Kevin Reilly (Louisiana politician)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Patrick Reilly, Sr. (born ca. 1928), a retired businessman and active philanthropist
from Baton Rouge
, Louisiana
, is the former executive officer of the Lamar Advertising Company
who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives
from District 68 between 1972 and 1988. He did not seek a tenth term in the House but was instead defeated in 1987 in the nonpartisan blanket primary for state treasurer by his House colleague and fellow Democrat
, future U.S. Senator.
, where he attended Roxbury Latin School
and won a scholarship
to Harvard University
in Cambridge
. He served three years as a lieutenant in the United States Navy
during the Korean War
. He and his wife, Dee Dee, settled in Baton Rouge, where he began his career with Lamar Advertising. He eventually became the chairman and chief operating officer
of the company, the only national corporation headquartered in Baton Rouge.
John Alario
of Jefferson Parish
for having publicly criticized Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. During Reilly's thirteen years as committee chairman, the Louisiana budget grew from $1 billion to $6 billion, from $2 billion to $6 billion between 1980 and 1986 alone.
In 1986, Reilly made controversial remarks in People
magazine
in which he portrayed his fellow Louisiana citizens as "just plain dumb." In a speech before the Louisiana Broadcasters Association in February 1986, Reilly's legislative colleague Ron Gomez
of Lafayette
, himself a journalist
, questioned Reilly’s judgment in making such statements to the magazine: "[He] was wearing farming coveralls which were so short that they exposed his bare ankles over a pair of brogans. He was standing next to a pickup truck with the traditional shotgun slung across the rear window. He was quoted as saying all it took to make Louisianians happy was a pickup and a shotgun. That was one of the more generous quotes."
On October 24, 1987, Reilly ran second in the primary for state treasurer when the long-term incumbent
, Mary Evelyn Parker
of Baton Rouge, did not seek reelection. He polled 437,438 (32%), while Landrieu led with 602,879 (44%). Another legislator, Claude "Buddy" Leach, current chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party and a then state House member and a former U.S. representative, ran third, with 210,323 (15.4%). A fourth Democrat, Thomas D. "Tom" Burbank, Jr., son of Thomas D. Burbank Sr., former head of the state police, trailed with 118,230 votes (8.6%). No Republican
filed for the open position. There was also a separate ballot line with similar results for the unexpired portion of Parker's remaining term. She had resigned on January 1, 1987, with a year remaining in the term. Reilly decided not to contest a runoff election, known in Louisiana as a "general election", and Landrieu won the treasurer’s position by default.
In 1992, Reilly launched a nine-year stint as the Louisiana Secretary of Economic Development, a position he held for more than nine years under Governors Edwards and his Republican successor, Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
, California
, to Wendell Grey Switzer and the former Anna Lamar. In 1902, her maternal grandfather, Charles W. Lamar, Sr., founded Lamar Advertising originally in Pensacola
, Florida
, as a part-time operation. Her father was a career officer in the Navy, and she lived in various places throughout the United States. She graduated from St. Agnes Preparatory School in Alexandria
, Virginia, and attended Hood College
in Frederick
, Maryland
, George Washington University
in Washington, D.C.
, and Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge. Dee Dee Reilly was a leader of Louisiana Legislative Wives Club while her husband served in the House. She was a founding member of the LSU Speech and Hearing Clinic. She has published two children's books, Tibby (1997) and Teaching Agnes to Dance (1999).
The Reillys have four children, Kevin, Jr., Wendell, Sean, and Anna. Kevin Reilly, Jr. (born 1954), has been the president and CEO of Lamar Advertising since 1989 and was named Baton Rouge "Business Person of the Year" in 1998. He is a 1977 graduate of Harvard University and resides in Baton Rouge with his wife, the former Winifred Ross. The couple has two children, Ross and Hayden. Reilly, Jr. is a director of the Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, the Louisiana Technology Park, and the World War II Museum. He has been a trustee of Milton Academy. Reilly, Jr., has been a heavy Democratic contributor, having given in 2008 to the candidacies of Barack Obama
of Illinois
for U.S. President, U.S. Senator Harry Reid
of Nevada
, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
of California. He also donated that year to the campaigns of both his father’s former opponent, Mary Landrieu, and her Repoblican
opponent, John N. Kennedy
, the current Louisiana state treasurer.
Reilly, Sr., donated to the campaigns of Republicans John S. McCain for U.S. President and successful Republican
congressional candidates Bill Cassidy
of Baton Rouge and Steve Scalise
of Jefferson Parish
. Like his son, he supported Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic Leader.
Sean Eugene Reilly
is chief operations officer and vice president of mergers and acquisitions for Lamar Advertising. A Democrat, he succeeded his father in the legislature and held the District 68 seat for two terms (1988–1996) choosing not to run again in the 1995 primary. Wendell Reilly was affiliated with the company too, between 1983 and 1989.
dependence. Reilly donated $100,000 toward the construction of a new O’Brien House facility: "We were being 'nickeled and dimed' to death with the old building.. .. Many of these people don’t have alternatives. It is in our own benefit and that of the community as a whole to help them rebuild their lives and to become productive.”
LSU gave Kevin and Dee Dee Reilly honorary degrees in 2002. The couple has endowed the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs. They also sponsored the renovation of Swine Palace Theater, one of the oldest campus buildings and home to the LSU Performing Arts. They contributed a new organ recital and teaching pavilion for the LSU School of Music. They established a chair in Media and Public Affairs at LSU and the Jetson Chair of Public Policy at Southern University
, the historically black institution in Baton Rouge. The couple has also established the overall Reilly Family Foundation.
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...
from 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...
, 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...
, is the former executive officer of the Lamar Advertising Company
Lamar Advertising Company
The Lamar Advertising Company , based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a provider of billboards, transit advertising, and highway logo signs. Founded in 1902, Lamar currently operates over 150 outdoor advertising companies in more than 40 states and Puerto Rico...
who served in 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 District 68 between 1972 and 1988. He did not seek a tenth term in the House but was instead defeated in 1987 in the nonpartisan blanket primary for state treasurer by his House colleague and fellow 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...
, future U.S. Senator.
Early years, education, military
Reilly is a native of Boston, MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where he attended Roxbury Latin School
Roxbury Latin School
The Roxbury Latin School is the oldest school in continuous operation in North America. The school was founded in Roxbury, Massachusetts by the Rev. John Eliot under a charter received from King Charles I of England. Since its founding in 1645, it has educated boys on a continuous basis.Located...
and won a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. He served three years as a lieutenant in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. He and his wife, Dee Dee, settled in Baton Rouge, where he began his career with Lamar Advertising. He eventually became the chairman and chief operating officer
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
of the company, the only national corporation headquartered in Baton Rouge.
Public career
Reilly served in the legislature for fourteen years as chairman of the influential House Appropriations Committee until he was removed by SpeakerSpeaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
John Alario
John Alario
John A. Alario, Jr. , is an American businessman from Westwego in Jefferson Parish in the New Orleans suburbs, who is the dean of the Louisiana State Legislature, having served consecutively in the law-making body since 1972. He was the District 83 member of the Louisiana House of Representatives...
of 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....
for having publicly criticized Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. During Reilly's thirteen years as committee chairman, the Louisiana budget grew from $1 billion to $6 billion, from $2 billion to $6 billion between 1980 and 1986 alone.
In 1986, Reilly made controversial remarks in People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
in which he portrayed his fellow Louisiana citizens as "just plain dumb." In a speech before the Louisiana Broadcasters Association in February 1986, Reilly's legislative colleague 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...
, himself a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, questioned Reilly’s judgment in making such statements to the magazine: "[He] was wearing farming coveralls which were so short that they exposed his bare ankles over a pair of brogans. He was standing next to a pickup truck with the traditional shotgun slung across the rear window. He was quoted as saying all it took to make Louisianians happy was a pickup and a shotgun. That was one of the more generous quotes."
On October 24, 1987, Reilly ran second in the primary for state treasurer when the long-term 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...
, Mary Evelyn Parker
Mary Evelyn Parker
Mary Evelyn Dickerson Parker is a former Democratic state treasurer of Louisiana, having served from 1968-1987. She was the first woman to have held the position. Prior to her tenure as treasurer, she held several appointed positions in state government...
of Baton Rouge, did not seek reelection. He polled 437,438 (32%), while Landrieu led with 602,879 (44%). Another legislator, Claude "Buddy" Leach, current chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party and a then state House member and a former U.S. representative, ran third, with 210,323 (15.4%). A fourth Democrat, Thomas D. "Tom" Burbank, Jr., son of Thomas D. Burbank Sr., former head of the state police, trailed with 118,230 votes (8.6%). No 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...
filed for the open position. There was also a separate ballot line with similar results for the unexpired portion of Parker's remaining term. She had resigned on January 1, 1987, with a year remaining in the term. Reilly decided not to contest a runoff election, known in Louisiana as a "general election", and Landrieu won the treasurer’s position by default.
In 1992, Reilly launched a nine-year stint as the Louisiana Secretary of Economic Development, a position he held for more than nine years under Governors Edwards and his Republican successor, Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.
Murphy J. Foster, Jr.
Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr. served as 53rd Governor of Louisiana from January 1996 until January 2004. Foster's father was Murphy J. Foster, Jr., but Mike Foster uses "Jr." even though he is technically Murphy J. Foster, III. Foster is a businessman, landowner, and sportsman in St...
Family
Dee Dee Reilly was born Ann Lamar Switzer in CoronadoCoronado, California
Coronado, also known as Coronado Island, is an affluent resort city located in San Diego County, California, 5.2 miles from downtown San Diego. Its population was 24,697 at the 2010 census, up from 24,100 at the 2000 census. U.S. News and World Report lists Coronado as one of the most expensive...
, 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 Wendell Grey Switzer and the former Anna Lamar. In 1902, her maternal grandfather, Charles W. Lamar, Sr., founded Lamar Advertising originally in Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, as a part-time operation. Her father was a career officer in the Navy, and she lived in various places throughout the United States. She graduated from St. Agnes Preparatory School in Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, Virginia, and attended Hood College
Hood College
Hood College is a co-educational liberal arts college located in Frederick, Maryland. The college serves approximately 1,050 graduate students and more than 1,400 undergraduate students.-Early History :...
in Frederick
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in 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....
, and 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. Dee Dee Reilly was a leader of Louisiana Legislative Wives Club while her husband served in the House. She was a founding member of the LSU Speech and Hearing Clinic. She has published two children's books, Tibby (1997) and Teaching Agnes to Dance (1999).
The Reillys have four children, Kevin, Jr., Wendell, Sean, and Anna. Kevin Reilly, Jr. (born 1954), has been the president and CEO of Lamar Advertising since 1989 and was named Baton Rouge "Business Person of the Year" in 1998. He is a 1977 graduate of Harvard University and resides in Baton Rouge with his wife, the former Winifred Ross. The couple has two children, Ross and Hayden. Reilly, Jr. is a director of the Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, the Louisiana Technology Park, and the World War II Museum. He has been a trustee of Milton Academy. Reilly, Jr., has been a heavy Democratic contributor, having given in 2008 to the candidacies of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
for U.S. President, U.S. Senator Harry Reid
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
of California. He also donated that year to the campaigns of both his father’s former opponent, Mary Landrieu, and her Repoblican
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...
opponent, John N. Kennedy
John N. Kennedy
John Neely Kennedy is the Republican state treasurer of Louisiana. He was re-elected without opposition to his fourth term as State Treasurer on September 8, 2011.-Early life and career:...
, the current Louisiana state treasurer.
Reilly, Sr., donated to the campaigns of Republicans John S. McCain for U.S. President and successful 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...
congressional candidates Bill Cassidy
Bill Cassidy
William "Bill" Cassidy is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
of Baton Rouge and Steve Scalise
Steve Scalise
Stephen Joseph "Steve" Scalise is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2008. He is a member of the Republican Party...
of 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....
. Like his son, he supported Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic Leader.
Sean Eugene Reilly
Sean Reilly (Louisiana politician)
Sean Eugene Reilly is the Chief Executive Officer of Lamar Advertising Company in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Lamar Advertising was founded by Charles W. Lamar, Sr., Reilly's maternal great-grandfather as a small operation in Pensacola, Florida. It is one of the largest national corporations...
is chief operations officer and vice president of mergers and acquisitions for Lamar Advertising. A Democrat, he succeeded his father in the legislature and held the District 68 seat for two terms (1988–1996) choosing not to run again in the 1995 primary. Wendell Reilly was affiliated with the company too, between 1983 and 1989.
Philanthropy
Active in community affairs, Reilly is a former chairman of the boards of Our Lady of the Lake Hospital Foundation, the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation and the National Volunteers of America. He has been president of the Baton Rouge Cancer Society and chairman of the Capital Area United Givers. He serves on the boards of the National D-Day Museum, Louisiana Resource Center for Educators, Our Lady of the Lake Foundation, Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, Enterprise Corporation of the Delta, and the Interstate Highway Sign Corp. Reilly is also active in the O’Brien House, an organization established in 1971 in Baton Rouge to assist those attempting to conquer narcotics and alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
dependence. Reilly donated $100,000 toward the construction of a new O’Brien House facility: "We were being 'nickeled and dimed' to death with the old building.. .. Many of these people don’t have alternatives. It is in our own benefit and that of the community as a whole to help them rebuild their lives and to become productive.”
LSU gave Kevin and Dee Dee Reilly honorary degrees in 2002. The couple has endowed the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs. They also sponsored the renovation of Swine Palace Theater, one of the oldest campus buildings and home to the LSU Performing Arts. They contributed a new organ recital and teaching pavilion for the LSU School of Music. They established a chair in Media and Public Affairs at LSU and the Jetson Chair of Public Policy at Southern University
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge campus is located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section...
, the historically black institution in Baton Rouge. The couple has also established the overall Reilly Family Foundation.