William C. Feazel
Encyclopedia
William Crosson Feazel was a short-term United States Senator from Louisiana
. Born near Farmerville
, the seat of Union Parish
, he attended the public schools and engaged as an independent oil
and natural gas
producer.
Feazel was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from 1932-1936. He was appointed by Governor Earl Kemp Long on May 18, 1948, as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by the death of John H. Overton
. Feazel served from May 18 to December 30, 1948. He was not a candidate for election to the vacancy in 1948 and resumed the oil and gas business in Monroe
and Shreveport
. His U.S. Senate seat went to his fellow Democrat, Russell B. Long
, the son of Huey P. Long, Jr.
, who first defeated future Governor Robert F. Kennon
of Minden
in the Democratic primary and then topped the Shreveport oilman Clem S. Clarke, a Republican
, in the general election
.
In 1960, Feazel was a presidential elector for the successful Kennedy
-Johnson
ticket, along with Attorney General Jack P.F. Gremillion
and Municipal Judge Edmund Reggie
of Crowley
in Acadia Parish
.
Feazel's daughter, Lallage Feazel (1913–1999), married Shady R. Wall
(1922–1985), a banker from West Monroe
and a Democratic member of the Louisiana House from 1948–1956 and again from 1968-1984. He was a resident of West Monroe
and a member of the First Baptist
Church there. The Feazel Chapel, attached to First Baptist, West Monroe, is named in his honor. He died in Shreveport and is interred at Hasley Cemetery in West Monroe.
Bill Dodd, former Louisiana lieutenant governor and education superintendent, describes Feazel as "very quiet and laid back in his outward appearance. His expressions seldom changed no matter what the circumstance. But he rewarded his friends and punished his enemies. And after he helped elect a man to high office, he expected that man to do what was right. He did not want to be and was not a power broker. He was independently wealthy and never asked a favor for himself from one he had helped to elect."
Dodd also noted that Earl Long was particularly friendly toward Feazel, whom he appointed to the U.S. Senate vacancy in 1948. However, Huey Long was partial to Feazel's intraparty rival, James A. Noe
, also from Monroe, who served briefly as governor in 1936.
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...
. Born near Farmerville
Farmerville, Louisiana
Farmerville is a town in and the parish seat of Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,808 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the seat of Union Parish
Union Parish, Louisiana
Union Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Farmerville....
, he attended the public schools and engaged as an independent oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
producer.
Feazel was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
from 1932-1936. He was appointed by Governor Earl Kemp Long on May 18, 1948, as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy created by the death of John H. Overton
John H. Overton
John Holmes Overton was an attorney and Democratic United States representative and U.S. senator from Louisiana...
. Feazel served from May 18 to December 30, 1948. He was not a candidate for election to the vacancy in 1948 and resumed the oil and gas business in 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...
and Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. His U.S. Senate seat went to his fellow Democrat, Russell B. Long
Russell B. Long
Russell Billiu Long was an American Democratic politician and United States Senator from Louisiana from 1948 until 1987.-Early life:...
, the son of Huey P. Long, Jr.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
, who first defeated future Governor Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
of 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 the Democratic primary and then topped the Shreveport oilman Clem S. Clarke, 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...
, 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...
.
In 1960, Feazel was a presidential elector for the successful Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
-Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
ticket, along with Attorney General Jack P.F. Gremillion
Jack P.F. Gremillion
Jack Paul Faustin Gremillion, Sr. , was the Democratic attorney general of Louisiana from 1956-1972. He was a member of the Earl Kemp Long political faction. Though he opposed school desegregation, he was a party loyalist and was an elector for the John F. Kennedy--Lyndon B. Johnson presidential...
and Municipal Judge Edmund Reggie
Edmund Reggie
Edmund M. Reggie, Sr. , is a Democratic politician and former city judge from Louisiana. Reggie is originally from the rice-growing city of Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish, but resides in Lafayette. He still claims that he maintains the record of being the youngest person to serve as a judge in...
of Crowley
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
in Acadia Parish
Acadia Parish, Louisiana
Acadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Crowley. According to the 2010 census, the population of Acadia Parish is 61,773. The parish was founded from parts of St...
.
Feazel's daughter, Lallage Feazel (1913–1999), married Shady R. Wall
Shady Wall
Shady Robert Wall was a banker and philanthropist from West Monroe, Louisiana, who served nonconsecutively as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948–1956 and 1968-1984. Wall is remembered for his colorful dress, speeding in his Rolls Royce, flamboyant personality,...
(1922–1985), a banker from West Monroe
West Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and a Democratic member of the Louisiana House from 1948–1956 and again from 1968-1984. He was a resident of 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....
and a member 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 there. The Feazel Chapel, attached to First Baptist, West Monroe, is named in his honor. He died in Shreveport and is interred at Hasley Cemetery in West Monroe.
Bill Dodd, former Louisiana lieutenant governor and education superintendent, describes Feazel as "very quiet and laid back in his outward appearance. His expressions seldom changed no matter what the circumstance. But he rewarded his friends and punished his enemies. And after he helped elect a man to high office, he expected that man to do what was right. He did not want to be and was not a power broker. He was independently wealthy and never asked a favor for himself from one he had helped to elect."
Dodd also noted that Earl Long was particularly friendly toward Feazel, whom he appointed to the U.S. Senate vacancy in 1948. However, Huey Long was partial to Feazel's intraparty rival, James A. Noe
James A. Noe
James Albert Noe, Sr. of Monroe served for three and a half months as the 43rd Governor of Louisiana after the death of Oscar K. Allen on January 28, 1936....
, also from Monroe, who served briefly as governor in 1936.