Jamar Adcock
Encyclopedia
Jamar William Adcock was a high-profile banker and a Democratic
state senator
from Monroe, Louisiana
, who served from 1960 to 1972. He was Senate president pro tempore in his third term from 1968 to 1972.
A native of Richland Parish
, located east of Monroe, Adcock attended Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge, where he met two future political giants, John Julian McKeithen
and Russell B. Long
, both a year his junior.
He served in the United States Army
as major in the infantry
during World War II
.
Jack P.F. Gremillion
, was an at-large Louisiana delegate to the Democratic National Convention
, which met in Los Angeles
, California
, to nominate the Kennedy
-Johnson
ticket. He had been an alternate to the 1956 convention which met in Chicago to field the Adlai E. Stevenson-Estes Kefauver
ticket.
As a state senator, Adcock worked closely with the administration of Governor John McKeithen in regard to taxes and spending. In 1968, Adcock quarreled with Adras LaBorde
, the managing editor of Alexandria Daily Town Talk
, who wrote a controversial column that maintained that Louisiana could save $100 million annually by trimming its state employees. LaBorde noted that no other Southern state had nearly so many state workers as Louisiana. Adcock retorted that those who make "blanket accusations ought to come down here and help us solve the problems."
After three terms, Adcock relinquished his Senate seat to seek his party's nomination for lieutenant governor in the 1971 primary election. He was seeking to succeed three-term Lieutenant Governor Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
of Franklin
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
. Aycock was running for governor but was not in the top tier of candidates.
Two young men active in the Adcock campaign for lieutenant governor were Earl Casey of KNOE-TV
in Monroe and later with CNN
, and James Carville
, a consultant originally based in New Orleans. Adcock ran strongly enough in the first primary to gain a runoff berth with the front-running former New Orleans city councilman James Edward "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr
. In fact, with 250,850 votes, he trailed Fitzmorris by just over 6,000 votes. Eliminated in the primary were two candidates from Webster Parish east of Shreveport, state Representative Parey Pershing Branton, Sr.
, of Shongaloo
and Francis Edward Kennon, Jr.
, a Minden
contractor and a nephew
of former Governor Robert F. Kennon
. Another unsuccessful candidate was P.J. Mills
, a fellow banker and an outgoing state representative from Shreveport
. Fitzmorris was a convincing winner in the second Democratic primary and went on to win all sixty-four parishes in his race with the Republican
candidate, former State Representative
Morley A. Hudson
of Shreveport, in the general election
held on February 1, 1972.
After his ill-fated race for lieutenant governor, Adcock continued to support other Louisiana Democrats, including the state's then two powerful Democratic U.S. Senators Russell B. Long
and J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.
(1927–2008), launched the American Bank in Monroe, which ultimately became Regions Bank. He also served on the board of Fidelity Mortgage Company. Adcock and Boles also started Fidelity Bank in Slidell
, the Colonial Bank in New Orleans, and Progressive Bank in Metairie in Jefferson Parish. They bought into the Bossier Bank and Trust Company in Bossier City and the Jena Bank in Jena
in La Salle Parish. Boles met Adcock when they were LSU students. At the time of his election, Boles was the youngest member of the Louisiana State Senate. He represented Richland Parish from 1952 to 1956, and then he returned full-time to northeast Louisiana to practice law. Boles, a behind-the-scenes political insider for a half century and staunch Democrat, was friendly with both Governors McKeithen and Edwin Washington Edwards.
Adcock was also a past chairman of the Louisiana Tax Commission.
Adcock was survived by his wife, the former Frances Aycock (born 1921) of Monroe, a native of Rayville
; a daughter and son-in-law, Jan Adcock Melton (born 1943) and Paul Anders Melton, Sr. (born 1942), of Baton Rouge, and two grandsons, Jamar Adcock Melton (born 1970), a pediatrician, and Paul A. Melton, Jr., (born 1972), a businessman, both of Baton Rouge.
Adcock and a group of friends formed the Northminster Church in 1989. It is closely affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, a fellowship dedicated to the preservation of historic Baptist principles and freedoms. He was a Sunday school
teacher and a deacon.
Billy Boles, in a 2004 interview with Sam Hanna, Jr., of the weekly newspaper
, the Ouachita Citizen in West Monroe
, recalled his friend Jamar Adcock: "I miss Jamar every day. He was just a great friend. There was not one thing that I could ask and he wouldn't do."
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...
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...
from Monroe, Louisiana
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 served from 1960 to 1972. He was Senate president pro tempore in his third term from 1968 to 1972.
A native of Richland Parish
Richland Parish, Louisiana
Richland Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Rayville. As of 2010, the population was 20,725.-History:...
, located east of Monroe, Adcock attended 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, where he met two future political giants, 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...
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:...
, both a year his junior.
He 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...
as major in the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
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...
.
Running for lieutenant governor, 1971
In 1960, Adcock, along with Senator Russell Long and Louisiana Attorney GeneralAttorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Jack P.F. Gremillion
Jack P.F. Gremillion
Jack Paul Faustin Gremillion, Sr. , was the Democratic attorney general of Louisiana from 1956-1972. He was a member of the Earl Kemp Long political faction. Though he opposed school desegregation, he was a party loyalist and was an elector for the John F. Kennedy--Lyndon B. Johnson presidential...
, was an at-large Louisiana delegate to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
, which met in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to nominate the Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
-Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
ticket. He had been an alternate to the 1956 convention which met in Chicago to field the Adlai E. Stevenson-Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
ticket.
As a state senator, Adcock worked closely with the administration of Governor John McKeithen in regard to taxes and spending. In 1968, Adcock quarreled with Adras LaBorde
Adras LaBorde
Adras Paul LaBorde, I , was a reporter, managing editor, and columnist for the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, the largest newspaper in central Louisiana. His career stretched from the mid-1940s into the early 1990s...
, the managing editor of Alexandria Daily Town Talk
The Town Talk (Alexandria)
The Town Talk, started as The Daily Town Talk in 1883 and later named the Alexandria Daily Town Talk, is the major newspaper of Central Louisiana. It is published by Gannett in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the economic center of Central Louisiana.The daily newspaper has a circulation...
, who wrote a controversial column that maintained that Louisiana could save $100 million annually by trimming its state employees. LaBorde noted that no other Southern state had nearly so many state workers as Louisiana. Adcock retorted that those who make "blanket accusations ought to come down here and help us solve the problems."
After three terms, Adcock relinquished his Senate seat to seek his party's nomination for lieutenant governor in the 1971 primary election. He was seeking to succeed three-term Lieutenant Governor Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
Clarence C. Aycock
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock , 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...
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:...
, the seat of 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:...
. Aycock was running for governor but was not in the top tier of candidates.
Two young men active in the Adcock campaign for lieutenant governor were Earl Casey of KNOE-TV
KNOE-TV
KNOE-TV, Channel 8, is the CBS affiliate television station for Monroe, Louisiana. The station is owned by Hoak Media Corporation, which also controls ABC affiliate KAQY, Channel 11 through a local marketing agreement.-History:KNOE-TV went on the air in 1953...
in Monroe and later with CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and James Carville
James Carville
Chester James Carville, Jr. is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill...
, a consultant originally based in New Orleans. Adcock ran strongly enough in the first primary to gain a runoff berth with the front-running former New Orleans city councilman James Edward "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr
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...
. In fact, with 250,850 votes, he trailed Fitzmorris by just over 6,000 votes. Eliminated in the primary were two candidates from Webster Parish east of Shreveport, state Representative Parey Pershing Branton, Sr.
Parey Branton
Parey Pershing Branton, Sr. , was a businessman from Shongaloo, Louisiana, who was from 1960 to 1972 a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from what is now District 10 in Webster Parish...
, of Shongaloo
Shongaloo, Louisiana
Shongaloo is a village in Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States.West of Shongaloo on Louisiana Highway 2 is Munn Hill, a homestead of Daniel and Rebecca Munn, established on July 26, 1900....
and Francis Edward Kennon, Jr.
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...
, a 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...
contractor and a nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
of former 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....
. Another unsuccessful candidate was 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...
, a fellow banker and an outgoing state representative from 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....
. Fitzmorris was a convincing winner in the second Democratic primary and went on to win all sixty-four parishes in his race with 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...
candidate, former State Representative
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...
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, 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 February 1, 1972.
After his ill-fated race for lieutenant governor, Adcock continued to support other Louisiana Democrats, including the state's then two powerful Democratic U.S. Senators 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:...
and J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.
Successful banker
Adcock and his long-time friend and associate, William R. "Billy" Boles, Sr.Billy Boles
William Russell Boles, Sr., known as Billy Boles , was a Monroe attorney and banker who, at twenty-four, served a single term in the Louisiana State Senate. He represented his native Richland as well as neighboring Franklin and Catahoula parishes in northeastern Louisiana from 1952 to 1956, during...
(1927–2008), launched the American Bank in Monroe, which ultimately became Regions Bank. He also served on the board of Fidelity Mortgage Company. Adcock and Boles also started Fidelity Bank in 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...
, the Colonial Bank in New Orleans, and Progressive Bank in Metairie in Jefferson Parish. They bought into the Bossier Bank and Trust Company in Bossier City and the Jena Bank in Jena
Jena, Louisiana
Jena is a town in and the parish seat of La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census.In September 2006, Jena became the focus of national news stories in the United States for a racial controversy involving its school system and a group of students known...
in La Salle Parish. Boles met Adcock when they were LSU students. At the time of his election, Boles was the youngest member of the Louisiana State Senate. He represented Richland Parish from 1952 to 1956, and then he returned full-time to northeast Louisiana to practice law. Boles, a behind-the-scenes political insider for a half century and staunch Democrat, was friendly with both Governors McKeithen and Edwin Washington Edwards.
Adcock was also a past chairman of the Louisiana Tax Commission.
Last rites
Adcock died at the age of seventy-four at Saint Frances Medical Center in Monroe. Services were held on Christmas Eve morning, 1991, at the Northminster Church in Monroe with the Reverends Harold D. Hughens and Donald W. Nixon officiating. Burial was in the Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe.Adcock was survived by his wife, the former Frances Aycock (born 1921) of Monroe, a native of Rayville
Rayville, Louisiana
Rayville is a town in, the parish seat of, and the largest community in Richland Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,234 at the 2000 census. It is also home of Palmetto Addiction Recovery Center...
; a daughter and son-in-law, Jan Adcock Melton (born 1943) and Paul Anders Melton, Sr. (born 1942), of Baton Rouge, and two grandsons, Jamar Adcock Melton (born 1970), a pediatrician, and Paul A. Melton, Jr., (born 1972), a businessman, both of Baton Rouge.
Adcock and a group of friends formed the Northminster Church in 1989. It is closely affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, a fellowship dedicated to the preservation of historic Baptist principles and freedoms. He was a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
teacher and a deacon.
Billy Boles, in a 2004 interview with Sam Hanna, Jr., of the weekly newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, the Ouachita Citizen in West Monroe
West Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, recalled his friend Jamar Adcock: "I miss Jamar every day. He was just a great friend. There was not one thing that I could ask and he wouldn't do."
External links
- ssdi.rootsweb.com
- Jamar Adcock obituary, Monroe News StarMonroe News StarThe News-Star is the principal newspaper of Monroe and northeastern Louisiana. Its circulation area ranges over some dozen parishes from Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish, on the west, to Tallulah in Madison Parish on the east, to the Arkansas state line on the north, and to Ferriday in Concordia...
, December 24, 1991 - theconcordiasentinel.com
- Report of the Louisiana Secretary of State, Democratic Primary Returns for Lieutenant Governor, November 1971