Gerry E. Hinton
Encyclopedia
Gerry Earl Hinton was a pioneer in the chiropractic
profession from Slidell
, Louisiana
, and served from 1984 to 1996 as a member of the Louisiana State Senate
from District 11 (suburban New Orleans: St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes).
in 1983, but switched parties and won as a Republican
in the nonpartisan blanket primaries of 1987 and 1991. He did not seek a fourth term in the 1995 primary and was succeeded by fellow Republican Tom Schedler
of Slidell.
Prior to his Senate tenure, Dr. Hinton was among a dozen doctors who worked for passage of the state's chiropractic licensing act. Louisiana was the last of the fifty states to pass a chiropractic licensing act. Hinton was at the ceremony in 1974, when then Governor Edwin Washington Edwards signed the legislation. Hinton then served for nine years as a member of the Louisiana Board of Chiropractic Examiners and in 1984, the year his Senate tenure began, was designated "Chiropractor of the Year" by his peers.
Senator Hinton was a member of the Labor/Industrial Relations Committee, and the chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. He was instrumental in helping ensure chiropractic inclusion in health maintenance organization
s and the Medicaid
program.
In his first election as a Republican on October 24, 1987, Hinton polled 26,178 votes (61.9 percent). Three opponents, another Republican, a Democrat, and a "No Party" candidate, shared the remaining 38.1 percent of the ballots. In the primary held on October 19, 1991, Hinton defeated two Democratic challengers, having received 19,938 votes (55.8 percent).
Hinton was a native of Columbia
in Marion County
in southwestern Mississippi
. He graduated from Slidell High School
and served in the United States Army
in the Korean War
. He received his bachelor's degree
from Southeastern Louisiana University
in Hammond
in Tangipahoa Parish. He received his chiropractor credentials from Texas Chiropractic College
in Pasadena
near Houston
.
Long involved in community affairs, Hinton was a member of the Jaycees
, the American Legion
, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks lodge. He was a member of the First Baptist
Church of Slidell. Prior to his state Senate service, Hinton served for sixteen years on the Slidell City Council. Tom Schedler also began his political career on the city council. So did current District 90 State Representative Greg Cromer
of Slidell.
took its toll on his health. He died at his home in Slidell two days after his seventieth birthday. He was survived by his wife, the former Alice Jayne Glaser (born February 13, 1934), a son, Glynn Earl Hinton (born ca. 1960), and a daughter, Jill Hinton Lashouto. Interment was at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Slidell.
At the time of Dr. Hinton's death, flags were flown at half-staff in Slidell. Then Slidell Mayor
Sam Caruso said that Hinton "did more for this city and area than most people know. As a senator, he was responsible for millions in state dollars spent on Slidell projects."
In 2008, A.G. Crowe, who holds Hinton's former Senate seat, praised both Hinton and the late State Representative Edward C. Scogin
, also of Slidell, for their "foresight" in making sure that the infrastructure
in St. Tammany Parish kept up with the population, which could reach nearly 300,000 in the 2010 census
. Crowe noted in a statement at dedication ceremonies that he considers both Hinton and Scogn as the prime sponsors of the Fremeaux interchange on Interstate 10
.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
profession from Slidell
Slidell, Louisiana
Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000...
, 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...
, and served from 1984 to 1996 as a member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from District 11 (suburban New Orleans: St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes).
Senatorial service
Hinton was elected as a DemocratDemocratic 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...
in 1983, but switched parties and won as 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 nonpartisan blanket primaries of 1987 and 1991. He did not seek a fourth term in the 1995 primary and was succeeded by fellow Republican Tom Schedler
Tom Schedler
John Thomas Schedler, known as Tom Schedler , is a politician from suburban St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA, who served as the District 11 Louisiana state senator from 1996 to 2008, when he was term-limited after twelve years...
of Slidell.
Prior to his Senate tenure, Dr. Hinton was among a dozen doctors who worked for passage of the state's chiropractic licensing act. Louisiana was the last of the fifty states to pass a chiropractic licensing act. Hinton was at the ceremony in 1974, when then Governor Edwin Washington Edwards signed the legislation. Hinton then served for nine years as a member of the Louisiana Board of Chiropractic Examiners and in 1984, the year his Senate tenure began, was designated "Chiropractor of the Year" by his peers.
Senator Hinton was a member of the Labor/Industrial Relations Committee, and the chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. He was instrumental in helping ensure chiropractic inclusion in health maintenance organization
Health maintenance organization
A health maintenance organization is an organization that provides managed care for health insurance contracts in the United States as a liaison with health care providers...
s and the Medicaid
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
program.
In his first election as a Republican on October 24, 1987, Hinton polled 26,178 votes (61.9 percent). Three opponents, another Republican, a Democrat, and a "No Party" candidate, shared the remaining 38.1 percent of the ballots. In the primary held on October 19, 1991, Hinton defeated two Democratic challengers, having received 19,938 votes (55.8 percent).
Hinton was a native of Columbia
Columbia, Mississippi
Columbia is a city in Marion County, Mississippi, United States, which was formed six years before Mississippi was admitted to statehood. Columbia was named for Columbia, South Carolina, from which many of the early settlers had migrated. The population was 6,603 as of the 2000 census. It is the...
in Marion County
Marion County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 25,595 people, 9,336 households, and 6,880 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 10,395 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
in southwestern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He graduated from Slidell High School
Slidell High School
Slidell High School is a public school for grades nine through twelve located in Slidell, Louisiana. It is part of the St. Tammany Parish Public School District and serves portions of west and central Slidell.-Notable alumni:...
and served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. 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...
from Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
in Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
in Tangipahoa Parish. He received his chiropractor credentials from Texas Chiropractic College
Texas Chiropractic College
Texas Chiropractic College is a chiropractic college located in Pasadena, Texas, United States, near Houston.Alumni include Louisiana State Senator Gerry E. Hinton , a chiropractor in Slidell who worked to obtain the licensing of his profession...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, Texas
Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 17th-largest in Texas, and 162nd largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston....
near Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
Long involved in community affairs, Hinton was a member of the Jaycees
Junior Chamber International
Junior Chamber International is the only worldwide non-political and non-sectarian youth service organization. It is an international community of citizens between the ages of to with the aim and purpose of creating positive changes in the world...
, the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks lodge. He was 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 of Slidell. Prior to his state Senate service, Hinton served for sixteen years on the Slidell City Council. Tom Schedler also began his political career on the city council. So did current District 90 State Representative Greg Cromer
Greg Cromer (Louisiana politician)
George Gregory Cromer, known as Greg Cromer , has been since 2008 a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 90 in St. Tammany Parish...
of Slidell.
Death and legacy
Hinton continued his medical practice until lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
took its toll on his health. He died at his home in Slidell two days after his seventieth birthday. He was survived by his wife, the former Alice Jayne Glaser (born February 13, 1934), a son, Glynn Earl Hinton (born ca. 1960), and a daughter, Jill Hinton Lashouto. Interment was at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Slidell.
At the time of Dr. Hinton's death, flags were flown at half-staff in Slidell. Then Slidell Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Sam Caruso said that Hinton "did more for this city and area than most people know. As a senator, he was responsible for millions in state dollars spent on Slidell projects."
In 2008, A.G. Crowe, who holds Hinton's former Senate seat, praised both Hinton and the late State Representative Edward C. Scogin
Ed Scogin
Edward C. Scogin, known as Ed Scogin , was from 1972-1992 a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Slidell in St. Tammany Parish in suburban New Orleans, Louisiana, known as a fiscal watchdog over state government...
, also of Slidell, for their "foresight" in making sure that the infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
in St. Tammany Parish kept up with the population, which could reach nearly 300,000 in the 2010 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. Crowe noted in a statement at dedication ceremonies that he considers both Hinton and Scogn as the prime sponsors of the Fremeaux interchange on Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
.