J. Howell Flournoy
Encyclopedia
Joseph Howell Flournoy was the sheriff
of Caddo Parish
based in Shreveport
, Louisiana
, from 1940 until his death in office. His 26-year tenure as the Caddo Parish sheriff has yet to be surpassed.
in southwestern Caddo Parish, Flournoy was the son of James Patteson "Pat" Flournoy, Sr., the Caddo Parish sheriff from 1906–1916, who had previously been the Shreveport municipal auditor, parish tax assessor, and coroner
, at a time when medical examiners in Louisiana need not have been medical doctors. Flournoy was the paternal grandson of 19th century Sheriff Alonzo Flournoy.
Flournoy was educated in public schools in Shreveport
and thereafter attended an unnamed business college. A Louisiana National Guard
sman, Flournoy was a United States Army
veteran of World War I
, with assignment on the Mexican
border. He was also as an instructor in a machine gun
school at Camp Hancock, Georgia
, and was commissioned a lieutenant
.
to the governorship. Hughes, known for his arrest of the controversial blues musician
Lead Belly, had succeeded J. Pat Flournoy as sheriff in 1916. As sheriff, J. Howell Flournoy in 1940 organized the Caddo Parish Selective Service board and trained an internal security group in Shreveport during World War II
. He spearheaded a measure to establish a pension and relief fund for sheriff's department employees. From 1950 until his death, except for one year, Flournoy headed the Louisiana Sheriff's Pension and Relief Fund.
Flournoy often received commendations for his work in law enforcement from J. Edgar Hoover
, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
. The defunct Shreveport Journal afternoon newspaper referred to Flournoy, accordingly, "A well-known conservative and a spokesman for patriotism
, Sheriff Flournoy spent his entire adult life striving to improve his department in all fields of duty and speaking out against anything or any group which he felt posed a threat to Americanism
. The sheriff and his department, ranked among the best and were often copied by other similar law agencies . . . he was also recognized for his well-known work with youth, including his Junior Rifle Program, nationally acclaimed.
Flournoy was originally a segregation
ist. When State Senator
William M. Rainach
of Claiborne Parish
telephoned Flournoy to inform him that an African American
Caddo deputy sheriff had spoken in support of racial integration
, Flournoy dismissed the man. In 1964, Flournoy, a Democrat
, broke party lines to endorse the Republican
presidential nominee, then U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
. Joining Flournoy in support of Goldwater, who spoke in Shreveport on September 17, were former Governors Sam Jones and Robert F. Kennon
, State Senator Jackson B. Davis
of Shreveport, Louisiana Secretary of State Wade O. Martin, Jr.
, Lieutenant Governor C. C. "Taddy" Aycock of Franklin
in St. Mary Parish
, and the then mayor
of Monroe, W. L. "Jack" Howard.
, Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce
, Order of the Eastern Star
, the Elks
, Masonic lodge
, and the Shriners
, a group which in the late 1920s located one of their children's hospital in Shreveport. He was president of the Caddo Rifle and Pistol Club from 1956 until his death. He was the first marshal of the Holiday in Dixie festival held each April in Shreveport.
Flournoy was married to the former Mary Bridges, a native of Morehouse Parish
near Monroe
, who moved to Shreveport with her family in 1913. The Flournoys had one daughter, Georgia Lou Flournoy Hodgson, who was living in Kuwait
at the time of her father's death.
Flournoy was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Shreveport until he helped to organize and then became an elder in the newer Broadmoor Presbyterian Church in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Shreveport. He died at Schumpert Hospital in Shreveport of cardiovascular disease
at the age of seventy-five. Flournoy and his wife are interred at Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport.
Flournoy had announced two months before his death that he would not seek reelection in 1967. He endorsed as his preferred successor his chief deputy, James M. Goslin (1915–2001), a Democrat originally from Calhoun
in western Ouachita Parish
in north Louisiana. As chief deputy, Goslin served the remainder of Flournoy's term and was then elected sheriff outright in 1967.
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 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...
based in 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....
, 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...
, from 1940 until his death in office. His 26-year tenure as the Caddo Parish sheriff has yet to be surpassed.
Background
A native of GreenwoodGreenwood, Louisiana
Greenwood is a town in southern Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,458 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport-Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.Greenwood was established in 1839...
in southwestern Caddo Parish, Flournoy was the son of James Patteson "Pat" Flournoy, Sr., the Caddo Parish sheriff from 1906–1916, who had previously been the Shreveport municipal auditor, parish tax assessor, and coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
, at a time when medical examiners in Louisiana need not have been medical doctors. Flournoy was the paternal grandson of 19th century Sheriff Alonzo Flournoy.
Flournoy was educated in public schools in 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....
and thereafter attended an unnamed business college. A Louisiana National Guard
Louisiana National Guard
The Louisiana National Guard consists of the:*Louisiana Army National Guard** includes the U.S. 256th Infantry Brigade*Louisiana Air National Guard-External links:*** compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History...
sman, Flournoy was a 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...
veteran of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, with assignment on the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
border. He was also as an instructor in a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
school at Camp Hancock, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and was commissioned a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
.
Public career
At seventeen, Flournoy became a deputy in the Caddo Parish sheriff's department, a position that he held from 1913-1928. He was hence a deputy under his father from 1913–1916, as were two of his brothers, James Flournoy, Jr., and George A. Flournoy. From 1928-1940, J. Howell Flournoy was a deputy Caddo Parish tax collector. In 1940, Flournoy was elected sheriff to succeed Thomas Roland Hughes in the same political cycle which brought Sam Houston Jones of Lake CharlesLake 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...
to the governorship. Hughes, known for his arrest of the controversial blues musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Lead Belly, had succeeded J. Pat Flournoy as sheriff in 1916. As sheriff, J. Howell Flournoy in 1940 organized the Caddo Parish Selective Service board and trained an internal security group in Shreveport 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...
. He spearheaded a measure to establish a pension and relief fund for sheriff's department employees. From 1950 until his death, except for one year, Flournoy headed the Louisiana Sheriff's Pension and Relief Fund.
Flournoy often received commendations for his work in law enforcement from J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
. The defunct Shreveport Journal afternoon newspaper referred to Flournoy, accordingly, "A well-known conservative and a spokesman for patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
, Sheriff Flournoy spent his entire adult life striving to improve his department in all fields of duty and speaking out against anything or any group which he felt posed a threat to Americanism
Americanism
Americanism may refer to:* Americanization* A word or phrase considered typical of American English, English as spoken in the United States* An attitude or conviction which gives special importance to the nation, national interest, political system, or culture of the United States* Americanism ,...
. The sheriff and his department, ranked among the best and were often copied by other similar law agencies . . . he was also recognized for his well-known work with youth, including his Junior Rifle Program, nationally acclaimed.
Flournoy was originally a segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
ist. When 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...
William M. Rainach
William M. Rainach
William Monroe Rainach, Sr., known as Willie Rainach , was a state legislator from rural Summerfield in Claiborne Parish who led Louisiana's "Massive Resistance" to desegregation during the last half of the 1950s...
of Claiborne Parish
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Claiborne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Homer and as of 2000, the population is 16,851.-History:The parish is named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne....
telephoned Flournoy to inform him that an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Caddo deputy sheriff had spoken in support of racial integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
, Flournoy dismissed the man. In 1964, Flournoy, a Democrat
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...
, broke party lines to endorse the 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...
presidential nominee, then U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
Arizona
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...
. Joining Flournoy in support of Goldwater, who spoke in Shreveport on September 17, were former Governors Sam Jones and 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....
, State Senator Jackson B. Davis
Jackson B. Davis
Jackson Beauregard Davis is an American attorney based in Shreveport, Louisiana, who served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate from 1956 to 1980. Now in his nineties, Davis still practices law and is active in community affairs, often addressing public gatherings...
of Shreveport, Louisiana 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...
, Lieutenant Governor C. C. "Taddy" Aycock of 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:...
, and the 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....
of Monroe, W. L. "Jack" Howard.
Personal life and death
In 1965, Flournoy was named the "Outstanding Conservative of the Year" by the Americanism Forum of Shreveport. He received other honors from the Progressive Men's Club and the American Society of Safety Engineers. Flournoy was affiliated with the American LegionAmerican 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...
, Lions Club, 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...
, Order of the Eastern Star
Order of the Eastern Star
The Order of the Eastern Star is a fraternal organization that both men and women can join. It was established in 1850 by Rob Morris, a lawyer and educator from Boston, Massachusetts, who had been an official with the Freemasons. It is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all...
, the Elks
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
, Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
, and the Shriners
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
, a group which in the late 1920s located one of their children's hospital in Shreveport. He was president of the Caddo Rifle and Pistol Club from 1956 until his death. He was the first marshal of the Holiday in Dixie festival held each April in Shreveport.
Flournoy was married to the former Mary Bridges, a native 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....
near 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...
, who moved to Shreveport with her family in 1913. The Flournoys had one daughter, Georgia Lou Flournoy Hodgson, who was living in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
at the time of her father's death.
Flournoy was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Shreveport until he helped to organize and then became an elder in the newer Broadmoor Presbyterian Church in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Shreveport. He died at Schumpert Hospital in Shreveport of cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
at the age of seventy-five. Flournoy and his wife are interred at Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport.
Flournoy had announced two months before his death that he would not seek reelection in 1967. He endorsed as his preferred successor his chief deputy, James M. Goslin (1915–2001), a Democrat originally from Calhoun
Calhoun, Louisiana
Calhoun is an unincorporated community in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. Its elevation is 177 feet , and it is located at . At the time of the most recent United States Census Survey, the number of people in Calhoun, LA was 1,965.Calhoun is located along Interstate 20 west of...
in western Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
-National protected areas:* Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge* D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 147,250 people, 55,216 households, and 38,319 families residing in the parish. The population density was 241 people per square mile...
in north Louisiana. As chief deputy, Goslin served the remainder of Flournoy's term and was then elected sheriff outright in 1967.