S. S. DeWitt
Encyclopedia
Sturgis Sprague DeWitt, known primarily as S.S. DeWitt (September 15, 1914 - February 19, 1998) was a farmer
and businessman from Newellton
and St. Joseph
in Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana
who served as a conservative Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from 1964–1972.
In 1963, DeWitt unseated 20-year Representative J.C. Seaman of Waterproof
in southern Tensas Parish. He had run unsuccessfully against Seaman in the 1959 primary. In his first term from 1964–1968, DeWitt represented only Tensas Parish, but in his second term, he was paired with Lantz Womack
of Winnsboro
, the seat of Franklin Parish, in a combined district including Franklin, Tensas, and Madison parishes. DeWitt was hence the last person to have represented a district which included only Tensas Parish, the least populous of Louisiana's sixty-four parishes. Prior to 1968, all Louisiana parishes had a minimum of one member in the 105-member state House regardless of population. DeWitt lost a bid for a third term in the 1971 primary, and Womack was elected in a redistricted single-member district.After his legislative service, DeWitt switched his affiliation to the Republican Party
.
in Catahoula Parish, also in northeastern Louisiana. Harry DeWitt, a native of Lodi
, Ohio
, came to Louisiana at the age of seventeen to work in a sawmill
at the community
of Peck in Catahoula Parish. Edith Sprague was reared in Sicily Island, but her family came originally from Natchez
, Mississippi
. DeWitt graduated from Sicily Island High School in 1931 and thereafter attended Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge for two years.
In 1940, he married the former Hazel Green (born July 19, 1921). From 1941-1945, DeWitt served in the United States Army Air Corps
, later the Air Force
, at Muroc Army Air Field in California
, renamed in 1949 as Edwards Air Force Base
.
, the couple moved to her hometown of Newellton in northern Tensas Parish, where DeWitt clerked in a store owned by Henry Lang. Thereafter, DeWitt engaged in farming, piloted his own plane, and developed an interest in state politics. In the legislature, he served on the House Un-American Activities, Agriculture, and Transportation committees. Prior to his legislative service, the couple relocated to St. Joseph and resided on scenic Lake Bruin
, an oxbow lake
of the Mississippi River
.
DeWitt was a member and a deacon
of the First Baptist
Church of Newellton. He was a member of the advisory committee of the Louisiana Moral and Civic Foundation, an interest group, which honored him on April 30, 1996, with its 1995 "G.O. McGuffee Public Servant Award" presented in a ceremony in Baton Rouge by former state Senator Bryan A. Poston
of Hornbeck
in Vernon Parish
.
He was also active in the American Legion
, Rotary International
, and the board of the Lake Bruin Golf
and Country Club, where he played tennis
well into his eighties. In earlier years, he was a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America
.
in St. Francis Hospital
in Monroe
. In addition to his wife, he was survived by their daughter, Edith Sprague DeWitt Sandoz (born 1945) of Houston, Texas
, formerly married to James Clyde "Jim" Wilkerson (1942–2007) and two grandchildren, James Clifton "Cliff" Wilkerson, II, an attorney
in Baton Rouge, and Edith Margaret Wong of Atlanta
, Georgia
. He left behind one great-grandchild, Kayle Anne Griffith. Services were held in the First Baptist Church in Newellton, with five officiating ministers, J. Fulton McGraw, James D. Hill (former First Baptist Newellton pastor then at First Baptist Blanchard
in Caddo Parish), Mack Stange, Hugh Boswell, and Ray Robbins.
After his death, First Baptist dedicated its flag
and flagpole in DeWitt's honor. He was lauded as "one of those men who answered the call of his country to help defend these freedoms and ideals during World War II. His love of his country developed a strong sense of patriotism
which never waned and which was reflected in his strong stand against the desecrations of this hallowed flag. . . . He always tried to inculcate and instill this love of country and loyalty to country in the lives of young people . . . Sprague DeWitt's support of freedom for all and his loyalty to his country was absolutely unswerving. . . . "
The late Sam Hanna, Sr.
, of Ferriday
, a Louisiana journalist
in his column "One Man's Opinion", recalled that mourners packed the sanctuary
of the First Baptist Church in Newellton for DeWitt's funeral, and many had to watch the service on video in the family room. Hanna described DeWitt, accordingly:
"A strong physically fit man, DeWitt was active, still playing tennis, until he became ill. . . . [His] life story [was] typical of a lot of men of his generation who grew up in quieter times, went to college, served in the military during World War II, and came home to make a living, support a family, and contribute to a country he dearly loved. That was DeWitt's story, a farmer by trade, a veteran, a family man with grandchildren, a Scoutmaster in his earlier days, a Rotarian, a church-going man, and a loyal Louisianan.…
"One of DeWitt's friends from his Sicily Island days was at the funeral where he recounted that although DeWitt never returned to live at Sicily Island, he never forgot his friends there and maintained contact with them. The DeWitt place [in Sicily Island] is still in the family. . . .
"Tensas [Parish] was different [when DeWitt entered the legislature]. It was unique, a parish where more than its share of strong-willed men lived their lives in leadership roles, men like Elliot Coleman
, Ben Burnside, Sr., E.R. McDonald, Sr. (founder of the defunct Dutch Gardens in Newellton), and Howard M. Jones
," the state senator
who served with DeWitt during DeWitt's first term in the House.
Hanna recalled that DeWitt became friends with his northeast Louisiana neighbor, John McKeithen
, a former lawmaker who was governor
during DeWitt's legislative tenure.
"[DeWitt] 'was a fine honorable man, a good representative of the people who stood by his word, and his convictions', McKeithen said.
"DeWitt was not a natural or a pure politician. He wasn't driven by politics. But he was genuine and sincere in his feelings for people and his desire to represent them to the best of his ability.
"That was his outstanding distinction in public life, more so than being a legislator in a period when the state experienced one of its most significant changes in history
. . . . "
DeWitt is interred at the Legion Memorial Cemetery in Newellton.
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 businessman from Newellton
Newellton, Louisiana
Newellton is a town in northern Tensas Parish in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population is 1,227 in the 2010 census, a decline of 255 from 2000. Newellton is some 65 percent African American. It is just west of the Mississippi River on Lake St. Joseph, an ox-bow lake....
and St. Joseph
St. Joseph, Louisiana
St. Joseph is a town in and the parish seat of Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,340 at the 2000 census. The town is 69 percent African American. St. Joseph is the entry community to Lake Bruin State Park located on Lake Bruin, a relatively clear oxbow...
in Tensas Parish in northeastern 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 as a conservative 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...
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...
from 1964–1972.
In 1963, DeWitt unseated 20-year Representative J.C. Seaman of Waterproof
Waterproof, Louisiana
Waterproof is a town in Tensas Parish, Louisiana, United States with a population of 834 as of 2000 census. Waterproof is approximately seventeen miles north of Ferriday, one of the two principal communities of Concordia Parish...
in southern Tensas Parish. He had run unsuccessfully against Seaman in the 1959 primary. In his first term from 1964–1968, DeWitt represented only Tensas Parish, but in his second term, he was paired with Lantz Womack
Lantz Womack
Lantz Womack was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives who served mostly Franklin Parish, from 1958, when he won a special election caused by the death of a freshman member, until his retirement in 1976...
of Winnsboro
Winnsboro, Louisiana
Winnsboro is a city in and the parish seat of Franklin Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of July 2009, the estimated city population was 4,377...
, the seat of Franklin Parish, in a combined district including Franklin, Tensas, and Madison parishes. DeWitt was hence the last person to have represented a district which included only Tensas Parish, the least populous of Louisiana's sixty-four parishes. Prior to 1968, all Louisiana parishes had a minimum of one member in the 105-member state House regardless of population. DeWitt lost a bid for a third term in the 1971 primary, and Womack was elected in a redistricted single-member district.After his legislative service, DeWitt switched his affiliation to the Republican Party
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...
.
Early years, education, military
DeWitt was born to Harry Burr DeWitt and the former Edith Sprague in Sicily IslandSicily Island, Louisiana
Sicily Island is a village in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 453 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sicily Island is located at ....
in Catahoula Parish, also in northeastern Louisiana. Harry DeWitt, a native of Lodi
Lodi, Ohio
Lodi is a village in Medina County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,061 at the 2000 census.- History :Founded in 1811, Lodi is the oldest settlement in Medina County. It was originally called Harrisville, in honor of the family that founded it. It was later renamed to Lodi, the Indian...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, came to Louisiana at the age of seventeen to work in a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
at the community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
of Peck in Catahoula Parish. Edith Sprague was reared in Sicily Island, but her family came originally from Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
, 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...
. DeWitt graduated from Sicily Island High School in 1931 and thereafter attended 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 for two years.
In 1940, he married the former Hazel Green (born July 19, 1921). From 1941-1945, DeWitt served in the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, later the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, at Muroc Army Air Field in 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...
, renamed in 1949 as Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
.
Legislative and civic service
After World War IIWorld 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...
, the couple moved to her hometown of Newellton in northern Tensas Parish, where DeWitt clerked in a store owned by Henry Lang. Thereafter, DeWitt engaged in farming, piloted his own plane, and developed an interest in state politics. In the legislature, he served on the House Un-American Activities, Agriculture, and Transportation committees. Prior to his legislative service, the couple relocated to St. Joseph and resided on scenic Lake Bruin
Lake Bruin
Lake Bruin is an ox-bow lake of the Mississippi River located in Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana. It consists of some of unusually clear water, particularly suited for swimming, boating, and fishing. Part of the lake is owned by the state, which operates Lake Bruin State Park, one of...
, an oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
DeWitt was a member and a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
of the First Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church of Newellton. He was a member of the advisory committee of the Louisiana Moral and Civic Foundation, an interest group, which honored him on April 30, 1996, with its 1995 "G.O. McGuffee Public Servant Award" presented in a ceremony in Baton Rouge by former state Senator Bryan A. Poston
Bryan A. Poston
Bryan Anthony Poston, Sr. was a businessman in Hornbeck, Louisiana, who served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate from 1964 to 1992. He succeeded his father, Charles M. Poston, Sr., a one-term senator from 1960 to 1964.Poston was born in rural Benson in southern De Soto Parish to Charles...
of Hornbeck
Hornbeck, Louisiana
Hornbeck is a town in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 435 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in Vernon Parish
Vernon Parish, Louisiana
Vernon Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Leesville and as of 2000, the population was 52,531....
.
He was also active in the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, and the board of the Lake Bruin Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and Country Club, where he played tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
well into his eighties. In earlier years, he was a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
.
Death and legacy
DeWitt died at the age of eighty-three of pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in St. Francis Hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
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...
. In addition to his wife, he was survived by their daughter, Edith Sprague DeWitt Sandoz (born 1945) of Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, formerly married to James Clyde "Jim" Wilkerson (1942–2007) and two grandchildren, James Clifton "Cliff" Wilkerson, II, an attorney
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...
in Baton Rouge, and Edith Margaret Wong of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. He left behind one great-grandchild, Kayle Anne Griffith. Services were held in the First Baptist Church in Newellton, with five officiating ministers, J. Fulton McGraw, James D. Hill (former First Baptist Newellton pastor then at First Baptist Blanchard
Blanchard, Louisiana
Blanchard is a town in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,050 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Blanchard is located at ....
in Caddo Parish), Mack Stange, Hugh Boswell, and Ray Robbins.
After his death, First Baptist dedicated its flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
and flagpole in DeWitt's honor. He was lauded as "one of those men who answered the call of his country to help defend these freedoms and ideals during World War II. His love of his country developed a strong sense of patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
which never waned and which was reflected in his strong stand against the desecrations of this hallowed flag. . . . He always tried to inculcate and instill this love of country and loyalty to country in the lives of young people . . . Sprague DeWitt's support of freedom for all and his loyalty to his country was absolutely unswerving. . . . "
The late Sam Hanna, Sr.
Sam Hanna
Samuel Andrew Hanna, Sr., known as Sam Hanna , was a Louisiana journalist who owned and published three newspapers: The Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, the Franklin Sun in Winnsboro, and The Ouachita Citizen in West Monroe.-Early years and education:Hanna was born in Winnsboro, the seat of Franklin...
, of Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
, a Louisiana 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...
in his column "One Man's Opinion", recalled that mourners packed the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
of the First Baptist Church in Newellton for DeWitt's funeral, and many had to watch the service on video in the family room. Hanna described DeWitt, accordingly:
"A strong physically fit man, DeWitt was active, still playing tennis, until he became ill. . . . [His] life story [was] typical of a lot of men of his generation who grew up in quieter times, went to college, served in the military during World War II, and came home to make a living, support a family, and contribute to a country he dearly loved. That was DeWitt's story, a farmer by trade, a veteran, a family man with grandchildren, a Scoutmaster in his earlier days, a Rotarian, a church-going man, and a loyal Louisianan.…
"One of DeWitt's friends from his Sicily Island days was at the funeral where he recounted that although DeWitt never returned to live at Sicily Island, he never forgot his friends there and maintained contact with them. The DeWitt place [in Sicily Island] is still in the family. . . .
"Tensas [Parish] was different [when DeWitt entered the legislature]. It was unique, a parish where more than its share of strong-willed men lived their lives in leadership roles, men like Elliot Coleman
Elliot D. Coleman
Elliot d’Evereaux Coleman, I , was from 1936-1960 the sheriff of Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Earlier, he had been a state police bodyguard of U.S. Senator Huey P. Long, Jr., on September 8, 1935, the night of Long's assassination.-Early life:Coleman was born to E. D...
, Ben Burnside, Sr., E.R. McDonald, Sr. (founder of the defunct Dutch Gardens in Newellton), and Howard M. Jones
Howard M. Jones (Louisiana politician)
Howard M. Jones was a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from St. Joseph in Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana, who served two terms from 1960 to 1968....
," the 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...
who served with DeWitt during DeWitt's first term in the House.
Hanna recalled that DeWitt became friends with his northeast Louisiana neighbor, John McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
, a former lawmaker who was governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
during DeWitt's legislative tenure.
"[DeWitt] 'was a fine honorable man, a good representative of the people who stood by his word, and his convictions', McKeithen said.
"DeWitt was not a natural or a pure politician. He wasn't driven by politics. But he was genuine and sincere in his feelings for people and his desire to represent them to the best of his ability.
"That was his outstanding distinction in public life, more so than being a legislator in a period when the state experienced one of its most significant changes in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. . . . "
DeWitt is interred at the Legion Memorial Cemetery in Newellton.