Sydney B. Nelson
Encyclopedia
Sydney Banks Nelson is a retired attorney in Shreveport
, Louisiana
, who served from 1980 to 1992 as a Democratic
member of the Louisiana State Senate
, representing District 37 (Caddo
and Bossier
parishes).
degree in 1957 from the University of Oklahoma
at Norman
, Oklahoma
. He graduated thereafter from the Louisiana State University Law Center in Baton Rouge
. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1963.
In 1977, Nelson joined John L. Hammons to establish the firm Nelson & Hammons, a Professional Law Corporation. Cornell Rushing Flournoy (female) practices in the firm with Hammons. Located a block from the Caddo Parish Courthouse, Nelson & Hammons emphasizes medical malpractice
and personal injury.
, still a semi-retired Shreveport lawyer. Davis did not seek another term that year. In 1988, during his last term in office, Nelson launched an unofficial candidacy for Senate president. The incumbent, Sammy Nunez of Chalmette
in St. Bernard Parish
east of New Orleans
, had been a state representative
first elected in 1964 and a senator since 1968. Nelson had traveled across the state for several years prior to 1988, having visited senators in their home districts in an attempt to secure commitments for Senate president.
State Representative Ron Gomez
of Lafayette
, in his memoirs entitled My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative (2000), describes Nelson, accordingly:
"Nelson, very professorial looking with his wire-rimmed glasses, was extremely meticulous in his approach to legislation. Although I thought his voting record was too liberal and trial lawyer-oriented, I liked the way he had conducted his campaign for Senate president. He was going after the presidency no matter who was elected governor [in 1987]."
Gomez said that he learned that Nelson had asked Allen Bares
, a more conservative member from Lafayette, to run for president pro-tem of the Senate in conjunction with Nelson's bid for president. "That way the president would be from north Louisiana, and the pro-tem from the south. Of course, [Governor Buddy] Roemer
, like Nelson, was from the Shreveport area. Their meeting with Roemer was intended, of course, to get his endorsement and support [for their dual candidacies]."
Instead, Roemer picked Bares for Senate president and Jimmy Dimos
of Ouachita Parish
for House Speaker
. In Louisiana, unlike most states, the governor personally selects the legislative leadership. Therefore, Nelson's "candidacy" for Senate president had always been dependent on gubernatorial preference. In 1992, Nunez returned as Senate president, as Nelson left office.
Nelson was unopposed in the 1987 nonpartisan blanket primary, the last time his name appeared on the ballot. He did not seek a fourth term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 19, 1991. Instead, the Democrat Gregory J. Barro
(born 1957) of Shreveport led the field with 11,224 votes (34 percent). Republican
Ronald Bradford "Ron" Fayard (October 1, 1946 – March 7, 2011), a Realtor, Mississippi
native, and civic leader from Bossier City
, trailed with 10,228 votes (31 percent). Another Democrat, Parker A. Self (born 1959) of Bossier City, and the Republican Leroy H. Scott, Jr. (born 1953), of Shreveport, received the remaining but critical 35 percent of the ballots. In the general election, Barro defeated Fayard, 22,616 (58.9 percent) to 15,803 (41.1 percent). Barro's victory occurred on the same day that Edwin Washington Edwards staged his fourth-term comeback in a large victory over former Ku Klux Klan
sman David Duke
, who ran as a Republican but without the support of most party leaders. Governor Roemer had been eliminated in the primary with a third-place finish.
.
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...
, who served from 1980 to 1992 as a 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 State Senate
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...
, representing District 37 (Caddo
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...
and Bossier
Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Bossier Parish is named for Pierre Bossier, a 19th-century Louisiana state senator and U.S. representative from Natchitoches Parish.Bossier Parish was spared fighting on its soil during the American Civil War...
parishes).
Early years
A Shreveport native, Nelson received a Bachelor of Business AdministrationBachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
degree in 1957 from the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
at Norman
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He graduated thereafter from the Louisiana State University Law Center in 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...
. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1963.
In 1977, Nelson joined John L. Hammons to establish the firm Nelson & Hammons, a Professional Law Corporation. Cornell Rushing Flournoy (female) practices in the firm with Hammons. Located a block from the Caddo Parish Courthouse, Nelson & Hammons emphasizes medical malpractice
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
and personal injury.
Legislative service
In 1979, Nelson was initially elected to succeed the more conservative Jackson B. DavisJackson B. Davis
Jackson Beauregard Davis is an American attorney based in Shreveport, Louisiana, who served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate from 1956 to 1980. Now in his nineties, Davis still practices law and is active in community affairs, often addressing public gatherings...
, still a semi-retired Shreveport lawyer. Davis did not seek another term that year. In 1988, during his last term in office, Nelson launched an unofficial candidacy for Senate president. The incumbent, Sammy Nunez of Chalmette
Chalmette, Louisiana
Chalmette is a census-designated place in and the parish seat of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 32,069 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana
St. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....
east of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, had been a state representative
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...
first elected in 1964 and a senator since 1968. Nelson had traveled across the state for several years prior to 1988, having visited senators in their home districts in an attempt to secure commitments for Senate president.
State Representative 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...
, in his memoirs entitled My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative (2000), describes Nelson, accordingly:
"Nelson, very professorial looking with his wire-rimmed glasses, was extremely meticulous in his approach to legislation. Although I thought his voting record was too liberal and trial lawyer-oriented, I liked the way he had conducted his campaign for Senate president. He was going after the presidency no matter who was elected governor [in 1987]."
Gomez said that he learned that Nelson had asked Allen Bares
Allen Bares
Allen Ray Bares, Sr. was a Lafayette lawyer who served as a conservative Democrat in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature between 1972 and 1992. He is particularly remembered for his strong support of the pro-life cause and the Boy Scouts of America...
, a more conservative member from Lafayette, to run for president pro-tem of the Senate in conjunction with Nelson's bid for president. "That way the president would be from north Louisiana, and the pro-tem from the south. Of course, [Governor Buddy] Roemer
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
, like Nelson, was from the Shreveport area. Their meeting with Roemer was intended, of course, to get his endorsement and support [for their dual candidacies]."
Instead, Roemer picked Bares for Senate president and Jimmy Dimos
Jimmy Dimos
Jimmy N. Dimos is a retired state Fourth Judicial District Court judge based in Monroe in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. Dimos is also a former Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, having served from 1976 to 1999...
of Ouachita Parish
Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
-National protected areas:* Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge* D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 147,250 people, 55,216 households, and 38,319 families residing in the parish. The population density was 241 people per square mile...
for 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...
. In Louisiana, unlike most states, the governor personally selects the legislative leadership. Therefore, Nelson's "candidacy" for Senate president had always been dependent on gubernatorial preference. In 1992, Nunez returned as Senate president, as Nelson left office.
Nelson was unopposed in the 1987 nonpartisan blanket primary, the last time his name appeared on the ballot. He did not seek a fourth term in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 19, 1991. Instead, the Democrat Gregory J. Barro
Greg Barro
Gregory John Barro, known as Greg Barro , is an attorney in Shreveport, Louisiana, who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1992 to 1996. He represented District 37, which covers parts of Caddo and Bossier parishes the far northwestern portion of the state.In 1987, Barro...
(born 1957) of Shreveport led the field with 11,224 votes (34 percent). 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...
Ronald Bradford "Ron" Fayard (October 1, 1946 – March 7, 2011), a Realtor, 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...
native, and civic leader from Bossier City
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
, trailed with 10,228 votes (31 percent). Another Democrat, Parker A. Self (born 1959) of Bossier City, and the Republican Leroy H. Scott, Jr. (born 1953), of Shreveport, received the remaining but critical 35 percent of the ballots. In the general election, Barro defeated Fayard, 22,616 (58.9 percent) to 15,803 (41.1 percent). Barro's victory occurred on the same day that Edwin Washington Edwards staged his fourth-term comeback in a large victory over former Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
sman David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
, who ran as a Republican but without the support of most party leaders. Governor Roemer had been eliminated in the primary with a third-place finish.
Nelson today
Nelson and his wife, the former Gail Anderson (born ca. 1936), have a son, Sydney S. Nelson (born 1961). Nelson is vice chairman of the foundation of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center ShreveportLouisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport is the academic center for medicine and medical research in North Louisiana. It is located in Shreveport and is part of the Louisiana State University System. The medical school opened in 1969. One of its founders was Dr. Joe E...
.