John C. Ensminger
Encyclopedia
John Clifford Ensminger, Sr. (born 1934), is a State Farm Insurance
agent in Monroe
, Louisiana
, who served for two decades in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
. Ensminger was elected in 1972 as a conservative Democrat
to the Louisiana House of Representatives
from Ouachita Parish
, now District 14. He succeeded James L. Dennis
, who was elected as a judge
on the Fourth Judicial District Court based in Monroe. During the 1980-1984 term, Ensminger and the sergeant-at-arms, Richard L. Barrios, were compelled to grab a colleague, Shady R. Wall
of West Monroe
, when Wall pulled out a pistol from a boot holster during a fit of rage at Carl N. Gunter, Jr., of Rapides Parish, who had accidentally shut off Wall's conference ongoing telephone call with his bank in Monroe.
In 1985, Ensminger switched to Republican
affiliation, as did his colleague, the late Jock Scott
of Alexandria
. In 1987, in his first election as a Republican, he was forced into a general election
with the Democrat Billy Daniel, whom he then defeated, 6,195 (57.4 percent) to 4,607 (42.6 percent). For a time, he was the chairman of the House Commerce Committee, with his friend Ron Gomez
of Lafayette
, serving as vice-chairman.
In 1991, Ensminger resigned his House seat after he won a special election to complete the remaining months in the term of State Senator
Lawson Swearingen
, a Democrat who left office to become the president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
. Ensminger won the special election with 10,799 votes (53.3 percent) over two Democrats, E. Frank Snellings (8,937 or 44.1 percent), and John H. Powell (524 or 2.7 percent). Snellings (born 1949) is the husband of current U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu
of Louisiana, who was then the state treasurer
. Thereafter, Ensminger did not seek a full term in the state Senate in the nonpartisan blanket primary held in October 1991. The seat, redistricted after the 1990 census
, was then won by the Democrat Charles D. Jones.
Ensminger is the son of Rex William Ensminger (1901–1990) and Irma G. Ensminger (1904–1996) of Monroe. He and his wife, Gladys G. Ensminger (born 1938), have a son, John Ensminger, Jr. (born 1955), who is also in the insurance business.
Ensminger graduated in 1952 from Neville High School in Monroe. Though he has left political office, he remains active in business. He is also a frequent donor to Republican candidates and party organizations. In 1998, however, he donated to Democratic U.S. Senator John Breaux
, who won his final term by a wide margin over the Republican Jim Donelon
, since the Louisiana insurance commissioner
. In 2008, he donated to the campaign of his former House colleague, Woody Jenkins
, the Baton Rouge
Republican, who failed in a special election for the United States House of Representatives
. Jenkins had been Mary Landrieu's Republican opponent in 1996.
State Farm Insurance
State Farm Insurance is a group of insurance and financial services companies in the United States. The company also has operations in Canada....
agent in 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...
, 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 served for two decades in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
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...
. Ensminger was elected in 1972 as a conservative 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...
to 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...
from 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...
, now District 14. He succeeded James L. Dennis
James L. Dennis
James L. Dennis is a United States federal judge currently serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His chambers are in New Orleans, Louisiana....
, who was elected as a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
on the Fourth Judicial District Court based in Monroe. During the 1980-1984 term, Ensminger and the sergeant-at-arms, Richard L. Barrios, were compelled to grab a colleague, Shady R. Wall
Shady Wall
Shady Robert Wall was a banker and philanthropist from West Monroe, Louisiana, who served nonconsecutively as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948–1956 and 1968-1984. Wall is remembered for his colorful dress, speeding in his Rolls Royce, flamboyant personality,...
of 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....
, when Wall pulled out a pistol from a boot holster during a fit of rage at Carl N. Gunter, Jr., of Rapides Parish, who had accidentally shut off Wall's conference ongoing telephone call with his bank in Monroe.
In 1985, Ensminger switched to 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...
affiliation, as did his colleague, the late Jock Scott
Jock Scott
John Wyeth "Jock" Scott, II was a lawyer and college professor in Alexandria, who served three terms from District 26 in the Louisiana House of Representatives, first as a Democrat and then as a Republican . He was defeated in a race for the Louisiana State Senate in 1987...
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....
. In 1987, in his first election as a Republican, he was forced into a 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...
with the Democrat Billy Daniel, whom he then defeated, 6,195 (57.4 percent) to 4,607 (42.6 percent). For a time, he was the chairman of the House Commerce Committee, with his friend Ron Gomez
Ron Gomez
Ronald James Gomez, Sr., known as Ron Gomez , is a veteran print and broadcast journalist, author , and businessman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lafayette Parish, from 1980-1989. From 1990-1992, he was the secretary of natural resources in...
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...
, serving as vice-chairman.
In 1991, Ensminger resigned his House seat after he won a special election to complete the remaining months in the term of 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...
Lawson Swearingen
Lawson Swearingen
Lawson Lewis Swearingen, Jr. , is a former Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, having represented District 34 from 1980 to 1991, and a former president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, whose tenure extended from 1991 to 2001.-Early life:Swearingen was born in San Antonio,...
, a Democrat who left office to become the president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
. Ensminger won the special election with 10,799 votes (53.3 percent) over two Democrats, E. Frank Snellings (8,937 or 44.1 percent), and John H. Powell (524 or 2.7 percent). Snellings (born 1949) is the husband of current U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu
Mary Landrieu
Mary Loretta Landrieu is the senior United States Senator from the State of Louisiana and a member of the Democratic Party.Born in Arlington, Virginia, Landrieu was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana...
of Louisiana, who was then the state treasurer
State Treasurer
In the state governments of the United States, 49 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. Texas abolished the position of Texas State Treasurer in 1996....
. Thereafter, Ensminger did not seek a full term in the state Senate in the nonpartisan blanket primary held in October 1991. The seat, redistricted after the 1990 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...
, was then won by the Democrat Charles D. Jones.
Ensminger is the son of Rex William Ensminger (1901–1990) and Irma G. Ensminger (1904–1996) of Monroe. He and his wife, Gladys G. Ensminger (born 1938), have a son, John Ensminger, Jr. (born 1955), who is also in the insurance business.
Ensminger graduated in 1952 from Neville High School in Monroe. Though he has left political office, he remains active in business. He is also a frequent donor to Republican candidates and party organizations. In 1998, however, he donated to Democratic U.S. Senator John Breaux
John Breaux
John Berlinger Breaux is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party...
, who won his final term by a wide margin over the Republican Jim Donelon
Jim Donelon
James J. "Jim" Donelon has been the Republican insurance commissioner of Louisiana since February 15, 2006.Donelon won a full-term as commissioner in the October 20, 2007 nonpartisan blanket primary. He finished with 606,534 votes and defeated three opponents, the closest of whom, Democrat Jim...
, since the Louisiana insurance commissioner
Insurance commissioner
Insurance commissioner is an executive office in many U.S. states, some in the state cabinet. The office differs state by state:...
. In 2008, he donated to the campaign of his former House colleague, Woody Jenkins
Woody Jenkins
Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins is a newspaper editor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972–2000 and waged three unsuccessful races for the United States Senate....
, the 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...
Republican, who failed in a special election for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Jenkins had been Mary Landrieu's Republican opponent in 1996.