Lorris M. Wimberly
Encyclopedia
Lorris May Wimberly, Sr. (March 4, 1898 — May 2, 1962), was a Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from 1928–1940 and again from 1948-1956. A native and resident of Arcadia
, the seat of Bienville Parish in north Louisiana
, Wimberly was House Speaker
from 1936–1940, 1950–1952, and from May 14-July 10, 1956. He was also the state highway
department director during the 1940s and headed the Department of Public Works
from 1956-1960. He was a member of the powerful Long
political faction
which dominated the state during most of Wimberly's public career.
Wimberly was born to Joseph Rush Wimberly, I (1873–1943) and the former Annie May Poland (1877–1960). Rush Wimberly was a member of the Louisiana House from 1900–1908, the Louisiana State Senate
from 1908–1912, and was thereafter a judge
. Wimberly graduated from Arcadia High School
. He made his living as a cattle
man and farmer
and was affiliated with the former Daniel, Bryan, and Turner Insurance
Agency in Arcadia.
He was twice married. From his union to Jessie Faye Sherard (June 6, 1899 — July 25, 1934) was born a daughter, Faye Wimberly Mary (born 1921), the widow of Richard M. Mary, Sr. (born 1922), of Baton Rouge. After the death of his first wife, Wimberly in 1936 married the former Dorothy Knox (December 25, 1911 — November 1981) of Baton Rouge. From that union came Lorris M. Wimberly, Jr. (born 1946), a United Methodist minister. Wimberly had five grandchildren: Richard Mary, Jr. (born 1951) and Mary's four half-cousins, Lorris Knox Wimberly (born 1975), Marianna Grace Wimberly (born 1978), Shelley Dawn Wimberly (born 1980), and Wesley Paul Wimberly (born 1982), all of Baton Rouge. Wimberly's siblings included J. Rush Wimberly, Jr. (1906–1982).
Wimberly supported state-funded textbooks, a plank in the original Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
, platform. The textbooks proposal was first advanced by the Longite John Sparks Patton
of Claiborne Parish, adjacent to Bienville Parish, who was later a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
. Wimberly's first stint as Speaker occurred when Longite Speaker Allen J. Ellender
of Houma
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
in south Louisiana, was elected to the United States Senate
. Wimberly served as the choice of Governor
Richard Webster Leche of New Orleans (1936–1939), when Leche was forced to resign amid scandals known as the "Louisiana Hayride". From 1939-1940, Wimberly continued as Speaker under Governor Earl Kemp Long, who had succeeded to the top position from the lieutenant governorship with the departure of Leche.
Long called Wimberly back as Speaker — in Louisiana, the governor chooses the House speaker — in the middle of his second term in 1950. Governor Robert F. Kennon
replaced Wimberly as Speaker in 1952 with his choice, conservative
state Representative (and later lieutenant governor
) Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
of Franklin
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
in south Louisiana. Long recalled Wimberly as Speaker only briefly in 1956 before naming him to head public works.
Long and Wimberly supported James Houston "Jimmie" Davis
for governor in the 1959 Democratic runoff primary. Davis had north Louisiana roots, though he lived for years in Baton Rouge. He defeated then New Orleans Mayor
deLesseps Story Morrison, Sr. Long had been an unsuccessful candidate in the 1959 primary for lieutenant governor
, the post ultimately having gone to Aycock. Wimberly did not seek office that year, as he was completing his tenure at public works.
While he was in the legislature, Wimberly represented only Bienville Parish. Prior to 1968, all parishes had at least one seat in the legislature regardless of population. The last member to represent only Bienville Parish was Len Lacy
of Castor
, who served from 1964-1968.
Wimberly is interred beside his first wife at Arcadia Cemetery on Hazel Street (Louisiana State Highway 9) near the Bienville Parish Courthouse.
Wimberly was a cousin
of D. C. Wimberly, a World War II
prisoner of war
and later an educator in Bienville and Webster parishes.
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...
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
from 1928–1940 and again from 1948-1956. A native and resident of Arcadia
Arcadia, Louisiana
Arcadia is a town in and the parish seat of Bienville Parish in north Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,041 at the 2000 census....
, the seat of Bienville Parish in north 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...
, Wimberly was House Speaker
Speaker (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...
from 1936–1940, 1950–1952, and from May 14-July 10, 1956. He was also the state highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
department director during the 1940s and headed the Department of Public Works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
from 1956-1960. He was a member of the powerful Long
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...
political faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
which dominated the state during most of Wimberly's public career.
Wimberly was born to Joseph Rush Wimberly, I (1873–1943) and the former Annie May Poland (1877–1960). Rush Wimberly was a member of the Louisiana House from 1900–1908, the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Senate
The Louisiana State Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All Senators serve four year terms and are assigned multiple committees to work on. The Republicans control the State Senate following a Special Election Victory in District 26 by Jonathan W. Perry...
from 1908–1912, and was thereafter 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...
. Wimberly graduated from Arcadia High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. He made his living as a cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
man and farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and was affiliated with the former Daniel, Bryan, and Turner Insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
Agency in Arcadia.
He was twice married. From his union to Jessie Faye Sherard (June 6, 1899 — July 25, 1934) was born a daughter, Faye Wimberly Mary (born 1921), the widow of Richard M. Mary, Sr. (born 1922), of Baton Rouge. After the death of his first wife, Wimberly in 1936 married the former Dorothy Knox (December 25, 1911 — November 1981) of Baton Rouge. From that union came Lorris M. Wimberly, Jr. (born 1946), a United Methodist minister. Wimberly had five grandchildren: Richard Mary, Jr. (born 1951) and Mary's four half-cousins, Lorris Knox Wimberly (born 1975), Marianna Grace Wimberly (born 1978), Shelley Dawn Wimberly (born 1980), and Wesley Paul Wimberly (born 1982), all of Baton Rouge. Wimberly's siblings included J. Rush Wimberly, Jr. (1906–1982).
Wimberly supported state-funded textbooks, a plank in the original 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...
, platform. The textbooks proposal was first advanced by the Longite John Sparks Patton
John Sparks Patton
John Sparks Patton was a Louisiana politician and educator who was an early advocate of taxpayer-funded school textbooks and a member of the Long faction of his state's Democratic Party....
of Claiborne Parish, adjacent to Bienville Parish, who was later a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
. Wimberly's first stint as Speaker occurred when Longite Speaker 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...
, the seat of 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, was elected to the United States Senate
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...
. Wimberly served as the choice of Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Richard Webster Leche of New Orleans (1936–1939), when Leche was forced to resign amid scandals known as the "Louisiana Hayride". From 1939-1940, Wimberly continued as Speaker under Governor Earl Kemp Long, who had succeeded to the top position from the lieutenant governorship with the departure of Leche.
Long called Wimberly back as Speaker — in Louisiana, the governor chooses the House speaker — in the middle of his second term in 1950. 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....
replaced Wimberly as Speaker in 1952 with his choice, conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
state Representative (and later lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
) 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:...
in south Louisiana. Long recalled Wimberly as Speaker only briefly in 1956 before naming him to head public works.
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
for governor in the 1959 Democratic runoff primary. Davis had north Louisiana roots, though he lived for years in Baton Rouge. He defeated then New Orleans Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
deLesseps Story Morrison, Sr. Long had been an unsuccessful candidate in the 1959 primary for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
, the post ultimately having gone to Aycock. Wimberly did not seek office that year, as he was completing his tenure at public works.
While he was in the legislature, Wimberly represented only Bienville Parish. Prior to 1968, all parishes had at least one seat in the legislature regardless of population. The last member to represent only Bienville Parish was Len Lacy
Len Lacy
John Len Lacy, usually known as Len Lacy , was a prominent farmer, cattleman, landowner, and businessman who served from 1964-1968 as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Castor in Bienville Parish in northwestern Louisiana...
of Castor
Castor, Louisiana
Castor is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It was established in 1900. The name "Castor" refers to the genus Castoridae beaver....
, who served from 1964-1968.
Wimberly is interred beside his first wife at Arcadia Cemetery on Hazel Street (Louisiana State Highway 9) near the Bienville Parish Courthouse.
Wimberly was a cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of D. C. Wimberly, a 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...
prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
and later an educator in Bienville and Webster parishes.