Clarence C. Aycock
Encyclopedia
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock (January 13, 1915 – January 6, 1987), a conservative Democrat
from Franklin
in St. Mary Parish
, was the only three-term lieutenant governor
in modern Louisiana
history. He served from 1960 to 1972. Aycock failed in his only bid for governor in the 1971 Democratic primary
. Few lieutenant governors in Louisiana have been elected directly to the governorship; former Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
, is a prominent exception.
Aycock was born in Franklin to Clarence A. Aycock (1885–1948) and the former Inez Crask. He received his law
degree in 1937 from Loyola University in New Orleans and launched his law practice in Franklin. He won the Bronze Star
while serving in Europe
during World War II
. In 1945, Aycock married the former Elaine Champagne (1918–2011). They had six children.
in 1952 and, though a freshman member, was tapped by incoming Governor Robert F. Kennon
as his choice for Speaker
. In Louisiana, House Speakers routinely have the recommendation of the governor regardless of the separation of powers between executive and legislative branches. He was reelected to the legislature in 1956 but was not recommended for retention as Speaker by Kennon's successor, Earl Kemp Long. Long instead called Lorris M. Wimberly
back as Speaker and then sent Wimberly to head the Department of Public Works in the summer of 1956. Wimberly's abrupt departure led to the accession of Speaker Robert Joseph "Bob" Angelle
of St. Martin Parish. Aycock was associated with the anti-Long faction
within the Louisiana Democratic Party.
While Aycock served as lieutenant governor and Speaker of the House, only John Hainkel
, a lawyer from New Orleans, was elected by both the Senate and the House to their respective highest positions of Senate President and House Speaker.
. In the 1974 Constitution, senators chose a "Senate President" to preside over the body, with a ceremonial President Pro Tem in the second position. These Senate presidents also have the recommendation of the governor.
Aycock and then Mayor
W. George Bowdon, Jr.
, of Alexandria
led the primary field in December 1959 and went into a January 1960 runoff. Losing candidates included sitting Governor Earl Long, who was actually waging his third campaign (the last two unsuccessful) for lieutenant governor, and Mayor William J. "Bill" White (December 25, 1910 – December 12, 1990) of Gretna
, the seat of Jefferson Parish, a ticket-mate of State Auditor William J. "Bill" Dodd, then of Baton Rouge. Aycock was Jimmie Davis
' choice for lieutenant governor; his intraparty rival, George Bowdon, was endorsed by the losing runoff candidate, New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Story Morrison, Sr.
In the general election
held on April 19, 1960, Aycock defeated Republican
Clark C. Boardman (October 14, 1887 - July 1965), a retired engineer
from Monroe
, the seat of Ouachita Parish. A native of Wisconsin
, Boardman received his Bachelor of Science
degree in mechanical engineering
in 1909 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Boardman and his wife, the former Ethel V. Martin (1889–1989), had one son, Grant Clinton Boardman (1925–2010), a Louisiana State University
graduate and an engineer with Sid W. Richardson
Carbon and Gas in Fort Worth
, Texas
, for much of his career.
Aycock polled 392,421 votes (83.2 percent) to Boardman's 68,186 (14.4 percent). (Vaughn L. Phelps (born 1920), also of Monroe, the nominee of the Louisiana States' Rights Party, received 11,299 votes, the remaining 2.4 percent.) Boardman, at seventy-two, did not wage an active campaign. He was the first Republican in modern times even to seek the lieutenant governor's position. Not until 1987, eleven months after Aycock's death, did a Republican, Paul Hardy
of St. Martinville
in St. Martin Parish, win the position, which has been otherwise reserved for Louisiana Democrats. In December 1963 – January 1964, Aycock ran as an "independent"
Democrat, meaning that he did not align himself to any gubernatorial candidate. He might have favored Robert Kennon, who was seeking a comeback as governor and who had made him Speaker, but he preferred to make his race alone. He was thrust into a runoff with Chep Morrison's next choice for the position, attorney Claude Berwick Duval
of Houma
from Terrebonne Parish
. Omitted in the primary was McKeithen's ticket-mate, former Mayor
Ashton J. Mouton
of Lafayette. Duval, a distinguished "old-school" orator, was as conservative as Aycock, but he, like his gubernatorial ticket mate Morrison, fared poorly in central and northern Louisiana. In 1968, Duval entered the state Senate for the first of three terms with his former rival, Lieutenant Governor Aycock, as the presiding officer. Duval and Aycock also had something else in common: they came from adjoining south Louisiana parishes, and both were in the anti-Long tradition of Louisiana politics.
, rather than his fellow Democrat, President Lyndon B. Johnson
. Governor John Julian McKeithen
, many of whose backers also voted for Aycock for the second position, remained neutral in the presidential race. The states' two powerful Democratic senators, Allen J. Ellender
of Houma and Russell B. Long
of Baton Rouge, however, endorsed the Johnson-Humphrey
elector slate. Goldwater won Louisiana's ten electoral votes: he was only the second Republican to have done so in modern times, the other having been Dwight D. Eisenhower
in 1956.
Several other Democrats joined Aycock in supporting Goldwater: Secretary of State Wade O. Martin, Jr.
, former Governors Sam Houston Jones of Lake Charles
and Robert Kennon of Minden
, Caddo Parish
Sheriff
J. Howell Flournoy
, Monroe
Mayor W.L. "Jack" Howard, and Plaquemines Parish political "boss" Leander H. Perez
. The Republicans held a rally at Tulane University
in New Orleans to honor Goldwater and former Democrat-turned-Republican Senator Strom Thurmond
of South Carolina
as well as the defecting Louisiana Democrats, with then congressional candidate David C. Treen
acting as master of ceremonies
. Goldwater and Thurmond also made a stop thereafter in Shrevport
.
for governor. The field was so crowded that the lieutenant governor never made it into the top tier of candidates, headed by then U.S. Representative Edwin Washington Edwards of Crowley
, State Senator
J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., of Shreveport, then former U.S. Representative Gillis William Long
of Alexandria, and former Governor Jimmie Davis, then of Baton Rouge. Aycock, the most conservative candidate in the field, finished in sixth place with 88,465 votes. Davis and Aycock, who had been the winning intraparty ticket in 1960, were opposing each other in 1971. As it turned out, neither was a serious factor in the race.
In 1971, the runoff featured the newer, more moderate candidates, Edwards and Johnston. Edwards narrowly won the second primary and then went on to defeat Republican David Treen, then of Jefferson Parish, in the general election held on February 1, 1972.
Eleven candidates, ten Democratic and one Republican, entered the race to succeed Aycock, including two bankers, outgoing State Representative P.J. Mills
of Shreveport and State Senator Jamar Adcock
of Monroe
, and two candidates from Webster Parish
, state Representative Parey P. Branton and businessman Edward Kennon
, later a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
. The eventual Democratic nominee, Jimmy Fitzmorris
, a former member of the New Orleans Cith Council, easily defeated the Republican choice, Treen's running-mate, former state Representative Morley A. Hudson
of Shreveport.
). He supported the French
heritage movement and the Acadiana Regional Airport in New Iberia
in Iberia Parish.
At the time of his death, he was serving in an advisory capacity with Louisiana Land & Exploration Co. He died in the first few days of 1987, another primary election year for governor and other state constitutional offices. Survivors included his wife; three sons, Dr. Kenneth J. Aycock (born 1949), Joseph Wesley "Jody" Aycock (born 1947) and Larry Thomas Aycock (born 1955) and three daughters, Mrs. Dirk (Barbara) Ory (born 1946), Mrs. Michael (Mary Margaret) Valse (born 1951), and Mrs. Greg (Susan) Fleniken (born 1958), his sister, Mrs. Steven (Mary Ida Aycock) Dupuis (November 17, 1918 - February 27, 2009), and his stepmother, Amy W. Aycock (December 19, 1909 - May 29, 2006). He is buried in the Franklin Cemetery in Franklin, Louisiana
.
Conservative Democrat
In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a Democratic Party member with conservative political views, or with views relatively conservative with respect to those of the national party...
from Franklin
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
, was the only three-term lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
in modern 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...
history. He served from 1960 to 1972. Aycock failed in his only bid for governor in the 1971 Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. Few lieutenant governors in Louisiana have been elected directly to the governorship; former Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco 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...
, is a prominent exception.
Aycock was born in Franklin to Clarence A. Aycock (1885–1948) and the former Inez Crask. He received his law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
degree in 1937 from Loyola University in New Orleans and launched his law practice in Franklin. He won the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
while serving in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
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...
. In 1945, Aycock married the former Elaine Champagne (1918–2011). They had six children.
Speaker of the Louisiana House, 1952
Aycock was elected to the Louisiana House of RepresentativesLouisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
in 1952 and, though a freshman member, was tapped by incoming 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....
as his choice for 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...
. In Louisiana, House Speakers routinely have the recommendation of the governor regardless of the separation of powers between executive and legislative branches. He was reelected to the legislature in 1956 but was not recommended for retention as Speaker by Kennon's successor, Earl Kemp Long. Long instead called Lorris M. Wimberly
Lorris M. Wimberly
Lorris May Wimberly, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1928–1940 and again from 1948-1956. A native and resident of Arcadia, the seat of Bienville Parish in north Louisiana, Wimberly was House Speaker from 1936–1940, 1950–1952, and from May 14-July 10, 1956...
back as Speaker and then sent Wimberly to head the Department of Public Works in the summer of 1956. Wimberly's abrupt departure led to the accession of Speaker Robert Joseph "Bob" Angelle
Bob Angelle
Robert Joseph Angelle, known as Bob Angelle , was a businessman and politician from Breaux Bridge in St. Martin Parish, who was the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1957-1960, the last term of Governor Earl Kemp Long. Angelle was part of the powerful Long faction of Louisiana...
of St. Martin Parish. Aycock was associated with the anti-Long 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...
within the Louisiana Democratic Party.
While Aycock served as lieutenant governor and Speaker of the House, only John Hainkel
John Hainkel
John Joseph Hainkel, Jr., was a gregarious, ruffled, and raspy-voiced legislator from New Orleans who died in office after thirty-seven years of service...
, a lawyer from New Orleans, was elected by both the Senate and the House to their respective highest positions of Senate President and House Speaker.
Election as lieutenant governor, 1960 & 1964
Aycock first won the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in 1959 – 1960. At that time, under the Louisiana Constitution of 1921, the lieutenant governor presided over the state SenateLouisiana 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...
. In the 1974 Constitution, senators chose a "Senate President" to preside over the body, with a ceremonial President Pro Tem in the second position. These Senate presidents also have the recommendation of the governor.
Aycock and then Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
W. George Bowdon, Jr.
W. George Bowdon, Jr.
William George Bowdon, Jr., was the Democratic mayor of Alexandria, the largest city in central Louisiana, from 1953–1969. At thirty-one, he was the youngest mayor in his city's history and the first to serve a four-year, instead of a two-year, term...
, of Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
led the primary field in December 1959 and went into a January 1960 runoff. Losing candidates included sitting Governor Earl Long, who was actually waging his third campaign (the last two unsuccessful) for lieutenant governor, and Mayor William J. "Bill" White (December 25, 1910 – December 12, 1990) of Gretna
Gretna, Louisiana
The city of Gretna is the parish seat of Jefferson Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. Gretna is on the west bank of the Mississippi River, just east and across the river from uptown New Orleans. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the seat of Jefferson Parish, a ticket-mate of State Auditor William J. "Bill" Dodd, then of Baton Rouge. Aycock was Jimmie Davis
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
' choice for lieutenant governor; his intraparty rival, George Bowdon, was endorsed by the losing runoff candidate, New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Story Morrison, Sr.
In the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
held on April 19, 1960, Aycock defeated 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...
Clark C. Boardman (October 14, 1887 - July 1965), a retired engineer
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,...
from 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 seat of Ouachita Parish. A native of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Boardman received his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
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...
in 1909 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Boardman and his wife, the former Ethel V. Martin (1889–1989), had one son, Grant Clinton Boardman (1925–2010), a 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...
graduate and an engineer with Sid W. Richardson
Sid W. Richardson
Sid Williams Richardson was a Texas oilman, cattleman, and philanthropist known for his association with the city of Fort Worth....
Carbon and Gas in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, 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...
, for much of his career.
Aycock polled 392,421 votes (83.2 percent) to Boardman's 68,186 (14.4 percent). (Vaughn L. Phelps (born 1920), also of Monroe, the nominee of the Louisiana States' Rights Party, received 11,299 votes, the remaining 2.4 percent.) Boardman, at seventy-two, did not wage an active campaign. He was the first Republican in modern times even to seek the lieutenant governor's position. Not until 1987, eleven months after Aycock's death, did a Republican, Paul Hardy
Paul Hardy
Paul Jude Hardy is a Baton Rouge attorney who was the first Republican to have been elected lieutenant governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction...
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...
in St. Martin Parish, win the position, which has been otherwise reserved for Louisiana Democrats. In December 1963 – January 1964, Aycock ran as an "independent"
Democrat, meaning that he did not align himself to any gubernatorial candidate. He might have favored Robert Kennon, who was seeking a comeback as governor and who had made him Speaker, but he preferred to make his race alone. He was thrust into a runoff with Chep Morrison's next choice for the position, attorney Claude Berwick Duval
Claude B. Duval
Claude Berwick Duval, I , was a Houma, Louisiana, attorney and a conservative Democratic state senator from Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes, having served from 1968 to 1980...
of Houma
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
from Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
. Omitted in the primary was McKeithen's ticket-mate, former Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Ashton J. Mouton
Ashton J. Mouton
Ashton Joseph Mouton, Sr. , was a United States businessman and politician who became, at thirty-one, the youngest mayor in the history of Lafayette, Louisiana. A Democrat, Mouton was elected mayor in 1948. He served two four-year terms and left office in 1956...
of Lafayette. Duval, a distinguished "old-school" orator, was as conservative as Aycock, but he, like his gubernatorial ticket mate Morrison, fared poorly in central and northern Louisiana. In 1968, Duval entered the state Senate for the first of three terms with his former rival, Lieutenant Governor Aycock, as the presiding officer. Duval and Aycock also had something else in common: they came from adjoining south Louisiana parishes, and both were in the anti-Long tradition of Louisiana politics.
Endorsing Goldwater for president, 1964
In the fall of 1964, Aycock endorsed Republican presidential nominee Barry M. Goldwater of ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, rather than his fellow Democrat, President Lyndon B. 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...
. Governor John Julian McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
, many of whose backers also voted for Aycock for the second position, remained neutral in the presidential race. The states' two powerful Democratic senators, Allen J. Ellender
Allen J. Ellender
Allen Joseph Ellender was a popular U.S. senator from Houma, Louisiana , who served from 1937 until his death. He was a Democrat who was originally allied with the legendary Huey Pierce Long, Jr.. As Senator he compiled a generally conservative record, voting 77% of the time with the Conservative...
of Houma and 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:...
of Baton Rouge, however, endorsed the Johnson-Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
elector slate. Goldwater won Louisiana's ten electoral votes: he was only the second Republican to have done so in modern times, the other having been Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
in 1956.
Several other Democrats joined Aycock in supporting Goldwater: Secretary of State Wade O. Martin, Jr.
Wade O. Martin, Jr.
Wade Omer Martin, Jr. was the Democratic Secretary of State of Louisiana under five governors, having served from 1944 to 1976...
, former Governors Sam Houston Jones of Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
and Robert Kennon 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...
, 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...
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....
J. Howell Flournoy
J. Howell Flournoy
Joseph Howell Flournoy was the sheriff of Caddo Parish based in Shreveport, Louisiana, from 1940 until his death in office...
, 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...
Mayor W.L. "Jack" Howard, and Plaquemines Parish political "boss" Leander H. Perez
Leander Perez
Leander Henry Perez, Sr. , was the Democratic political boss of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes in southeastern Louisiana during the middle third of the 20th century. Officially, he served as a district judge, later as district attorney, and as president of the Plaquemines Parish Commission...
. The Republicans held a rally at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans to honor Goldwater and former Democrat-turned-Republican Senator Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
as well as the defecting Louisiana Democrats, with then congressional candidate 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...
acting as master of ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
. Goldwater and Thurmond also made a stop thereafter in Shrevport
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....
.
McKeithen blocks Aycock's aspirations, 1967
Aycock had planned to seek the governorship in the 1967 Democratic primary, but he ran into a major roadblock. In 1966, McKeithen proposed a change to the state's term limits law, and Amendment 1 was adopted into the state Constitution on November 8, 1966. The amendment allows a Louisiana governor to be elected to two consecutive four-year terms, but not a third-term unless he first sits out a term. When Aycock gauged how powerful McKeithen had become, he backed away from a gubernatorial challenge and ran instead for reelection as lieutenant governor, again without tying himself to any gubernatorial candidate. He had no serious opposition for his third term.Running for governor, 1971
Aycock presumably could have had a fourth term as lieutenant governor for the asking, but he entered the 1971 Democratic primaryLouisiana gubernatorial election, 1971-72
The Louisiana gubernatorial election of 1971–1972 was held in three rounds. The two Democratic Party primaries were held on November 6 and December 8, 1971...
for governor. The field was so crowded that the lieutenant governor never made it into the top tier of candidates, headed by then U.S. Representative Edwin Washington Edwards 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...
, State Senator
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...
J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., of Shreveport, then former U.S. Representative Gillis William Long
Gillis William Long
Gillis William Long was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Louisiana and member of the Long family. Long served seven non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives but placed third in two campaigns for the Democratic gubernatorial nominations in 1963 and 1971...
of Alexandria, and former Governor Jimmie Davis, then of Baton Rouge. Aycock, the most conservative candidate in the field, finished in sixth place with 88,465 votes. Davis and Aycock, who had been the winning intraparty ticket in 1960, were opposing each other in 1971. As it turned out, neither was a serious factor in the race.
In 1971, the runoff featured the newer, more moderate candidates, Edwards and Johnston. Edwards narrowly won the second primary and then went on to defeat Republican David Treen, then of Jefferson Parish, in the general election held on February 1, 1972.
Eleven candidates, ten Democratic and one Republican, entered the race to succeed Aycock, including two bankers, outgoing State Representative P.J. Mills
P.J. Mills
Percy Joseph Mills, Jr., known as P. J. Mills , is a retired businessman residing in New Orleans, Louisiana, who served from 1968-1972 as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish in the northwestern corner of the state.Known as one of the...
of Shreveport and State Senator Jamar Adcock
Jamar Adcock
Jamar William Adcock was a high-profile banker and a Democratic state senator from Monroe, Louisiana, who served from 1960 to 1972...
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...
, and two candidates from 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....
, state Representative Parey P. Branton and businessman Edward Kennon
Edward Kennon
Francis Edward Kennon, Jr. , usually known as Ed Kennon is a multi-millionaire Shreveport real-estate developer and a former Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the regulatory body for oil, natural gas, and utilities. He represented north Louisiana on the commission for...
, later a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
. The eventual Democratic nominee, Jimmy Fitzmorris
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...
, a former member of the New Orleans Cith Council, easily defeated the Republican choice, Treen's running-mate, former state Representative Morley A. Hudson
Morley A. Hudson
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...
of Shreveport.
Aycock's legacy
Aycock never sought another office but returned to Franklin to practice law. He pushed for the name change of Southwestern Louisiana Institute to the University of Southwestern Louisiana (since University of Louisiana at LafayetteUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
). He supported the French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
heritage movement and the Acadiana Regional Airport in New Iberia
New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia is a city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747...
in Iberia Parish.
At the time of his death, he was serving in an advisory capacity with Louisiana Land & Exploration Co. He died in the first few days of 1987, another primary election year for governor and other state constitutional offices. Survivors included his wife; three sons, Dr. Kenneth J. Aycock (born 1949), Joseph Wesley "Jody" Aycock (born 1947) and Larry Thomas Aycock (born 1955) and three daughters, Mrs. Dirk (Barbara) Ory (born 1946), Mrs. Michael (Mary Margaret) Valse (born 1951), and Mrs. Greg (Susan) Fleniken (born 1958), his sister, Mrs. Steven (Mary Ida Aycock) Dupuis (November 17, 1918 - February 27, 2009), and his stepmother, Amy W. Aycock (December 19, 1909 - May 29, 2006). He is buried in the Franklin Cemetery in Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.