John N. Sandlin
Encyclopedia
John Nicholas Sandlin, Sr. (February 24, 1872—December 25, 1957), of Minden
, Louisiana
, represented his state's Fourth Congressional District
in the United States House of Representatives
from 1921 to 1937. In 1936, rather than seeking a ninth term in the House, Sandlin, upon the request of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
, contested an open seat in the U.S. Senate. He lost the pivotal Democratic
nomination to Allen J. Ellender
of Houma
in Terrebonne Parish
in south Louisiana. Ellender, a confidant of the late Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
, received 364,931 ballots (68 percent) to Sandlin's 167,471 votes (31.2 percent). There was no Republican candidate, and Ellender was sworn in to the first of what would become six consecutive senatorial terms.
, and the former Irene McIntyre. He was educated in public schools and attended the former Minden Normal School and Business College, the forerunner to Minden High School
. He privately studied law
and was admitted to the bar in 1896, when he began his law practice in Minden. He was district attorney
for the Second Judicial District (since 26th District from 1904–1910 and judge of the same district from 1910-1920. In 1917, Judge Sandlin presided over a sensational ax-murder case in which the young district attorndey, Harmon Caldwell Drew
, led the prosecution against several African American
and white suspects charged with the Christmas Day 1916 murder of the John Nelson Reeves family in the rural Grove community north of Minden.
In 1916, Sandlin was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
, which met in St. Louis
, Missouri
, to renominate U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
of New Jersey
and Vice President
Thomas Marshall
of Indiana
.
, John Thomas Watkins
, also of Minden. In 1933, United States Postmaster General
James A. Farley of New York
, also the chairman of the Democratic National Committee
, came to Shreveport
, where he lavised high praise on Representative Sandlin. "No man in Congress has worked harder to assist us in bringing this nation out of chaos," a reference to the New Deal
attempt to combat the Great Depression
, said Farley. At the rally, Sandlin told Farley that Louisiana stood "100 percent behind" President Franklin Roosevelt.
Roosevelt thereafter urged Sandlin to challenge the reelection of U.S. Senator Huey Long. However, before the scheduled election in 1936 could occur, Long was assassinated. Pro-Long supporters, who coalesced behind Allen Ellender, started a false allegation that Sandlin had been involved in the assassination plot against Long.
During part of Sandlin's congressional tenure, his chief aide was J. Frank Colbert
, a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
and the mayor
of Minden from 1944-1946. Upon leaving Washington, D.C.
, in 1937, Sandlin resumed his law practice in Minden.
.
Sandlin married Ruth Reems, and they had a son, John N. Sandlin, Jr. (1906–1955). Ruth died in 1911; two years later, Sandlin wed Mrs. Emma Lou Palmer Crichton, a member of a prominent Minden family.
In 1951, Sandlin had a heart attack
in Oxford
, Mississippi
, where he had taken his wife for treatment of an eye illness.He recovered in Shreveport and then Minden.
Upon his death six years later at the age of eighty-five, Sandlin was interred in the old section of the Minden Cemetery
. His grave marker reads "To Know Him Was to Love Him."
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...
, 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...
, represented his state's Fourth Congressional District
Louisiana's 4th congressional district
Louisiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district is located in the northwestern part of the state and is based in Shreveport-Bossier City. It also includes the cities of Minden, DeRidder, and Natchitoches.The district is currently...
in 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...
from 1921 to 1937. In 1936, rather than seeking a ninth term in the House, Sandlin, upon the request of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, contested an open seat in the U.S. Senate. He lost the pivotal 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...
nomination to Allen J. Ellender
Allen J. Ellender
Allen Joseph Ellender was a popular U.S. senator from Houma, Louisiana , who served from 1937 until his death. He was a Democrat who was originally allied with the legendary Huey Pierce Long, Jr.. As Senator he compiled a generally conservative record, voting 77% of the time with the Conservative...
of Houma
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
in Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
in south Louisiana. Ellender, a confidant of the late 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...
, received 364,931 ballots (68 percent) to Sandlin's 167,471 votes (31.2 percent). There was no Republican candidate, and Ellender was sworn in to the first of what would become six consecutive senatorial terms.
Background
Sandlin was born in the McIntyre community west of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish, to Nicholas J. Sandlin, a native of North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and the former Irene McIntyre. He was educated in public schools and attended the former Minden Normal School and Business College, the forerunner to Minden High School
Minden High School (Minden, Louisiana)
Minden High School is the public secondary educational institution in Minden, a small city of 13,000 and the seat of Webster Parish located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana...
. He privately studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and was admitted to the bar in 1896, when he began his law practice in Minden. He was district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for the Second Judicial District (since 26th District from 1904–1910 and judge of the same district from 1910-1920. In 1917, Judge Sandlin presided over a sensational ax-murder case in which the young district attorndey, Harmon Caldwell Drew
Harmon Caldwell Drew
Harmon Caldwell Drew was a lawyer from Minden, Louisiana, who served prior to 1945 as the district attorney of Bossier and Webster parishes and then as a judge of both the district and the state appeal courts. His political career ended with his defeat by future Governor Robert F. Kennon...
, led the prosecution against several 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...
and white suspects charged with the Christmas Day 1916 murder of the John Nelson Reeves family in the rural Grove community north of Minden.
In 1916, Sandlin was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
1916 Democratic National Convention
The 1916 Democratic National Convention was held at the St. Louis Coliseum in St. Louis, Missouri from June 14 - June 16, 1916. It resulted in the nomination of President Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey for President and Thomas R...
, which met in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, to renominate U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Thomas Marshall
Thomas Marshall
Thomas Marshall may refer to:*Thomas Marshall , abbot of Colchester*Thomas Marshall , English scholar...
of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
Congressional tenure
Sandlin was first elected to Congress in 1920, when he denied renomination to the incumbentIncumbent
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...
, John Thomas Watkins
John T. Watkins
John Thomas Watkins was a Democratic U.S. representative from northwestern Louisiana who served from 1905-1921...
, also of Minden. In 1933, United States Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
James A. Farley of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, also the chairman of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
, came to 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....
, where he lavised high praise on Representative Sandlin. "No man in Congress has worked harder to assist us in bringing this nation out of chaos," a reference to the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
attempt to combat the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, said Farley. At the rally, Sandlin told Farley that Louisiana stood "100 percent behind" President Franklin Roosevelt.
Roosevelt thereafter urged Sandlin to challenge the reelection of U.S. Senator Huey Long. However, before the scheduled election in 1936 could occur, Long was assassinated. Pro-Long supporters, who coalesced behind Allen Ellender, started a false allegation that Sandlin had been involved in the assassination plot against Long.
During part of Sandlin's congressional tenure, his chief aide was J. Frank Colbert
J. Frank Colbert
Jefferson Franklin Colbert, known as J. Frank Colbert , was a Democratic politician who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1920–1925 and from 1944-1946 as the mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana.-Background:Colbert was born in...
, a former 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...
and the 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 Minden from 1944-1946. Upon leaving Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in 1937, Sandlin resumed his law practice in Minden.
Personal life
Sandlin was a Methodist, a Freemason, and a member of Woodmen of the WorldWoodmen of the World
Woodmen of the World is a fraternal organization based in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that operates a large privately held insurance company for its members....
.
Sandlin married Ruth Reems, and they had a son, John N. Sandlin, Jr. (1906–1955). Ruth died in 1911; two years later, Sandlin wed Mrs. Emma Lou Palmer Crichton, a member of a prominent Minden family.
In 1951, Sandlin had a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in Oxford
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, where he had taken his wife for treatment of an eye illness.He recovered in Shreveport and then Minden.
Upon his death six years later at the age of eighty-five, Sandlin was interred in the old section of the Minden Cemetery
Minden Cemetery
The Minden Cemetery, located in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, United States, has graves dating from 1843, seven years after the founding of the city in 1836...
. His grave marker reads "To Know Him Was to Love Him."