Sam Hanna
Encyclopedia
Samuel Andrew Hanna, Sr., known as Sam Hanna (August 13, 1933–January 15, 2006), was a Louisiana
journalist
who owned and published three newspaper
s: The Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday
, the Franklin Sun in Winnsboro
, and The Ouachita Citizen in West Monroe
.
, to the late Andrew and Elizabeth Hanna. An Eagle Scout
in his youth, Hanna became a lifelong advocate of the Boy Scouts
and later received the group's Silver Beaver Award. In 1951, he graduated from Winnsboro High School, since Franklin Parish High School. He then entered Louisiana State University
at Baton Rouge
on a band scholarship
, having excelled at the trumpet
, which he played in the LSU marching band. He sold advertising
and served as the sports editor of the college newspaper, The Daily Reveille
. He received his bachelor's degree
in 1955.
Hanna launched his working career as a reporter at the Bastrop Daily Enterprise in Bastrop
, the seat of Morehouse Parish
north of Monroe
. In 1956, he became the outdoors writer for the Monroe
newspapers, now consolidated as the Monroe News Star
then owned by the Ewing
family and now a Gannett publication. He soon became the News-Star political editor, through which capacity he covered the Louisiana State Legislature
and school desegregation
.
, whose One Man’s Opinion appeared in numerous newspapers across the state. Hanna was on friendly terms with virtually all Louisiana governors beginning with Earl K. Long
, whose last term extended from 1956-1960. He appeared in numerous documentaries
, particularly on the Public Broadcasting Service
, and was considered an expert on the Long family
, a dominant Democratic
faction
throughout much of the 20th century in Louisiana. Among Hanna’s most acclaimed columns were among his last ones in 2005: (1) a study of Elliot D. Coleman
, the sheriff
of Tensas Parish
from 1936–1960, and a state police bodyguard
present at the assassination
of Huey Pierce Long, Jr. and (2) another on the premature death from the after effects of a household fall of Louisiana Secretary of State W. Fox McKeithen
, which tells of Hanna's friendship with McKeithen’s father, John J. McKeithen, governor from 1964–1972 and a native of nearby Columbia
in Caldwell Parish
in northeast Louisiana.
In 1965, at the age of thirty-two, Hanna purchased his first newspaper, The Concordia Sentinel. He also owned the Jonesville News-Booster in Jonesville
in Catahoula Parish
from 1967-1988. In 1974, he bought the Winnsboro paper. In 1996, he and his son, Sam Hanna, Jr. (born 1969),
purchased The Ouachita Citizen. Hanna said that one of his more significant
stories concerned the failure of the Delta Security Bank in Ferriday, which had ties to
organized crime
boss Carlos Marcello
. Another Delta Bank still operates in Ferriday. Hanna was a director of the Concordia Bank & Trust Company in Vidalia
, the largest independently owned bank in Louisiana, which has branches in Ferriday and other locations. He was twice president of the Ferriday Chamber of Commerce
and a former president of Rotary International
in Ferriday. He served on the founding board of directors of the private
, Huntington High School in Ferriday.
. He and his wife, Mary Sue Hanna (born July 22, 1937) of Ferriday, also had two daughters, Mary Linda Rocconi (born 1961) and husband, August Todd Rocconi (born 1966), of Monroe and Lesley Hanna Capdepon (born 1963) and husband, Charles Keith Capdepon (born 1958), of Newellton
, who is the parish engineer in Tensas Parish. He had three grandchildren and a daughter-in-law, the former Gena Crawford, the wife of son Sam Hanna, Jr. Though Hanna was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Ferriday, his services were held in the larger sanctuary of the First Baptist
Church of Ferriday. Interment was at Old Winnsboro Cemetery in Winnsboro.
Hanna was inducted in 1993 into the LSU Manship J-School Hall of Fame in Baton Rouge. On that occasion, he was asked to address the state legislature and receive accolades for his work. In 1995, Hanna became among the relatively few journalists inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
. In 2004, Hanna was entered into the "50-Year Club" by the Louisiana Press Association, which he joined as a student journalist. After Hanna's death, the press association renamed its annual "Best Regular Column" as the “Sam Hanna Award.
Upon his death, Kathy Spurlock, executive editor of The News-Star, called Hanna "the dean of the state’s newspaper publishers, the most knowledgeable about state politics, certainly the one with the most institutional knowledge."
Al Ater
, a Ferriday farmer who was a former state representative
and the acting Louisiana secretary of state at the time of Hanna's passing and an honorary pallbearer at the funeral (along with former U.S. Representative John Cooksey
of Monroe and former State Representative Bryant Hammett
of Ferriday), said that few individuals had "their finger on the pulse of politics in Louisiana more than he did. He had a sixth sense of the happenings of the political situation in this state -- police jury to governor, your source for information was Sam Hanna."
One of Hanna’s columns, "A Christmas
Quail Hunt", which reflects his love of quail
hunting
, was published annually in his papers. His son still runs the column each December in the three Hanna papers in his father's memory.
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...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who owned and published three newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s: The Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
, the Franklin Sun in 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...
, and The Ouachita Citizen in West Monroe
West Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.
Early years and education
Hanna was born in Winnsboro, the seat of Franklin ParishFranklin Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,263 people, 7,754 households, and 5,706 families residing in the parish. The population density was 34 people per square mile . There were 8,623 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
, to the late Andrew and Elizabeth Hanna. 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...
in his youth, Hanna became a lifelong advocate of the Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and later received the group's Silver Beaver Award. In 1951, he graduated from Winnsboro High School, since Franklin Parish High School. He then entered 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...
at Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
on a band scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
, having excelled at the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, which he played in the LSU marching band. He sold advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and served as the sports editor of the college newspaper, The Daily Reveille
The Daily Reveille
The Daily Reveille is the student newspaper for Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and has kept student informed for more than a century. It prints Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the summer semester...
. He received his 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...
in 1955.
Hanna launched his working career as a reporter at the Bastrop Daily Enterprise in Bastrop
Bastrop, Louisiana
Bastrop is a city in and the parish seat of Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,988 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Bastrop, Louisiana Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Monroe-Bastrop, Louisiana Combined...
, the seat of Morehouse Parish
Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Morehouse Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Bastrop. In 2000, the parish population was 31,021....
north 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...
. In 1956, he became the outdoors writer for the 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...
newspapers, now consolidated as the Monroe News Star
Monroe News Star
The News-Star is the principal newspaper of Monroe and northeastern Louisiana. Its circulation area ranges over some dozen parishes from Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish, on the west, to Tallulah in Madison Parish on the east, to the Arkansas state line on the north, and to Ferriday in Concordia...
then owned by the Ewing
John D. Ewing
John Dunbrack Ewing, Sr. , was a Louisiana journalist who served as editor and publisher of both the Shreveport Times and the Monroe News-Star-World from 1931 until his death. He was also affiliated with radio station KWKH in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish in northwestern Louisiana...
family and now a Gannett publication. He soon became the News-Star political editor, through which capacity he covered the Louisiana State Legislature
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 school desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
.
Newspaper career
Hanna was also a columnistColumnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
, whose One Man’s Opinion appeared in numerous newspapers across the state. Hanna was on friendly terms with virtually all Louisiana governors beginning with Earl K. Long
Earl Long
Earl Kemp Long was an American politician and the 45th Governor of Louisiana for three non-consecutive terms. Long termed himself the "last of the red hot poppas" of politics, referring to his stump-speaking skills...
, whose last term extended from 1956-1960. He appeared in numerous documentaries
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
, particularly on the Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, and was considered an expert on the Long family
Long family
The Long family is a family of politicians from the United States. Below is a list of members:*George S. Long , Oklahoma State Representative 1920, delegate to the Democratic National Convention 1948, U.S. Representative from Louisiana 1953–1958...
, a dominant Democratic
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...
faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
throughout much of the 20th century in Louisiana. Among Hanna’s most acclaimed columns were among his last ones in 2005: (1) a study of Elliot D. Coleman
Elliot D. Coleman
Elliot d’Evereaux Coleman, I , was from 1936-1960 the sheriff of Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Earlier, he had been a state police bodyguard of U.S. Senator Huey P. Long, Jr., on September 8, 1935, the night of Long's assassination.-Early life:Coleman was born to E. D...
, the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Tensas Parish
Tensas Parish, Louisiana
Tensas Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is St. Joseph. In 2010, the population of Tensas Parish was 5,252; it is the least-populous of all sixty-four parishes....
from 1936–1960, and a state police bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
present at the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Huey Pierce Long, Jr. and (2) another on the premature death from the after effects of a household fall of Louisiana Secretary of State W. Fox McKeithen
W. Fox McKeithen
Walter Fox McKeithen served five terms as Secretary of State of Louisiana between 1988 and 2005. He is best remembered for merging the state's election divisions into one department and for the promotion of historical preservation.-Son of a governor:He was born Walter Fox McKeithen in Columbia in...
, which tells of Hanna's friendship with McKeithen’s father, John J. McKeithen, governor from 1964–1972 and a native of nearby 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 ....
in 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...
in northeast Louisiana.
In 1965, at the age of thirty-two, Hanna purchased his first newspaper, The Concordia Sentinel. He also owned the Jonesville News-Booster in 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
Catahoula Parish, Louisiana
Catahoula Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Harrisonburg, located on the Ouachita River, which forms the eastern boundary of the parish. In 2000, the population of the parish was 10,920.-Prehistory:...
from 1967-1988. In 1974, he bought the Winnsboro paper. In 1996, he and his son, Sam Hanna, Jr. (born 1969),
purchased The Ouachita Citizen. Hanna said that one of his more significant
stories concerned the failure of the Delta Security Bank in Ferriday, which had ties to
organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
boss Carlos Marcello
Carlos Marcello
Carlos "The Little Man" Marcello was a Sicilian-American mafioso who became the boss of the New Orleans crime family during the 1940s and held this position for the next 30 years.-Early life:...
. Another Delta Bank still operates in Ferriday. Hanna was a director of the Concordia Bank & Trust Company in Vidalia
Vidalia, Louisiana
Vidalia is a city in and the parish seat of Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,543 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Vidalia is located at and has an elevation of ....
, the largest independently owned bank in Louisiana, which has branches in Ferriday and other locations. He was twice president of the Ferriday 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...
and a former president of Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
in Ferriday. He served on the founding board of directors of the private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, Huntington High School in Ferriday.
Death and legacy
Hanna died at St. Francis Hospital in Monroe at the age of seventy-two from emphysemaEmphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
. He and his wife, Mary Sue Hanna (born July 22, 1937) of Ferriday, also had two daughters, Mary Linda Rocconi (born 1961) and husband, August Todd Rocconi (born 1966), of Monroe and Lesley Hanna Capdepon (born 1963) and husband, Charles Keith Capdepon (born 1958), of Newellton
Newellton, Louisiana
Newellton is a town in northern Tensas Parish in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population is 1,227 in the 2010 census, a decline of 255 from 2000. Newellton is some 65 percent African American. It is just west of the Mississippi River on Lake St. Joseph, an ox-bow lake....
, who is the parish engineer in Tensas Parish. He had three grandchildren and a daughter-in-law, the former Gena Crawford, the wife of son Sam Hanna, Jr. Though Hanna was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Ferriday, his services were held in the larger sanctuary of the First 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...
Church of Ferriday. Interment was at Old Winnsboro Cemetery in Winnsboro.
Hanna was inducted in 1993 into the LSU Manship J-School Hall of Fame in Baton Rouge. On that occasion, he was asked to address the state legislature and receive accolades for his work. In 1995, Hanna became among the relatively few journalists inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
. In 2004, Hanna was entered into the "50-Year Club" by the Louisiana Press Association, which he joined as a student journalist. After Hanna's death, the press association renamed its annual "Best Regular Column" as the “Sam Hanna Award.
Upon his death, Kathy Spurlock, executive editor of The News-Star, called Hanna "the dean of the state’s newspaper publishers, the most knowledgeable about state politics, certainly the one with the most institutional knowledge."
Al Ater
Al Ater
Alan Ray Ater , known as Al Ater, is a farmer and businessman from Ferriday, Louisiana, who served from 1984-1992 as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 21 in the eastern portion of his state....
, a Ferriday farmer who was a former state representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
and the acting Louisiana secretary of state at the time of Hanna's passing and an honorary pallbearer at the funeral (along with former U.S. Representative John Cooksey
John Cooksey
John Charles Cooksey, M.D. is an ophthalmologist who was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana from 1997 to 2003.-Early life:...
of Monroe and former State Representative Bryant Hammett
Bryant Hammett
Bryant O'Dare Hammett, Jr. , is a civil engineer and land surveyor from Ferriday in Concordia Parish in eastern Louisiana, who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992-2006....
of Ferriday), said that few individuals had "their finger on the pulse of politics in Louisiana more than he did. He had a sixth sense of the happenings of the political situation in this state -- police jury to governor, your source for information was Sam Hanna."
One of Hanna’s columns, "A 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...
Quail Hunt", which reflects his love of quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, was published annually in his papers. His son still runs the column each December in the three Hanna papers in his father's memory.