Sam Caldwell
Encyclopedia
Samuel Shepherd Caldwell, known as Sam Caldwell (November 4, 1892–August 14, 1953), was an oil
man who served as the Democratic
mayor of Shreveport
, Louisiana
, from 1934-1946.
Caldwell was the son of Samuel A. Caldwell and the former Alice Jeter. He was born and educated in Mooringsport
in Caddo Parish
. He also attended Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
. For nine years he was employed by the Kansas City Southern Railway
in the accounting and auditing departments. He worked seven years for Shell Oil Company
, part of that tenure as the assistant superintendent of the land department. He was thereafter an independent oil operator. From 1932-1934, Caldwell served on the Caddo Parish Commission, then known as the police jury, the parish governing body. He was elected mayor of Shreveport in 1934, 1938, and 1942. As mayor, he worked to merge the municipal and parish boards of health into one entity and oversaw the stocking of Cross Lake
, the city's water supply.
In 1944, Caldwell campaigned unsuccessfully for governor against former Shreveport Public Safety Commissioner (a position since abolished) James Houston Davis
. His choice for lieutenant governor was State Senator
Frank B. Ellis of St. Tammany Parish
, who a decade later waged an unsuccessful challenge to U.S. Senator Allen J. Ellender
. Caldwell received just under thirty thousand votes in the gubernatorial primary. Leander Perez
, boss of the Louisiana Delta from Plaquemines Parish
, endorsed for governor "either" Caldwell or Lewis L. Morgan
of Covington
, the seat of St. Tammany Parish
. At the time, Perez had a personal dislike for Davis and outgoing Governor Sam Houston Jones of Lake Charles
, who covertly favored Davis. Morgan was the gubernatorial running mate of former Governor Earl Kemp Long, who was seeking the office of lieutenant governor
that year. Others who sought the governorship that year were State Senator
Dudley J. LeBlanc
of Abbeville
in Vermillion Parish and U.S. Representative James H. Morrison
of Hammond
. Davis led the balloting and then defeated Morgan in the runoff election.
In effect, Davis and Caldwell had been city council members elected at-large in the early 1940s, when Shreveport operated under the city commission form of government, changed in 1978 to the mayor-council
format. After he dispatched Morgan on the theme of "Peace and Harmony," Davis was unopposed in the general election
, as was then the political custom in Louisiana. After a twelve-year hiatus, Davis returned to serve a second gubernatorial term from 1960-1964.
In 1914, Caldwell married the former Anna Pauline Owen of Monroe
, Louisiana. The couple had one child, Betty Ann (born 1923). He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and the Masonic lodge
. Caldwell died in Shreveport at the age of sixty and is interred at Greenwood Cemetery there.
For further reference, see Jerry Purvis Sanson, "Sam Caldwell's Gubernatorial Campaigns" in North Louisiana History
(1987).
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
man who served as the 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...
mayor of 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....
, 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...
, from 1934-1946.
Caldwell was the son of Samuel A. Caldwell and the former Alice Jeter. He was born and educated in Mooringsport
Mooringsport, Louisiana
Mooringsport is a village in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 833 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography: Mooringsport is located at ....
in Caddo Parish
Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Caddo Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Shreveport; as of 2000, the population was 252,161...
. He also attended Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
. For nine years he was employed by the Kansas City Southern Railway
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
in the accounting and auditing departments. He worked seven years for Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company
Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
, part of that tenure as the assistant superintendent of the land department. He was thereafter an independent oil operator. From 1932-1934, Caldwell served on the Caddo Parish Commission, then known as the police jury, the parish governing body. He was elected mayor of Shreveport in 1934, 1938, and 1942. As mayor, he worked to merge the municipal and parish boards of health into one entity and oversaw the stocking of Cross Lake
Cross Lake (Shreveport, Louisiana)
Cross Lake is an lake located near Shreveport, Louisiana. The waterway provides the water supply for the City of Shreveport. Moss covered cypress trees line the banks of this open lake popular for fishing and recreational boating. Supporting waterfowl, alligators and an abundance of wildlife...
, the city's water supply.
In 1944, Caldwell campaigned unsuccessfully for governor against former Shreveport Public Safety Commissioner (a position since abolished) James Houston Davis
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...
. His choice for lieutenant governor was 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...
Frank B. Ellis of St. Tammany Parish
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
St. Tammany Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The parish seat is Covington....
, who a decade later waged an unsuccessful challenge to U.S. Senator 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...
. Caldwell received just under thirty thousand votes in the gubernatorial primary. Leander Perez
Leander Perez
Leander Henry Perez, Sr. , was the Democratic political boss of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes in southeastern Louisiana during the middle third of the 20th century. Officially, he served as a district judge, later as district attorney, and as president of the Plaquemines Parish Commission...
, boss of the Louisiana Delta from Plaquemines Parish
Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Plaquemines Parish is the parish with the most combined land and water area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Pointe à la Hache...
, endorsed for governor "either" Caldwell or Lewis L. Morgan
Lewis L. Morgan
Lewis Lovering Morgan was an American lawyer and politician form the state of Louisiana.He served in the United States House of Representatives from November 5, 1912, to March 4, 1917, from Louisiana's 6th congressional district, which then included part of the New Orleans area...
of Covington
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
, the seat of St. Tammany Parish
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
St. Tammany Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The parish seat is Covington....
. At the time, Perez had a personal dislike for Davis and outgoing Governor Sam Houston Jones of Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, who covertly favored Davis. Morgan was the gubernatorial running mate of former Governor Earl Kemp Long, who was seeking the office of lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
The Office of Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current Lieutenant Governor is Jay Dardenne, a Republican...
that year. Others who sought the governorship that year were 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...
Dudley J. LeBlanc
Dudley J. LeBlanc
Dudley Joseph "Coozan Dud" LeBlanc was a colorful and popular Democratic and Cajun member of the Louisiana State Senate whose entrepreneurial talents netted him a fortune through the alcohol-laden patent medicine known as "Hadacol." He is also considered the "father of the old age pension" in...
of Abbeville
Abbeville, Louisiana
Abbeville is a town in and the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States, 150 miles west of New Orleans. The population was 12,257 at the 2010 census...
in Vermillion Parish and U.S. Representative James H. Morrison
James H. Morrison
James Hobson "Jimmy" Morrison, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the Sixth Congressional District of Louisiana, who served from 1943 to 1967...
of Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
. Davis led the balloting and then defeated Morgan in the runoff election.
In effect, Davis and Caldwell had been city council members elected at-large in the early 1940s, when Shreveport operated under the city commission form of government, changed in 1978 to the mayor-council
Mayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...
format. After he dispatched Morgan on the theme of "Peace and Harmony," Davis was unopposed in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, as was then the political custom in Louisiana. After a twelve-year hiatus, Davis returned to serve a second gubernatorial term from 1960-1964.
In 1914, Caldwell married the former Anna Pauline Owen of 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...
, Louisiana. The couple had one child, Betty Ann (born 1923). He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
. Caldwell died in Shreveport at the age of sixty and is interred at Greenwood Cemetery there.
For further reference, see Jerry Purvis Sanson, "Sam Caldwell's Gubernatorial Campaigns" in North Louisiana History
North Louisiana History
North Louisiana History is an academic journal published twice annually in Shreveport, Louisiana by the North Louisiana Historical Association .-History:...
(1987).