Claude Berwick Duval, I (October 24, 1914 -- March 3, 1986), was a Houma, Louisiana, attorney and a conservative Democratic state senator from Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes, having served from 1968-1980. He is best known for his profound oratory, his accommodation of Senate colleagues, his unsuccessful 1963-1964 campaign for lieutenant governor, and his opposition to the national holiday honoring civil rights advocate Martin Luther King, Jr. October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (63rd in leap years). ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... The city of Houma (pronounced ) is the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... This article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... St. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... “Martin Luther King” redirects here. ...

Early years, family, military

Duval was born in Houma to Stanwood Duval (1868-1928), and the former Mamie Richardson. Claude Duval and his older brother, Stanwood Richardson Duval, Sr., attended the U.S. Marine Corps reserve officers training school in Quantico, Virginia, where they were jointly commissioned on October 31, 1942, as second lieutenants. The brothers served during World War II with the First and Third battalions, 23rd Marine Regiment of the 4th Marine Division.They landed in the assault waves in the seizure and capture of the Pacific islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima. Stanwood Duval wrote a memorial of his war experiences, which he dedicated to the 3,298 officers and enlisted men of the 4th Marine Division who lost their lives in the fighting. Media:Example. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... Quantico, Virginia is in Prince William County, 23 miles north-northeast of Fredericksburg, Virginia, near Dumfries and Stafford along Highway 619. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ... Saipan seen from the air A map of Saipan, Tinian & Aquijan Saipan (IPA: in English) is the largest island and capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean (15°10... Saipan, Tinian & Aguiguan The atom bomb pit on Tinians North Field, where Little Boy was loaded aboard the Enola Gay Tinian Shinto shrine. ... For other uses, see Iwo Jima (disambiguation). ...

After the war, Claude Duval resumed his Houma law practice, which became Duval, Funderburk, and Sundbery. Stanwood Duval established a successful insurance agency. Both were active in their community.

Lieutenant governor campaign

In 1963, Duval ran for lieutenant governor on the intraparty "ticket" of former New Orleans Mayor (and also former Ambassador to the Organization of American States) deLesseps Story Morrison, Sr. He was presumably the "conservative" balance to the more "moderate" Morrison. In his own race, Duval was pitted against his St. Mary Parish neighbor and the sitting lieutenant governor, Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock, who agreed with Duval on many issues. Aycock was informally paired with John Julian McKeithen in the Democratic runoff though he was actually an independent candidate who made no alliance with any gubernatorial candidate that year. Aycock had the advantage in experience and name recognition. Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... The Organization of American States (OAS; OEA in the other three official languages) is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. ... de Lesseps Story Morrison (1912 January 18–1964 May 22) was a U.S. political figure. ... St. ... Clarence C. Taddy Aycock (January 13, 1915 – January 6, 1987), a conservative Democrat from Franklin in St. ... John Julian McKeithen (May 28, 1918 -- June 4, 1999), 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. ...

There was little evidence of "ticket-splitting," where Morrison supporters backed Aycock, or where McKeithen backers chose Duval. In retrospect, all four men had far more in common than otherwise. Duval in fact was arguably as conservative as Aycock, but in central and north Louisiana, voters perceived Duval unfavorably as a Morrison lieutenant. In 1968, when Duval entered the state Senate, Lieutenant Governor Aycock was starting his third term in the second-highest state office.

Duval on Martin Luther King

Duval was state senator-elect at the time of the King assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. He issued a statement critical of the direction of the civil rights movement: For other uses, see Memphis (disambiguation). ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ...

"The American flag flew at half-mast to [honor] a man who aided and abetted the communists of North Vietnam, as he publicly supported the draft card burners and sought to undermine and betray our fighting sons in Vietnam.

"In the avalanche of propaganda, hypocrisy, and falsehood that followed the death of King, the President Lyndon B. Johnson and national figures, together with the news media, have undertaken to eulogize and commit to martyrdom Martin Luther King [Jr.], who, under the guise of non-violence, caused violence wherever he went. “LBJ” redirects here. ...

"The voice of truth is not heard in the land. All has been forgiven, all has been forgotten. None seem to remember that only the day before his death, King openly declared his intention to violate law and order -- a federal court order. This was nothing new, since he had previously violated a federal court order. . . .

"We witness in our major cities looting, theft, burglary, arson, robbery, murder-all, indeed, a fitting tribute to an advocate of violence.

"I call upon all men, the responsible Negro community as well as the white, to face the facts and truth and to dispel from all minds the falsehood and hypocrisy that have been visited upon us by our leaders and the news media. If the men who died in World War II, in Korea, and Vietnam should return, they would cry out in horror at the eulogizing of a man who . . . aided and abetted the enemies of this nation, who preached disobedience of law and who incited violence and riot. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Korea (Korean: 한국 in South Korea or 조선 in North Korea, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ...

“I know I speak against the tide of overwhelming emotion . . . but let the voice of truth be heard in the land. If it is possible, let the voice of reason be heard. Then may the Negro and the white communities join together in a truthful and realistic effort to build a better society."

Duval in the state Senate

Once in the state Senate, Duval spoke eloquently and for long periods on nearly any topic brought before the body. Some called him the "Cicero of the Louisiana Senate." He was also helpful to colleagues in obtaining office space and other personal favors. In 2006, the state Senate posthumously honored him with the dedication of the Senate building known as "Duval Hall." For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Robert G. "Bob" Jones, a Lake Charles stockbroker and the son of former Governor Sam Houston Jones, served in the Senate with Duval from 1972-1976. According to Jones, Duval was "a very bright guy . . . one of the most respected of all the senators." Jones said that he believed Morrison had tapped Duval as a running mate because of Duval's towering character and reputation, not because of political philosophical considerations. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... This article is about the City of Lake Charles, La. ... Sam, Samantha or Samuel Jones can refer to a number of different people. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the 1976 Gregorian calendar. ...

Duval served three terms in the Senate before he retired in 1980. In 1983, President Ronald W. Reagan signed legislation to designate the third Monday of January as the federal holiday in honor of Dr. King. The law took effect in January 1986, two months before King critic Claude Duval died. Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... 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...

Duval's social conservatism also included opposition to the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. When the measure failed to gain ratification after an extended deadline in 1982, Duval recalled that "in the Sixties everybody was obsessed with their [sic] rights. Everybody worried about their [sic] rights. Rather than rights, people should talk more about their responsibility to their country," Duval said. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that was intended to guarantee equal rights under the law for Americans regardless of sex. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ...

After he left the state Senate, Duval's political contributions went mostly to Republicans. There is no indication, however, that he himself switched parties. Among recipients of his donations were the Ronald W. Reagan presidential campaign, the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, GOP Congressman William Henson Moore, III, of Baton Rouge, who ran for the U.S. Senate in 1986, and Democratic and later Republican Congressman Wilbert Joseph "Billy" Tauzin, Jr., of Lafourche Parish. Duval's contribution to Moore came in the spring of 1985. The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic 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... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... William Henson Moore, III, the president and CEO of the American Forest & Paper Association since 1995, was only the second Republican to represent Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representative since Reconstruction. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... Wilbert Joseph Tauzin (born June 14, American politician of Cajun descent, was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1980-2004, representing the 3rd District of Louisiana. ... Lafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the state of Louisiana. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ...

Duval survived his wife, the former Betty Bowman (1914-1985), by only five months. He was survived by a daughter, Dorothy Duval Nelson (born 1947), whose husband, Charles Waldemar Nelson (also born 1947), is the former president of the of the World Trade Center in New Orleans; two grandchildren; his brother, Stanwood Duval (1913-2001); a sister, Catherine Duval Dean (1916-1997) of Albuquerque, New Mexico; a maternal aunt, Alice Richardson Butler (1910-1995), and a maternal uncle who was his junior in age, Frank D. Richardson (1916-1993), both of St. Joseph in Tensas Parish. 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location in the state of New Mexico Coordinates: , Country United States State New Mexico County Bernalillo Founded 1706 Government  - Mayor Martin Chavez Area  - City  181. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... St. ... Tensas Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ...

Duval also had two nephews, his namesake Claude Berwick Duval, II (born 1955), a prominent Houma attorney, and U.S. District Judge Stanwood Richardson Duval, Jr. (born 1942), an appointee of President William Jefferson Blythe "Bill" Clinton, based in New Orleans. Stanwood Duval, a Democrat, blocked the implementation of the "Choose Life" license plates approved by the state legislature on grounds that the optional plates were in violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Judge Duval's argument was unanimously reversed in 2005 by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. A perfectly divided en banc court denied a petition for rehearing by a vote of eight-to-eight. Judge Duval is clearly to the political left of his late uncle. However, Claude Duval was a strong advocate of the First Amendment and supported abortion. 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States District Courts: Western, Middle, and Eastern Districts of Louisiana Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi Western, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of Texas The court is based at...

Claude and Betty Duval are interred in the Magnolia Cemetery in Houma. Duval was Episcopalian. In addition, to the Senate office facility, Duval is honored through the "Senator Claude B. Duval Scholarship" given at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. The arms of the Episcopal Church are based on the St Georges Cross, a symbol of England (mother of world Anglicanism), with a saltire reminiscent of the Cross of St Andrew in the canton in reference to the historical origins of the American episcopate in the Scottish Episcopal Church. ... Nicholls State University, founded in 1948, is a public university located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. ... Thibodaux (pronounced TIB-uh-doe; IPA: ) is a small city located on the banks of Bayou Lafourche in northwestern Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. ...

Trivia

Duval had the same name as a notorious French-born highwayman of the 17th Century. That Claude Duval was hanged for his crime in Convent Garden, England, in 1670. Known for his "gallic charm," he once asked a woman whose husband he had just robbed to dance with him. Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the  United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... 1670 was a common year beginning on a Saturday in countries using the Julian calendar and a Wednesday in countries using the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

Chauvin Funeral Home, Houma, Louisiana, obituary information on Claude B. Duval

Robert G. Jones of Lake Charles to Billy Hathorn, August 16, 2006

http://patriotspage.duvalfamilyassociation.com/world_war_11.htm

http://www.nicholls.edu/finaid/schol-continuing.html

www.legis.state.la.us/archive/06rs/lastlegs/s0511.pdf

http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/Highwaymen.htm

http://www.rootsweb.com/~laterreb/magncemi.htm

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?city=HOUMA&st=LA&last=DUVAL&first=CLAUDE

http://www.genealogybuff.com/la/la-houma4.htm

Anabelle Armstrong, "ERA foes celebrate, challenge," Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, July 1, 1982