Charlton Havard Lyons, Sr., (1894–1973) was a Shreveport oilman who in 1964 waged the first determined Republican bid for the Louisiana governorship since Reconstruction. Shreveport, Louisiana is the third largest metropolitan city in the state of Louisiana, USA. It is located in Caddo Parish, and as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 200,145. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... The Republican Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States two-party system, the other one being the Democratic Party. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 31st 134,382 km² 210 km 610 km 16 29°N to 33°N 89°W to 94°W Population... Reconstruction-era military districts in the South For other uses, see Reconstruction (disambiguation). ...

From Abbeville to Shreveport

Lyons was born on September 3, 1894, in Abbeville in Vermilion Parish, to Ernest John Lyons and the former Joyce Bentley Havard. He attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge but received his bachelor's degree from Tulane University in New Orleans. He also received a law degree from Tulane. On August 28, 1917, Lyons married the former Marjorie Hall, an actress. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1916 and thereafter taught school for a time in Pollock, Louisiana in Grant Parish. He opened a law practice in Winnfield, Louisiana, center of the Long dynasty, from 1918-1921, at the time that the legendary Huey P. Long, Jr., was rising to prominence. The small city of Abbeville is the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, in the US state of Louisiana, 150 miles (241 km) southwest of New Orleans. ... Vermilion Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Memorial Tower. ... Capitol Building Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, a state of the United States of America. ... Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Pollock is a town located in Grant Parish, Louisiana. ... Grant Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Winnfield is a small city located in Winn Parish, Louisiana. ... Huey Pierce Long (August 30, 1893–September 10, 1935), known as The Kingfish, was an American politician; he was governor of Louisiana (1928–1932), Senator (1932–1935) and a presidential hopeful before his assassination. ...

Lyons relocated to Shreveport and went into the oil business as "C.H. Lyons Petroleum." In the 1950s, Lyons had become so successful in his field that he was named president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America. In 1969, Lyons was honored as "Humanitarian of the Year at" the Abbeville Dairy Festival in the town of his birth. His civic-mindedness led him to establish the popular Marjorie Lyons Playhouse on the campus of Methodist-affiliated Centenary College in Shreveport, which is named for his wife. He was considered by friend and political rival alike as a man of great optimism and impeccable character. Charlton and Marjorie Lyons were Episcopalians. Shreveport, Louisiana is the third largest metropolitan city in the state of Louisiana, USA. It is located in Caddo Parish, and as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 200,145. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... Centenary College of Louisiana is an independent United Methodist, primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. ... The Episcopal Church may refer to several members of the Anglican Communion, including: Episcopal Church in the United States of America Scottish Episcopal Church Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East Episcopal Church of Cuba idk of the Sudan Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church ...

They had two sons, Charlton Havard Lyons, Jr., a prominent Shreveport businessman and civic leader, and Hall McCord Lyons of Lafayette, a former political candidate. Shreveport, Louisiana is the third largest metropolitan city in the state of Louisiana, USA. It is located in Caddo Parish, and as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 200,145. ... Lafayette or La Fayette is the name of several places in the United States of America, generally named for the French hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette (sometimes referred to as the Marquis de la Fayette), as are most places named Fayette, or Fayetteville: La Fayette, Alabama...

"Everybody Can Vote for Charlton Lyons"

In the campaign, Lyons posted billboards saying, "Everybody Can Vote for Charlton Lyons," for he had to inform Louisiana's Democratic voters, then more than 98 percent of the registrants, that they actually had a choice in the general election that year, a phenomenon unknown prior to 1964. Democratic nominee John McKeithen (1918-1999) noted that he, at 45, was a generation younger than the 69-year-old Lyons. It was a rare use of age as an issue in Louisiana politics. The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... John McKeithen, a Democrat from the tiny town of Columbia in Caldwell Parish in northeastern Louisiana, was the first governor of his state to serve two consecutive terms. ...

Ronald W. Reagan came to Louisiana to campaign for Lyons: this was only a few months before Reagan delivered his October 27, 1964, "Rendezvous with Destiny" address on a national television hookup to promote Barry Goldwater's presidential bid, a speech credited with catapulting Reagan into the vanguard of national politics. Lyons, like Reagan, was a former Democrat who also had become disenchanted with the liberal drift of the party. Order: 40th President Term of Office: January 20, 1981–January 20, 1989 Preceded by: Jimmy Carter Succeeded by: George H.W. Bush Date of birth: February 6, 1911 Place of birth: Tampico, Illinois Date of death: June 5, 2004 Place of death: Los Angeles, California First Lady: Nancy Reagan Political... Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a United States politician who was a founding figure in the modern American conservatism movement in the USA. Goldwater personified the shift in balance in American politics from the Northeast to the West. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ...

McKeithen was outraged over Reagan's visit and urged the veteran actor of film and television "to return to Hollywood and so something about the standing immorality and communism that flourishes in that city." McKeithen predicted that Louisiana Democrats would "repel this second invasion by the carpetbaggers." Two years later, Reagan was elected governor of California. McKeithen pictured Lyons as the beneficiary of "special interests" and "a group of millionaires." Lyons would "help the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer," wailed McKeithen. Lyons, however, denied that most of his supporters were even wealthy. "A Victory for Lyons Will Electrify the Nation," said one of the candidate's brochures. American usage In the United States, the negative term carpetbagger was used to refer to a Northerner who traveled to the South after the American Civil War, through the late 1860s and the 1870s, during Reconstruction. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total   - Width   - Length    - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 158,302 sq mi  410,000 km² 250 miles  402. ...

McKeithen seemed to resent having to face a Republican challenger after he survived two Democratic primaries. He called for an end to two Democratic primaries to be followed by a general election with Republicans, but the process of three elections was barely getting underway.

But Only 37.5 Percent Voted for Lyons

Lyons lost to Democrat McKeithen in the March 3, 1964, general election, but his 297,753 ballots (37.5 percent), helped to pave the way for the victory in Louisiana that November of the Goldwater-Miller presidential electors. McKeithen polled 469,589 votes (60.7 percent). (The last of the States' Rights Party gubernatorial nominees in Louisiana history, Thomas S. Williams from the town of Ethel in East Feliciana Parish, received 6,048 votes, or 1.8 percent). The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater ( January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a United States politician and a founding figure in the modern conservative movement in the USA. Goldwater personified the shift in balance in American culture from the Northeast to the West. ... A governor is an official who heads the government of a colony, state or other sub-national state unit. ... East Feliciana Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ...

Lyons polled majorities in five parishes, Caddo, Bossier, Claiborne, Lincoln, and DeSoto, all in north Louisiana. He polled more than 47 percent in East Baton Rouge Parish and Webster Parish. In La Salle Parish, which had supported Richard Nixon in 1960 and Taylor W. O'Hearn for the U.S. Senate in 1962, Lyons drew less than 30 percent of the vote, a factor perhaps explained by the geographic proximity of La Salle Parish to McKeithen's Caldwell Parish. East Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Webster Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... La Salle Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... La Salle Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Caldwell Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ...

In victory, McKeithen was magnanimous toward his rival: "My opponent waged a tremendous campaign for a man of his age. I am glad I don't have to run against him again." The Shreveport Journal, which endorsed Lyons, observed that the Republican vote was "not so much a vote against John McKeithen, who had already taken the district in Democratic balloting, as it was an expression of endearment for a man who is regarded as one of our most outstanding citizens."

Working for Goldwater

During the gubernatorial race, McKeithen had accused Lyons of being precommitted to the 1964 Republican presidential candidate, and he incorrectly predicted that the nominee would be, not Senator Goldwater, but then New York Governor Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, considered the liberal, internationalist candidate. McKeithen said that he would keep his options open for the 1964 presidential election. As it turned out, he remained neutral in that race, but the state's two Democratic senators, Allen Ellender and Russell B. Long both supported the Lyndon Johnson-Hubert Humphrey ticket. Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater ( January 1, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was a United States politician and a founding figure in the modern conservative movement in the USA. Goldwater personified the shift in balance in American culture from the Northeast to the West. ... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 - January 26, 1979) was a Governor of New York and the 41st Vice President of the United States of America from December 19, 1974 to January 20, 1977. ... Categories: Stub | 1890 births | 1972 deaths | United States Senators ... Russell Billiu Long (November 3, 1918 – May 9, 2003) was an American politician who served in the United States Senate as a Democrat from Louisiana from 1948 to 1987. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908–January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician. ... Hubert Horatio Humphrey II (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was the 38th Vice President of the United States, serving under President Lyndon Johnson. ...

No sooner had the gubernatorial race ended than Lyons resumed working for Goldwater's nomination as president. He led the Louisiana delegation to the national convention held in San Francisco's Cow Palace. He helped to persuade several leading Louisiana Democrats to support Goldwater, including former Governors Sam H. Jones and Robert F. Kennon and Lieutenant Governor C.C. "Taddy" Aycock of Franklin in St. Mary Parish. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... The Cow Palace (originally known as the California State Livestock Pavilion) is an indoor arena that straddles the border between Daly City, California and San Francisco. ... Sam Houston Jones was the governor of Louisiana from 1940 to 1944. ... Robert Floyd Kennon (August 12, 1902 - January 11, 1988) was the Democratic governor of the state of Louisiana, United States between 1952-1956. ... Franklin is a place name in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States: In Australia, the Franklin River is on the west coast of the State of Tasmania. ... St. ...

Goldwater defeated Lyndon B. Johnson in Louisiana and won some parishes by 5-1 margins or better. Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States (1963–1969). ...

Lyons v. Waggonner, 1961 Congressional Race

In the fall of 1961, Lyons had waged another serious Republican campaign -- for the Fourth Congressional District in Louisiana. A vacancy developed when long-term Democratic Representative Overton Brooks died. In the 1960 general election, Brooks had defeated Republican Fred C. McClanahan of Shreveport (born 1919) by a wide margin, 48,286 (74.2 percent) to 16,827 (25.8 percent). Lyons made a much stronger showing in the northwest Louisiana district than had McClanahan just a year earlier, but the seat went to Joe Waggonner, Jr., from Plain Dealing in Bossier Parish, a conservative Democrat who had once been president of the segregationist Louisiana Citizen's Council. Waggonner served until his retirement in 1979. Lyons claimed that victory by Waggonner would be interpreted as support for policies of President Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, while Waggonner claimed that the election of Lyons would mean increased importance being placed on black bloc voting through virtue of a two-party system. Lyons won his own Caddo Parish with 58.7 percent, but district-wide the totals were 28,250 votes (45.5 percent) for Lyons and 33,892 (54.5 percent) for Waggonner. After the Lyons campaign of 1961, no other Republican opposed Waggonner, who was customarily reelected without opposition. In 1988, a Republican, Jim McCrery, a Shreveport native who grew up in Leesville in Vernon Parish, won the district in another special election created by the election of Congressman Buddy Roemer as governor. McCrery has since held the seat with relatively little difficulty. Shreveport, Louisiana is the third largest metropolitan city in the state of Louisiana, USA. It is located in Caddo Parish, and as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 200,145. ... Bossier Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... JFK redirects here. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States (1963–1969). ... Caddo Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Rep. ... Shreveport, Louisiana is the third largest metropolitan city in the state of Louisiana, USA. It is located in Caddo Parish, and as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 200,145. ... Leesville is the name of some places in the United States of America: Leesville, Louisiana Leesville, Ohio There is also Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina. ... Vernon Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Charles Elson Buddy Roemer, III, was governor of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992 and a Democratic member of the U.S. House from 1981-1988. ...

Lyons Passes the GOP Baton to Treen

In 1972, Lyons supported the Republican gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen of suburban New Orleans, even though Lyons' son, Hall McCord Lyons, was running for governor on the American Independent Party ticket, an organization founded in 1968 by Alabama Governor George C. Wallace. Hall Lyons withdrew from the race and endorsed Treen, who in turn lost the general election to Democrat Edwin Washington Edwards. In 1966, Hall Lyons had run for Congress in the Lafayette-based district, but he lost to veteran Democrat Edwin E. Willis, a supporter of President Johnson. Unlike his son, Charlton Lyons had opposed George C. Wallace, Sr., who had won Louisiana in 1968. Charlton Lyons supported the Nixon-Agnew elector slate, which fared poorly in the state. David Conner Treen (born July 16, 1928) is an American politician who was Governor of Louisiana from 1980 to 1984. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... American Independent Party is a United States American political party. ... George Corley Wallace (August 25, 1919–September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was elected Governor of Alabama (as a Democrat) four times (1962, 1970, 1974 and 1982) and ran for U.S. President (in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976). ... Edwin Washington Edwards (born 7 August 1927) is a United States politician who served as governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972 - 1980, 1984 - 1988, and 1992 - 1996), more terms than any other Louisiana governor. ... Lafayette or La Fayette is the name of several places in the United States of America, generally named for the French hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette (sometimes referred to as the Marquis de la Fayette), as are most places named Fayette, or Fayetteville: La Fayette, Alabama... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... George Corley Wallace (August 25, 1919–September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was elected Governor of Alabama (as a Democrat) four times (1962, 1970, 1974 and 1982) and ran for U.S. President (in 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976). ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 31st 134,382 km² 210 km 610 km 16 29°N to 33°N 89°W to 94°W Population... Nixon is the surname of some prominent people: Richard Nixon - 37th President of the United States Patricia Nixon - First Lady to President Richard Nixon Tricia Nixon Cox - older daughter to Richard and Pat Nixon Julie Nixon Eisenhower - younger daughter to Richard and Pat Nixon John B. Nixon - oldest inmate executed... The black box (as distinguished from blue boxes and red boxes), sometimes called an Agnew, was a device built by phone phreaks during the 1960s and 1970s in order to defeat long distance phone call toll charges, and specifically to block the supervision signal sent by the receiving telephone handset...

Lyons died in 1973. Only months earlier, Treen had been elected to the U.S. House from the reconfigured Third Congressional District, which included parts of suburban New Orleans. Lyons hence lived just long enough to witness the first glimpse of his dream of a two-party system for traditionally Democratic Louisiana. His die-hard backers thought of him as the "best governor Louisiana never had." For a time, Lyons was the Louisiana Republican National Committeeman. He was the GOP state chairman after he lost the governor's election. His papers (covering 1942-1973) are at LSU in Baton Rouge. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Capitol Building Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, a state of the United States of America. ...

References

• Billy Hathorn, Ph.D., "The Republican Party in Louisiana, 1920-1980," Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA, master's thesis, 1980
• http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/mbayham/2002/mb_1125p.shtml
• http://www.centenary.edu/news/1997/July/funnygif.html
• http://www.ou.edu/special/albertctr/archives/WickershamInventory/Wick09.htm
• http://capitolwatch.reallouisiana.com/html/A75E1178-828D-4719-8077-E42A0AA2B4C3.shtml
• http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/guidedisplay.pl?index=G000267
• http://capitolwatch.reallouisiana.com/html/A75E1178-828D-4719-8077-E42A0AA2B4C3.shtml
• Shreveport Journal, March 3-4, 1964
• Perry Howard, Political Tendencies in Louisiana, LSU Press, 1971
• Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report, March 6, 1964