to 2009. Traylor, now of Monroe, formerly resided in Winnsboro. Peggy Traylor died on August 22, 2009, and is interred at Columbia Hills Cemetery in Traylor's native Columbia, Louisiana. Noble Ellington, III, and Ryan Ellington sued Chet Traylor in Fifth Judicial District Court in June 2010 for allegedly withholding information about their late mother's estate. Peggy Traylor died without a will and is interred at Columbia Hills Cemetery in Columbia
, Traylor hometown and seat of Caldwell Parish
. Chet Traylor has since become romantically involved with Denise Lively Ellington, the estranged and soon-to-be-divorced wife of Ryan Ellington. Noble Ellington, II, has also blamed Traylor as part of the cause of his own divorce from Peggy, his first wife of thirty-four years.
In 2010, Traylor launched an intraparty challenge to U.S. Senator David Vitter
. Traylor claimed that Vitter's personal problems may render the incumbent Republican senator vulnerable to the challenge of the Democrat Charlie Melancon
of Napoleonville
in Assumption Parish. However, Vitter, despite well known dalliances with prostitutes and fetishism, handily defeated Melancon on November 2, 2010.
, the former Brenda Anderson Armstrong (born 1961). The second Mrs. Ellington sought to continue as her husband's legislative assistant. A hearing was to have been held in the 19th District Court in Baton Rouge on February 19, 2008, to see if she qualifies under the state's ethics
laws. However, the case was postponed.
State District Judge Don Johnson issued a temporary restraining order on January 11, 2008, that Mrs. Ellington could continue in her $54,540-per-year position until a final court decision is rendered. She maintained her position while Ellington served in the Senate because she had worked for him for more than a year before the couple married. In fact, she has been employed by Ellington since he entered the House in 1988. The Louisiana Ethics Board maintains that the Senate and House are separate bodies so the grandfather clause
no longer applied after Ellington returned to the House. The Ellingtons maintain that the legislature is a single body and that her employment should stand.
Ellington said that his wife has "tremendous experience and a great understanding about the needs of the constituents
." House Clerk Butch Speer said he believes the Ethics Board's opinion should stand. According to Speer, "The House's position is that we have to adhere to the code of ethics. The (Ethics Board) is charged by law with interpreting the code, and it said that (Ellington) can't participate in the employment of his wife. But the House is also bound to follow a lawful order of the court. Under the restraining order issued by the 19th Judicial Court, the House isn't to perform any act that would interrupt her employment. Unless or until that order is lifted, she will remain employed. If the order is ever lifted, the House will follow the dictates of the Ethics Board", and Mrs. Ellington would therefore
be terminated from her position.
On May 19, 2008, the state Senate without objection approved an amendment offered by Senate President Joel Chaisson
of Destrehan
that would erase the court ruling that Mrs. Ellington must resign as her husband's legislative assistant. Chaisson's amendment states that if a lawmaker's spouse is legally an assistant in one chamber of the legislature, a member then being elected to the other body does not change that assistant's employment status.
held on November 17, 2007. Incumbent Lelon Kenney (born 1935) of Columbia was term-limited. Ellington hence defeated his runoff opponent, fellow Democrat Cleveland Webb "Cleve" Womack (born 1953) of Jonesville
in Catahoula Parish, 6,215 (52 percent) to 5,686 (48 percent). The district includes, Franklin, Catahoula, Caldwell, and two precinct
s of Tensas, the smallest of Louisiana's sixty-four parishes, which is located adjacent to the Mississippi River
.
Ellington's former Senate District 32 includes in addition to Caldwell, Catahoula, and Franklin (also in the House district) the parishes of Concordia, La Salle
, and small portions of Ouachita and Rapides parishes. The district is now represented by its first ever Republican member, Neil Riser
of Columbia. By the time that Ellington left the Senate, the district lines had changed somewhat and included even a few precinct
s as far south as the northern portion of Avoyelles Parish.
In Ellington's first election to the House in 1987, he and intraparty rival Rodney R. "Rod" Elrod (born 1954) of Winnsboro led a field of seven Democrats and one independent. Ellington polled 3,640 (21 percent), and Elrod 3,063 (17 percent). Ellington then defeated Elrod in the general election
, usually called the runoff in Louisiana.
Four years later in 1991, Ellington overwhelmed intraparty rival Dennis Grady Stewart (born 1953) of Rayville
in Richland Parish, 13,211 (72 percent) to 5,060 (28 percent). In 1995, Ellington first won his Senate seat. He went into a general election with fellow Democrat Roy Eugene Hebron (born 1954) of Ball
in northern Rapides Parish, 19,325 (48 percent) to 16,076 (40 percent). Independent
candidate Paul A. Nugent received the critical 5,048 remaining votes (12 percent). In the showdown with Hebron on November 18, 1995, Ellington prevailed, 21,703 (53 percent) to 19,180 (47 percent).
Ellington handily won reelection to the Senate on October 23, 1991, when he defeated his first and only Republican opponent, Larry Bruce Minton (born 1945 of Pineville
in Rapides Parish), 27,001 (69 percent) to 11,954 (31 percent). In 2003, Ellington won his last Senate term in an easy contest with fellow Democrat James "Jim" Hearns (born 1952) of Columbia, 27,021 (80 percent) to 6,497 (20 percent).
, John Alario
of Westwego
, Fred H. Mills, Jr.
, of St. Martinville
, and Simone B. Champagne
of Iberia Parish
. A week later, on December 17, 2010, Ellington made the switch official, giving the Louisiana Republican Party its first majority in the Louisiana House since the Reconstruction era.
Ellington explained that this party switch is "historically significant, but the truth is I've been a conservative for my entire career, so it won't affect the way I vote. . . . I found myself farther and farther away from what has become the liberal philosophy of the national party. My way of thinking, which falls along a more conservative line, has been shrinking within the party. At least nationally, the Republican Party seems to fit my philosophy more than the current Democratic Party."
Then Speaker Tucker, who had opposed Ellington's committee chairmanship in 2008, said he is "excited to have Noble in the party and ecstatic about holding the majority. We as Republicans can continue to push for smaller, more efficient government, and we have the numbers to pass legislation that can do that if we stick together. . . . It's incredible that when I started in the House [in 2001] that we have more than doubled our numbers and indicative of where the state in going. It's also a tribute to those who preceded us to helped build the party in this state, in particular [Senator] David Vitter."
Louisiana Republican Chairman Roger Villere issued this statement on Ellington's defection: "For more than one hundred years, the Louisiana House of Representatives has remained under Democrat control, but today that has all come to an end. In just three short years a 16-seat Democrat majority has been erased and Representative Ellington's decision to become the 53rd Republican in the House gives the GOP our first controlling majority in that body since Reconstruction. This is a great and historic day for the Republican Party of Louisiana and I'm pleased to welcome Representative Ellington to the new conservative majority in the House."
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
from Winnsboro
Winnsboro, Louisiana
Winnsboro is a city in and the parish seat of Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of July 2009, the estimated city population was 4,377...
, the seat of Franklin Parish in northeastern 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 is a freshman, and as of December 17, 2010, a 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...
, 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 District 20. Ellington served previously in the House from 1988 to 1996, and then in the 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...
(District 32) from 1996 to 2008. He returned to the House on January 14, 2008, after an absence of a dozen years because he was term-limited from seeking a fourth consecutive Senate term.
Late in 2007, Ellington, as a returning but still freshman member, sought to chair the House Appropriations Committee, but he ran into a bloc of opposition from conservatives
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
, including the statewide radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host Moon Griffon
Moon Griffon
Blane M. Griffon, known as Moon Griffon is a conservative radio talk show host who broadcasts statewide through station KMLB FM in Monroe, the seat of Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana. He has sometimes been called the "Rush Limbaugh of Louisiana" though his program reflects his distinct...
of Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
. The conservatives stopped Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
from recommending that Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Jim Tucker
Jim Tucker (Louisiana politician)
James Wayne Tucker, known as Jim Tucker , is the departing Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and an ally of Governor Bobby Jindal. An investment banker from the Terrytown section of the New Orleans metropolitan area, Tucker's District 86 includes precincts from both Jefferson and...
name Ellington as the chairman of the critical committee. They contend that Ellington is an advocate of raising taxes to fund expanded 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...
, rather than a lawmaker committed to reducing taxes and cutting programs. Ellington had asked for the appointment on grounds that no House members from northeastern Louisiana had otherwise been named committee chairmen. Jindal had agreed to the recommendation until Tucker informed him that Ellington does not share Jindal's philosophy of limited government
Limited government
Limited government is a government which anything more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is generally disallowed by law, usually in a written constitution. It is written in the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 8...
.
Education and civic activities
Ellington was born to Mr. and Mrs. Noble Ellington, Sr. He graduated in 1960 from Mangham High School in ManghamMangham, Louisiana
Mangham is a village in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 595 at the 2000 census. Mangham was established in 1890. It is named for Wyley P...
in Richland Parish. In 1964, he obtained a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
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
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...
. Ellington has been active in such civic organizations as the Farm Bureau, the Northeast Louisiana Agriculture/Business Council, and the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. He is a past director of the Winnsboro Economic Development Corporation. He is a former bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
director and hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
board member. Ellington is a patron of the restored Princess Theatre in Winnsboro. He and his sons operate Noble Ellington Cotton Company, Inc., in Winnsboro.
In his earlier years, he was a national director of the Jaycees. He sits on the board of directors of the Louisiana 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...
Children's Home orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in Ruston. He is the co-chairman of the American Legislative Exchange Council
American Legislative Exchange Council
The American Legislative Exchange Council is a politically conservative 501 non-profit Policy Organization, consisting of both state legislators and members of the private sector. ALEC's mission statement describes the organization's purpose as the advancement of free-market principles, limited...
. Ellington is Baptist.
During his first legislative stint in the House, Ellington was named "Legislator of the Month" by the interest group which represents city officials, the Louisiana Municipal Association. Another interest group, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, gave Ellington its "Golden Apple Award" for his support of public schools. Similarly, the Louisiana Association of Educators named him to its "Legislative Honor Roll". He has also been named "Guardian of Small Business".
A bitter divorce
In 1964, Ellington married the former Peggy Marie McDowell (also born 1942) of Winnsboro, a native of Monroe. Their two sons are Noble Ellington, III (born 1964), and Ryan Fred Ellington (born 1967). The Ellingtons divorceDivorce
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 on May 11, 1998. In their family-owned company, Noble handled the negotiation of deals with suppliers and customers, while Peggy ran the office, kept the books, and performed paperwork associated with the business. Their sons joined the business, Ryan in 1992 and Noble, III, in 1995. The company buys cotton from farmers, cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
s, and other producers and sells to textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
mills and shippers. The gross profit of the company comes from the margin made from this activity. The Ellington firm made a profit each year from 1979 through 1998.
By August 1996, when the Ellingtons separated, they had made more than $2 million in the cotton business. They used some of their proceeds to purchase apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
s, office buildings, and farms. Peggy sued Noble over the division of the company but lost her claim on appeal. After the divorce, Peggy married Chet D. Traylor
Chet D. Traylor
Chet D. Traylor is a retired associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from Monroe, Louisiana, who was defeated in the Republican primary election on August 28, 2010, for the U.S. Senate seat held since 2005 by the incumbent David Vitter of New Orleans...
(born 1945), a Republican who served on the Louisiana Supreme Court
Louisiana Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Louisiana is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans....
from 1997 to 2009. Traylor, now of Monroe, formerly resided in Winnsboro. Peggy Traylor died on August 22, 2009, and is interred at Columbia Hills Cemetery in Traylor's native Columbia, Louisiana. Noble Ellington, III, and Ryan Ellington sued Chet Traylor in Fifth Judicial District Court in June 2010 for allegedly withholding information about their late mother's estate. Peggy Traylor died without a will and is interred at Columbia Hills Cemetery in Columbia
Columbia, Louisiana
Columbia is a town in and the parish seat of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbia is located at ....
, Traylor hometown and seat of Caldwell Parish
Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,560 people, 3,941 households, and 2,817 families residing in the parish. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 5,035 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
. Chet Traylor has since become romantically involved with Denise Lively Ellington, the estranged and soon-to-be-divorced wife of Ryan Ellington. Noble Ellington, II, has also blamed Traylor as part of the cause of his own divorce from Peggy, his first wife of thirty-four years.
In 2010, Traylor launched an intraparty challenge to U.S. Senator David Vitter
David Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
. Traylor claimed that Vitter's personal problems may render the incumbent Republican senator vulnerable to the challenge of the Democrat Charlie Melancon
Charlie Melancon
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Melancon was the U.S. Representative for , serving from 2005 to 2011, and the unsuccessful 2010 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican David Vitter.-Early life, education and career:...
of Napoleonville
Napoleonville, Louisiana
Napoleonville is a village in and the parish seat of Assumption Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 686 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pierre Part Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in Assumption Parish. However, Vitter, despite well known dalliances with prostitutes and fetishism, handily defeated Melancon on November 2, 2010.
Controversy over second wife's employment
In 2006, Noble Ellington married his longtime legislative secretarySecretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
, the former Brenda Anderson Armstrong (born 1961). The second Mrs. Ellington sought to continue as her husband's legislative assistant. A hearing was to have been held in the 19th District Court in Baton Rouge on February 19, 2008, to see if she qualifies under the state's ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
laws. However, the case was postponed.
State District Judge Don Johnson issued a temporary restraining order on January 11, 2008, that Mrs. Ellington could continue in her $54,540-per-year position until a final court decision is rendered. She maintained her position while Ellington served in the Senate because she had worked for him for more than a year before the couple married. In fact, she has been employed by Ellington since he entered the House in 1988. The Louisiana Ethics Board maintains that the Senate and House are separate bodies so the grandfather clause
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...
no longer applied after Ellington returned to the House. The Ellingtons maintain that the legislature is a single body and that her employment should stand.
Ellington said that his wife has "tremendous experience and a great understanding about the needs of the constituents
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
." House Clerk Butch Speer said he believes the Ethics Board's opinion should stand. According to Speer, "The House's position is that we have to adhere to the code of ethics. The (Ethics Board) is charged by law with interpreting the code, and it said that (Ellington) can't participate in the employment of his wife. But the House is also bound to follow a lawful order of the court. Under the restraining order issued by the 19th Judicial Court, the House isn't to perform any act that would interrupt her employment. Unless or until that order is lifted, she will remain employed. If the order is ever lifted, the House will follow the dictates of the Ethics Board", and Mrs. Ellington would therefore
be terminated from her position.
On May 19, 2008, the state Senate without objection approved an amendment offered by Senate President Joel Chaisson
Joel Chaisson
Joel Thomas Chaisson, II , is an American Democratic politician who is the outgoing president of the Louisiana State Senate. He assumed the leadership position on January 14, 2008. A resident of Destrehan, Chaisson has represented Senate District 19 in St. Charles Parish since 2000...
of Destrehan
Destrehan, Louisiana
Destrehan is a census-designated place in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2000 census. It was named after Jean N...
that would erase the court ruling that Mrs. Ellington must resign as her husband's legislative assistant. Chaisson's amendment states that if a lawmaker's spouse is legally an assistant in one chamber of the legislature, a member then being elected to the other body does not change that assistant's employment status.
Election history
Ellington won the District 20 House seat in the state electionLouisiana state elections, 2007
Louisiana's 2007 state elections were held on October 20, 2007, with runoff elections held on November 17. All statewide elected offices were up, as well as all seats in the Louisiana State Legislature....
held on November 17, 2007. Incumbent Lelon Kenney (born 1935) of Columbia was term-limited. Ellington hence defeated his runoff opponent, fellow Democrat Cleveland Webb "Cleve" Womack (born 1953) of Jonesville
Jonesville, Louisiana
Jonesville is a town in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, at the confluence of the Ouachita, Tensas, and Little rivers. The three rivers become the Black River at Jonesville though the "Black" is primarily the continuation of the Ouachita River. A new bridge has been built over the Black River...
in Catahoula Parish, 6,215 (52 percent) to 5,686 (48 percent). The district includes, Franklin, Catahoula, Caldwell, and two precinct
Precinct
A precinct is a space enclosed by the walls or other boundaries of a particular place or building, or by an arbitrary and imaginary line drawn around it. The term has several different uses...
s of Tensas, the smallest of Louisiana's sixty-four parishes, which is located adjacent to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Ellington's former Senate District 32 includes in addition to Caldwell, Catahoula, and Franklin (also in the House district) the parishes of Concordia, La Salle
La Salle Parish, Louisiana
La Salle Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of 2000, the population was 14,282. The parish seat is Jena.-Geography:The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
, and small portions of Ouachita and Rapides parishes. The district is now represented by its first ever Republican member, Neil Riser
Neil Riser
Hartwell Neil Riser, Jr., known as Neil Riser , is a funeral home owner in Columbia, the seat of Caldwell Parish in northeastern Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate. On January 14, 2008, Riser succeeded outgoing Democratic Senator Noble Ellington. Riser is the first...
of Columbia. By the time that Ellington left the Senate, the district lines had changed somewhat and included even a few precinct
Precinct
A precinct is a space enclosed by the walls or other boundaries of a particular place or building, or by an arbitrary and imaginary line drawn around it. The term has several different uses...
s as far south as the northern portion of Avoyelles Parish.
In Ellington's first election to the House in 1987, he and intraparty rival Rodney R. "Rod" Elrod (born 1954) of Winnsboro led a field of seven Democrats and one independent. Ellington polled 3,640 (21 percent), and Elrod 3,063 (17 percent). Ellington then defeated Elrod 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...
, usually called the runoff in Louisiana.
Four years later in 1991, Ellington overwhelmed intraparty rival Dennis Grady Stewart (born 1953) of Rayville
Rayville, Louisiana
Rayville is a town in, the parish seat of, and the largest community in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,234 at the 2000 census. It is also home of Palmetto Addiction Recovery Center...
in Richland Parish, 13,211 (72 percent) to 5,060 (28 percent). In 1995, Ellington first won his Senate seat. He went into a general election with fellow Democrat Roy Eugene Hebron (born 1954) of Ball
Ball, Louisiana
Ball is a town in Rapides Parish just north of Pineville, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in northern Rapides Parish, 19,325 (48 percent) to 16,076 (40 percent). Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate Paul A. Nugent received the critical 5,048 remaining votes (12 percent). In the showdown with Hebron on November 18, 1995, Ellington prevailed, 21,703 (53 percent) to 19,180 (47 percent).
Ellington handily won reelection to the Senate on October 23, 1991, when he defeated his first and only Republican opponent, Larry Bruce Minton (born 1945 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....
in Rapides Parish), 27,001 (69 percent) to 11,954 (31 percent). In 2003, Ellington won his last Senate term in an easy contest with fellow Democrat James "Jim" Hearns (born 1952) of Columbia, 27,021 (80 percent) to 6,497 (20 percent).
Party bolt
On December 9, 2010, Ellington announced that he was likely to switch to Republican affiliation to seek renewed membership in the state House of Representatives in 2011. Four other Democrats announced that same month that they have switched affiliation, John R. Smith of LeesvilleLeesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
, John Alario
John Alario
John A. Alario, Jr. , is an American businessman from Westwego in Jefferson Parish in the New Orleans suburbs, who is the dean of the Louisiana State Legislature, having served consecutively in the law-making body since 1972. He was the District 83 member of the Louisiana House of Representatives...
of Westwego
Westwego, Louisiana
Westwego is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 10,763 at the 2000 census. It lies along the west bank of the Mississippi River.-Geography:...
, Fred H. Mills, Jr.
Fred Mills (Louisiana politician)
Fred Henry Mills, Jr. , is a pharmacist and banker from St. Martinville, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate, having won a special election on January 22, 2011, for the District 22 seat vacated in 2010 by the Independent Troy Hebert of Jeanerette.Mills had since 2008...
, of St. Martinville
St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
, and Simone B. Champagne
Simone B. Champagne
Simone Becnel Champagne is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 49 in south Louisiana. She resides in Jeanerette in Iberia Parish, where in 1971 she graduated from Jeanerette High School...
of Iberia Parish
Iberia Parish, Louisiana
Iberia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Iberia. As of 2000, the population was 73,266.Iberia Parish is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area.Iberia, along with...
. A week later, on December 17, 2010, Ellington made the switch official, giving the Louisiana Republican Party its first majority in the Louisiana House since the Reconstruction era.
Ellington explained that this party switch is "historically significant, but the truth is I've been a conservative for my entire career, so it won't affect the way I vote. . . . I found myself farther and farther away from what has become the liberal philosophy of the national party. My way of thinking, which falls along a more conservative line, has been shrinking within the party. At least nationally, the Republican Party seems to fit my philosophy more than the current Democratic Party."
Then Speaker Tucker, who had opposed Ellington's committee chairmanship in 2008, said he is "excited to have Noble in the party and ecstatic about holding the majority. We as Republicans can continue to push for smaller, more efficient government, and we have the numbers to pass legislation that can do that if we stick together. . . . It's incredible that when I started in the House [in 2001] that we have more than doubled our numbers and indicative of where the state in going. It's also a tribute to those who preceded us to helped build the party in this state, in particular [Senator] David Vitter."
Louisiana Republican Chairman Roger Villere issued this statement on Ellington's defection: "For more than one hundred years, the Louisiana House of Representatives has remained under Democrat control, but today that has all come to an end. In just three short years a 16-seat Democrat majority has been erased and Representative Ellington's decision to become the 53rd Republican in the House gives the GOP our first controlling majority in that body since Reconstruction. This is a great and historic day for the Republican Party of Louisiana and I'm pleased to welcome Representative Ellington to the new conservative majority in the House."
2011 election
Ellington changed his plans and did not seek reelection to the Hosue in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011. Voters chose a Republican successor in the seat, Steve Pylant of Delhi, the sheriff of Franklin Parish. Pylant defeated Ellington's previous opponent, Cleve Womack, 9,119 votes (56.3 percent) to 7,066 ballots (43.7 percent).External links
- Louisiana House of Representatives - Noble E. Ellington official government website