Jack Donahue (Louisiana politician)
Encyclopedia
John Leo Donahue, Jr., known as Jack Donahue (born August 19, 1944) is a building contractor and philanthropist
in Mandeville
, Louisiana
, who is a Republican
member of the Louisiana State Senate
from District 11 (St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes). A runaway winner in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007, Donahue, with 64.5 percent of the ballots, defeated fellow Republican Pete Schneider
of Slidell
, a term-limited member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
. Donahue carried the backing of the outgoing senator, Tom Schedler
, also of Mandeville and similarly term-limited under Louisiana law. Late in 2010, Schedler became the Louisiana Secretary of State.
area, was born to John L. Donahue, Sr. (1920–1993), a contractor, and the former Rita Marie De Lesseps (1922–1993), a real estate
agent and homemaker. The parents died within six months of each other. Donahue has a brother, Terrence Michael Donahue (born 1953), and two sisters, Kathleen Marie Donahue (born 1942) and Patricia Donahue (born 1956), all of Mandeville. He received a degree in civil engineering
in 1967 from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
. He then pursued graduate studies in advanced foundation design from Tulane University
in New Orleans. In 1970, Donahue and his father formed Spartan Building Corporation. In 1979, Donahue started his own firm, the still extant Jack Donahue Contractors.
In 1986, Donahue joined his friend Robert F. Favret in DonahueFavret Contractors, Inc. The firm has sixty employees, with $70 million in annual sales. It is the largest construction company on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain
. DonahueFavret clients have included Albertson’s
, Pep Boys
, Target
, Circuit City, Lowe's
, Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn
, Best Western
, the United States Coast Guard
, and the U.S. Postal Service. The firm has garnered prestigious awards, including a citation from the Vieux Carré Commission
for restoration of historic buildings in New Orleans. It has garnered the Platinum Step Award granted by his fellow contractors. In 2007, Donahue received $11 million in constructions contracts from the gambling industry in Louisiana.
Donahue is a founding member of local and state chapters of the trade association
, the Associated Builders and Contractors and a former national board member of the organization. Donahue is chairman of DFV; his son, John L. Donahue, III (born September 28, 1966), is president, and Robert Favret is executive vice president and vice president of estimating. Donahue's second wife, the former Maura Walsh (born July 9, 1950), is the company vice president of business development. Jack and Maura Donahue have a blended family of six children and, as of 2009, sixteen grandchildren. Maura is also a vice chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross
, and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. After Hurrican Katrina, Donahue helped bring his own employees to safety and then opened his company for the Red Cross to establish a financial aid center. From his office, more than $2 million dollars of aid was dispatched to some two thousand persons who lined up at his door.He also established Suited for Success, a charitable organization which helped persons who had lost their business clothing from Katrina to begin the process of re-establishing themselves. The gesture was highlighted on Cable News Network's 2006 special "The Silver Lining".
Donahue is active in Mary Queen of Peace Catholic
Church and is a board member of the Catholic Foundation. He is a Bible
study group leader at his company.
Donahue is a former chairman and board member of the "good-government" interest group, the Public Affairs Research Council. He has been affiliated with the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
, and the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce
, which has honored him as "Business Person of the Year". Donahue has served on the St. Tammany Economic and Industrial Development District. With three fellow businessmen, he created the Business Congress of Louisiana.
, then of Metairie
in Jefferson Parish
, who was defeated by the Democrat
Edwin Washington Edwards. Thereafter, Treen became in 1973 Louisiana’s first GOP
U.S. Representative and then governor in 1980. Upon Treen’s death in 2009, Donahue, U.S. Senator David Vitter
, and others described the former governor as "the father of the Republican Party in Louisiana."
In 2009, Governor Bobby Jindal
named Donahue chairman of the Louisiana Commission on Streamlining Government, with Roy O. Martin, III, an Alexandria
industrialist, as the vice-chairman. Donahue's House colleague, Brett Geymann
of Lake Charles
, is another member. On October 25, 2009, Donahue said that the state must reduce spending: "There is no doubt that we are going to have to reduce state spending, not only to deal with our short-term budget limitations, but also to move toward a more prudent and focused use of taxpayers’ dollars."
In the fall of 2009, Donahue announced that he was relocating his Senate office from Covington
, the seat of St. Tammany Parish, to his business address, 3030 East Causeway Approach in Mandeville. The relocation saves taxpayers the cost of rent in another building because office space is not funded if it is located on the premises of a lawmaker's private business.
To win his second term in the Senate, Donahue polled more than 80 percent of the vote in the primary held on October 22, 2011, having defeated fellow Republican Gary J. Leonard.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
in Mandeville
Mandeville, Louisiana
Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,421 in 2008. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs...
, 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...
, who is 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...
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 (St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes). A runaway winner in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007, Donahue, with 64.5 percent of the ballots, defeated fellow Republican Pete Schneider
Pete Schneider (Louisiana politician)
Matthew Peter Schneider, III, known as Pete Schneider , is a Slidell, Louisiana, businessman who served four terms between 1992 and 2008 as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 90, which encompasses his St. Tammany Parish...
of 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...
, a term-limited member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
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...
. Donahue carried the backing of the outgoing senator, 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...
, also of Mandeville and similarly term-limited under Louisiana law. Late in 2010, Schedler became the Louisiana Secretary of State.
Early years, education, business
Donahue, a native of the New OrleansNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
area, was born to John L. Donahue, Sr. (1920–1993), a contractor, and the former Rita Marie De Lesseps (1922–1993), a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
agent and homemaker. The parents died within six months of each other. Donahue has a brother, Terrence Michael Donahue (born 1953), and two sisters, Kathleen Marie Donahue (born 1942) and Patricia Donahue (born 1956), all of Mandeville. He received a degree in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
in 1967 from 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...
in 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...
. He then pursued graduate studies in advanced foundation design from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans. In 1970, Donahue and his father formed Spartan Building Corporation. In 1979, Donahue started his own firm, the still extant Jack Donahue Contractors.
In 1986, Donahue joined his friend Robert F. Favret in DonahueFavret Contractors, Inc. The firm has sixty employees, with $70 million in annual sales. It is the largest construction company on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
. DonahueFavret clients have included Albertson’s
Albertsons LLC
Albertsons LLC is a North American grocery company based in Boise, Idaho, with over 240 supermarkets located in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Florida under the Albertson's and Super Saver Foods banners...
, Pep Boys
Pep Boys
The Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack , branded as Pep Boys Auto and commonly abbreviated as Pep Boys, is a full-service and tire automotive aftermarket chain....
, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, Circuit City, Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
, Embassy Suites, Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, Best Western
Best Western
Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
, the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, and the U.S. Postal Service. The firm has garnered prestigious awards, including a citation from the Vieux Carré Commission
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
for restoration of historic buildings in New Orleans. It has garnered the Platinum Step Award granted by his fellow contractors. In 2007, Donahue received $11 million in constructions contracts from the gambling industry in Louisiana.
Donahue is a founding member of local and state chapters of the trade association
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
, the Associated Builders and Contractors and a former national board member of the organization. Donahue is chairman of DFV; his son, John L. Donahue, III (born September 28, 1966), is president, and Robert Favret is executive vice president and vice president of estimating. Donahue's second wife, the former Maura Walsh (born July 9, 1950), is the company vice president of business development. Jack and Maura Donahue have a blended family of six children and, as of 2009, sixteen grandchildren. Maura is also a vice chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Philanthropic work
Donahue has a long record of community involvement, including the American Heart AssociationAmerican Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
, Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. After Hurrican Katrina, Donahue helped bring his own employees to safety and then opened his company for the Red Cross to establish a financial aid center. From his office, more than $2 million dollars of aid was dispatched to some two thousand persons who lined up at his door.He also established Suited for Success, a charitable organization which helped persons who had lost their business clothing from Katrina to begin the process of re-establishing themselves. The gesture was highlighted on Cable News Network's 2006 special "The Silver Lining".
Donahue is active in Mary Queen of Peace Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Church and is a board member of the Catholic Foundation. He is a Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
study group leader at his company.
Donahue is a former chairman and board member of the "good-government" interest group, the Public Affairs Research Council. He has been affiliated with the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, known by the acronym LABI, is the largest and most successful business lobbying group in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded in Baton Rouge in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law during the administration of Democratic...
, and the St. Tammany West 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...
, which has honored him as "Business Person of the Year". Donahue has served on the St. Tammany Economic and Industrial Development District. With three fellow businessmen, he created the Business Congress of Louisiana.
Political matters
Though he did not seek office himself until years later, Donahue said that his early interest in Louisiana politics dates to the unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign waged in 1972 by the late David C. TreenDavid 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...
, then of Metairie
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
in Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
, who was defeated by the 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...
Edwin Washington Edwards. Thereafter, Treen became in 1973 Louisiana’s first GOP
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...
U.S. Representative and then governor in 1980. Upon Treen’s death in 2009, Donahue, U.S. Senator David Vitter
David Vitter
David Vitter is the junior United States Senator from Louisiana and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, he served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the suburban Louisiana's 1st congressional district. He served as a member of the Louisiana House of...
, and others described the former governor as "the father of the Republican Party in Louisiana."
In 2009, Governor Bobby Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
named Donahue chairman of the Louisiana Commission on Streamlining Government, with Roy O. Martin, III, an 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....
industrialist, as the vice-chairman. Donahue's House colleague, Brett Geymann
Brett Geymann
Brett Frank Geymann is a businessman from Lake Charles, Louisiana, who is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 35 in Calcasieu and Beauregard parishes....
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...
, is another member. On October 25, 2009, Donahue said that the state must reduce spending: "There is no doubt that we are going to have to reduce state spending, not only to deal with our short-term budget limitations, but also to move toward a more prudent and focused use of taxpayers’ dollars."
In the fall of 2009, Donahue announced that he was relocating his Senate office from Covington
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
, the seat of St. Tammany Parish, to his business address, 3030 East Causeway Approach in Mandeville. The relocation saves taxpayers the cost of rent in another building because office space is not funded if it is located on the premises of a lawmaker's private business.
To win his second term in the Senate, Donahue polled more than 80 percent of the vote in the primary held on October 22, 2011, having defeated fellow Republican Gary J. Leonard.