John H. Overton
Encyclopedia
John Holmes Overton was an attorney
and Democratic
United States representative and U.S. senator
from Louisiana
. His nephew, Thomas Overton Brooks, was also a congressman—from the Shreveport-based Fourth District of Louisiana.
Born in Marksville
, the seat of Avoyelles Parish, Overton was the youngest son of Judge Thomas Overton and the former Laura Waddill. His great-uncle was the politician Walter Hampden Overton
. He graduated from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge in 1895, from Tulane University
in New Orleans in 1897, and was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1898.
He established a law practice with four partners in Alexandria
and was the city attorney as well. He was a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors. In 1905, he married the former Ada Ruth Dismukes of Natchitoches
, and they had three daughters, Katharine (born 1910), Ruth (born 1912) and Mary Elizabeth (born 1916), and a son, John H. Overton, Jr., (1914–1946).
In 1918, Overton ran for the U.S. Senate but was defeated by Edward J. Gay of Plaquemine
in Iberville Parish. Overton became a staunch supporter of Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
, and served as Long's counsel in the latter's impeachment
proceedings in 1929.
He was elected to Congress to fill the Eighth District U.S. House seat vacated by the death of Representative James B. Aswell
of Natchitoches. He served in the House for slightly less than one term: from May 12, 1931, to March 3, 1933.
In 1932, he ran successfully for the U.S. Senate. He defeated the incumbent
Edwin S. Broussard
of New Iberia
for the Democratic senatorial nomination, then equivalent to election in Louisiana. Broussard charged fraud
and voter irregularities. A Senate investigating committee held months of hearings beginning in February 1933. Overton was nevertheless seated without opposition on the then first day of the congressional session, March 4.
Overton was reelected in 1938 and 1944, as has been traditional with incumbent Democratic senators in Louisiana. His committee memberships included Appropriations, Manufactures, Commerce, and Irrigation and Reclamation. His chief area of interest was in flood control and river and harbor development.
Overton attempted to withdraw from reelection race in 1944. However, his Louisiana colleague, Allen J. Ellender, circulated a letter urging him to run. The letter was signed by all Democrats then in the Senate.
Overton's last term was cut short by his death at National Naval Medical Center
in Bethesda, Maryland
. His remains were buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery
in Pineville
in Rapides Parish. His house in Alexandria was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1985. In 1998, Overton was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and Democratic
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...
United States representative and U.S. senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 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...
. His nephew, Thomas Overton Brooks, was also a congressman—from the Shreveport-based Fourth District of Louisiana.
Born in Marksville
Marksville, Louisiana
Marksville is a city in and the parish seat of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,537 at the 2000 census. Louisiana's first land-based casino, Paragon Casino Resort, opened in Marksville in June 1994...
, the seat of Avoyelles Parish, Overton was the youngest son of Judge Thomas Overton and the former Laura Waddill. His great-uncle was the politician Walter Hampden Overton
Walter Hampden Overton
Walter Hampden Overton was a U.S. Representative representing Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. He was born near Louisa Court House, Virginia in 1788 and moved in infancy with his father Thomas Overton to North Carolina, and then to Tennessee in 1801. Overton attended the common schools...
. He graduated 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 in 1895, from Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
in New Orleans in 1897, and was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1898.
He established a law practice with four partners in 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....
and was the city attorney as well. He was a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors. In 1905, he married the former Ada Ruth Dismukes of Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
, and they had three daughters, Katharine (born 1910), Ruth (born 1912) and Mary Elizabeth (born 1916), and a son, John H. Overton, Jr., (1914–1946).
In 1918, Overton ran for the U.S. Senate but was defeated by Edward J. Gay of Plaquemine
Plaquemine, Louisiana
Plaquemine is a city in and the parish seat of Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,064 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in Iberville Parish. Overton became a staunch supporter of Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
, and served as Long's counsel in the latter's impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
proceedings in 1929.
He was elected to Congress to fill the Eighth District U.S. House seat vacated by the death of Representative James B. Aswell
James Benjamin Aswell
James Benjamin Aswell, Sr. , was a prominent educator and a Democratic U.S. representative from Louisiana, who served from 1913 until his death, which occurred twelve days into his tenth term.-Life and career:...
of Natchitoches. He served in the House for slightly less than one term: from May 12, 1931, to March 3, 1933.
In 1932, he ran successfully for the U.S. Senate. He defeated the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Edwin S. Broussard
Edwin S. Broussard
Edwin Sidney Broussard I was a United States senator from Louisiana. He was born in the village of Loureauville in Iberia Parish in the sugar-growing country of south Louisiana and attended public schools. He graduated from the Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge in 1896. He taught in the...
of New Iberia
New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia is a city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747...
for the Democratic senatorial nomination, then equivalent to election in Louisiana. Broussard charged fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
and voter irregularities. A Senate investigating committee held months of hearings beginning in February 1933. Overton was nevertheless seated without opposition on the then first day of the congressional session, March 4.
Overton was reelected in 1938 and 1944, as has been traditional with incumbent Democratic senators in Louisiana. His committee memberships included Appropriations, Manufactures, Commerce, and Irrigation and Reclamation. His chief area of interest was in flood control and river and harbor development.
Overton attempted to withdraw from reelection race in 1944. However, his Louisiana colleague, Allen J. Ellender, circulated a letter urging him to run. The letter was signed by all Democrats then in the Senate.
Overton's last term was cut short by his death at National Naval Medical Center
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. His remains were buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery
Mount Olivet Cemetery
Mount Olivet Cemetery may refer to:In Canada:* Mount Olivet Cemetery-Halifax, Nova ScotiaIn the United States:* Mount Olivet Cemetery , California* Mount Olivet Cemetery , Colorado* Mount Olivet Cemetery , Connecticut...
in Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
in Rapides Parish. His house in Alexandria was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1985. In 1998, Overton was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
.