Daniel Wesley "Dan" Richey (born October 31, 1948) is a Baton Rouge-based political consultant for pro-family candidates and organizations, including Louisiana Family Forum[2]. In 2004, he directed the grassroots organization for the successful campaign to elect U.S. Representative David Vitter as the first Republican U.S. senator from Louisiana since Reconstruction. From 1997-2004, Richey served under appointment of Republican Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr., as director of the federally-funded Governor's Program on Abstinence. ^[1] Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixel Image in higher resolution (3008 × 2000 pixel, file size: 2. ... The Louisiana State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... James Harvey Jim Brown, Jr. ... The Louisiana State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jess Carr Sonny Gilbert, II (born March 6, 1922), is a retired cotton farmer and a former Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from the town of Sicily Island in Catahoula Parish in northeastern Louisiana. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Ferriday is a town located in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Capitol Building Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana, a state of the United States of America. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... David Bruce Vitter (born May 3, 1961), American politician, is a Senator from Louisiana. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... Former Gov. ... Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. ...

Richey was a Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana legislature, having served in the state House from 1976-1980, and the Senate from 1980-1984. He left the Democratic Party in 1984 because he opposed the abortion plank in the platform. He became an independent and, ultimately, switched to the Republican Party when the GOP won majorities in both houses of Congress in 1994. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) In 2004, Richey was elected to the Republican State Central Committee from state Representative District 61 (East Baton Rouge Parish). He defeated Kirt Bennett, a 2003 candidate for lieutenant governor, 102-65, in a low-turnout closed primary.^[2] Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Year 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... The Louisiana Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... East Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 2003 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Early years and education

Richey was born into a middle-class family and reared in the Woodland subdivision of Ferriday in Concordia Parish near the Mississippi River. Though its population is under 4,000, Ferriday is the hometown of some half dozen well-known personalities, including the cousins Jimmy Swaggart and Jerry Lee Lewis, and the television news commentators Howard K. Smith and Campbell Brown.^[3] Ferriday is a town located in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. ... Concordia Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... Jimmy Lee Swaggart (born March 15, 1935 in Ferriday, Louisiana) is a Pentecostal preacher and pioneer of televangelism who reached the height of his popularity in the 1980s. ... Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935), also known by the nickname The Killer, is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... Howard K. Smith Howard Kingsbury Smith (May 12, 1914 – February 15, 2002) was an American journalist, radio reporter, television anchorman and commentator, and one of the original Murrow boys. ... For the Australian rules footballer, see Campbell Brown (footballer). ...

Richey is one of five children born to Verne Richey (1914-1993) of Beauregard Parish and his wife, the former Johnnie McIntire (1919-1996) of Baton Rouge. After World War II, the Richeys settled in Ferriday because Verne became the business manager for the Concordia Parish School Board. Mrs. Richey was a sixth-grade teacher. The Richeys are interred in Magnolia Cemetery in Beauregard Parish. 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). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Beauregard Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... 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...

At Ferriday High School, Richey set the school scoring record in basketball. He was the first freshman and four-year starter in the history of the school. He was also first-string All-District for his last three seasons. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by throwing a ball through a 10-foot high hoop (the basket) under organized rules. ...

In 1965, Richey was elected president of the Kiwanis-sponsored Key Club International, a high school service organization. He traveled some 30,000 miles during his senior year to attend Key Club activities and conventions.^[4] Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Kiwanis International is a service organization whose mission is Serving the Children of the World. The organization was founded on January 21, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan by Joseph C. Prance (a tailor) and Allen S. Browne (a professional event organizer). ... Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. ...

After high school graduation in 1966, Richey studied for two years at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where he was a student senator. He and Pete Maravich were freshmen teammates on the LSU basketball team. In 1968, Richey transferred under a basketball scholarship to McNeese State University in Lake Charles (Calcasieu Parish). He graduated from McNeese in 1971 with a bachelor of science degree in business education and a minor in physical education. He continued as a graduate assistant at McNeese while he obtained a master's degree in physical education and a minor in school administration. Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, generally known as Louisiana State University or LSU, is a public, coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the main campus of the Louisiana State University System. ... Peter Press Maravich (June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988) was a Serb-American basketball player known for his dazzling ballhandling, incredible shooting abilities, and creative passing. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the 1968 Gregorian calendar. ... McNeese State University, founded in 1939, is a university located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. ... This article is about the City of Lake Charles, La. ... Calcasieu Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Business education is the enterprise of education directed at the study and research of the field of business. ... Physical education (PE) is the interdisciplinary study of all area of science relating to the transmission of physical knowledge and skills to an individual or a group, the application of these skills, and their results. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In the fall of 1972, Richey entered law school at Loyola University in New Orleans. In his second year, he was on the undergraduate faculty as an instructor in physical education. He obtained his law degree in 1975. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational Jesuit university in the United States with about 5,200 students. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Election to the Louisiana House, 1975

A month after he finished law school, Richey announced his candidacy for the state House of Representatives, District 21. Incumbent J.C. "Sonny" Gilbert of Sicily Island in Catahoula Parish, who is also a former state senator, did not seek reelection. The all-Democratic field included Gilbert's predecessor, the late Representative David I. Patten, a construction company owner from Harrisonburg, the seat of Catahoula Parish, John Young of Jonesville (also Catahoula Parish), and Troyce Guice, a Ferriday businessman who lived near the Richeys. According to Richey, Guice was the candidate of the Concordia Parish sheriff, and Patten was the choice of the Catahoula Parish sheriff. John Young was the preferred candidate of state Senator James Harvey "Jim" Brown, Jr., of Ferriday, a floor leader for Governor Edwin Washington Edwards and the father of Campbell Brown. Using the slogan "No Strings Attached", Richey ran first in the primary and, with Gilbert's support, defeated Patten in the general election, popularly called the runoff, by a margin of some 57-43 percent. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... Jess Carr Sonny Gilbert, II (born March 6, 1922), is a retired cotton farmer and a former Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature from the town of Sicily Island in Catahoula Parish in northeastern Louisiana. ... Sicily Island is a village located in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. ... Catahoula Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... The village of Harrisonburg is the parish seat of Catahoula Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. ... Jonesville is a town located in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. ... James Harvey Jim Brown, Jr. ... 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. ... A general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election. ...

Election as state senator, 1979

In 1979, Richey won the open Senate seat previously held by Jim Brown, who would be elected secretary of state. The six-parish district had candidates from five parishes – Richey (Concordia), Patten again (Catahoula), State Representative Neal L. "Lanny" Johnson (Tensas), Assistant District Attorney Jimmie C. Peters (La Salle) and Democratic National Committeewoman Mary Lou Winters (Caldwell), the wife of Dr. Harry H. Winters of Columbia. Peters' boss and law partner was District Attorney (and former U.S. Representative) Speedy O. Long of Jena. Peters thereafter became a judge of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeals. No candidate came from Franklin Parish. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Tensas Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... La Salle Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Caldwell Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ... Speedy Oteria Long was a Democratic congressman from central Louisiana between 1965 and 1973 and a prominent member of the popular Long political dynasty. ... Franklin Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ...

Richey recalled that he met in Columbia with former Governor John Julian McKeithen, who had been instrumental in Mrs. Winters' election as national committeewoman. Richey found that the two were "apparently . . . on the outs . . . at the time of our election. At one meeting . . . he suggested that I make a big push with black voters by informing them that 'Mary Lou Winters was a member of not one, but two Lilly-white country clubs.' That exact line appeared in campaign letters from me to black voters in the waning days of the election." Once again, Richey ran first in the primary and defeated Mrs. Winters in the second balloting by 58-42 percent. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) Mrs. Winters went on to become an elector for President Bill Clinton in 1996 and later state vice chairman of her party.^[5] 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. ... 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. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

Defeat in 1983

In 1983, Richey was unseated by state Representative William "Bill" Atkins of Jonesville, when the Democrat Edwin Edwards scored a landslide over Republican Governor David C. Treen. Atkins had also succeeded Richey in the state House four years earlier. Richey said that his close identification with Treen worked against him. Atkins was the choice of powerful Louisiana AFL-CIO President Victor Bussie. "Like my colleague from Alexandria, Ned Randolph [later mayor], we were ousted in the Edwards wave of 1983. I lost by about the same margin that I had won on the two previous occasions, 57-43 percent," Richey explained. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... David C. Treen David Conner Treen, Sr. ... American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL-CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 54 national and international unions (including Canadian), together representing more than 10 million workers. ... Victor V. Bussie (born 1919) retired in 1997 as the 41-year president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, having first assumed the mantle of union leadership in 1956. ... Edward G. Ned Randolph, Jr. ...

Dan Richey and Woody Jenkins

Richey met his future legislative colleague Louis Elwood "Woody" Jenkins of Baton Rouge through their Key Club activities. When Richey ran for international Key Club president, Jenkins managed the campaign. Jenkins was Richey's unofficial "campaign manager" during the three legislative races and was "Best Man" in Richey's wedding on January 4, 1976, to the former Jessie Valcarcel of San Juan, Puerto Rico. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) Louis Elwood Woody Jenkins (born January 3, 1947) is a former broadcasting executive in Baton Rouge who was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972-2000. ... Nickname: Location of San Juan within the island of Puerto Rico Coordinates: Country United States Territory Puerto Rico Founded 1508/1521 Area  - City 76. ...

Richey supported Jenkins' Democratic campaigns for the U.S. Senate in the 1978 jungle primary and again in 1980, but Jenkins lost to the popular incumbents, J. Bennett Johnston, Jr., of Shreveport and Russell B. Long of Baton Rouge, respectively. Jenkins, like Richey, switched to Republican registration in 1994. In 1996, Jenkins ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the Senate against the retiring Johnston's preferred choice, former state Treasurer Mary Landrieu. Many Republicans charged that Landrieu's narrow victory was based on "phantom voters" from Orleans Parish.^[6] Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... In the jungle primary, all candidates run in the same initial election regardless of party label. ... John Bennett Johnston, Jr. ... 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. ... Russell Billiu Long 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 until 1987. ... Mary Loretta Landrieu (born November 23, 1955) is the senior Democratic United States Senator for the state of Louisiana. ... New Orleans (French: Nouvelle-Orléans) is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...

In the middle 1980s, Richey served as vice chairman of Friends of the Americas, a nonprofit organization founded by Woody Jenkins and his wife, the former Diane Aker. FOA was a "non-political" group which attempted to establish humanitarian programs in Latin America to help the people overcome poverty, natural disasters, or war. The group became a major relief organization with principal operations based in Honduras along the Nicaraguan border.^[7] A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ...

Jenkins and Richey are members of the Council for National Policy, a conservative think-tank. The group also includes Nelson Bunker Hunt of Texas, Phyllis Schlafly of Missouri, and Paul Weyrich, a Washington-based political activist. ^{[8] [9]} The Council for National Policy (CNP), is a conservative American educational group, membership of which is only available by invitation. ... Nelson Bunker Hunt (born February 22, 1926, in El Dorado, Arkansas) is an American businessman. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Phyllis Schlafly (born on August 15, 1924, in St. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Paul M. Weyrich (born October 7, 1942, in Racine, Wisconsin) is a US conservative political activist and commentator. ...

Equal Rights Amendment

In his freshman year in the legislature, Richey served on the Louisiana House Civil Law Committee that voted “unfavorably” on the unratified Equal Rights Amendment. ERA critics saw the measure as a "federal power grab" that would increase the discretionary powers of federal judges and set aside state laws in regard to the family. Richey worked behind the scenes to convince four fellow committee members, John W. "Jock" Scott of Alexandria, Michael F. "Mike" Thompson of Lafayette, A.J. "Buddy" McNamara of Metairie, and Lane A. Carson of New Orleans, to withdraw their earlier support for the ERA. The surprise turnaround of the four members, all of whom later switched to Republican affiliation, killed ERA ratification prospects in Louisiana, much to the consternation of feminist backers of the proposed amendment as well as House Speaker E. L. "Bubba" Henry of Jonesboro in Jackson Parish, who thought that he had placed ERA supporters on the committee. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) 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. ... John Wyeth Jock Scott, II, (born June 29, 1947) is a lawyer and college professor in Alexandria, who served three terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives, first as a Democrat (1976-1985) and then as a Republican (1985-1988). ... Michael Francis Mike Thompson (born 1942) is a Lafayette home builder who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972-1988. ... Lafayette is a city on the Vermilion River in Lafayette Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... Abel J. Buddy McNamara (born 1936), of A.J. McNamara, is a U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, judge who served from June 21, 1982, until the fall of 2001, when he assumed senior status. Previously, McNamara served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from populous Jefferson Parish... , Metairie (local pronunciations , ) is a suburb of New Orleans. ... Lane Anderson Carson (born August 21, 1947) is a Covington (St. ... E. L. Bubba Henry (born February 1936) is a Baton Rouge attorney, lobbyist, and partner of the high-powered firm of Adams and Reese who served as a reform Democrat in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1968-1980. ... Jonesboro is a town located in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. ... Jackson Parish is a parish located in the state of Louisiana. ...

When the extended deadline for ERA ratification expired, Richey said that the proposed amendment would have been a "radical assault on the Constitution." While the ERA was, in Richey's words, "officially buried", he warned that there would be future battles to "promote a radical social agenda on America." (Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, July 1, 1982)

Other legislative highlights

In his freshman year in office, 1976, Richey worked for passage of the Louisiana right-to-work law, which had been strongly opposed by the AFL-CIO. Victor Bussie years later was still calling for the repeal of the measure. ...

In 1978, Richey was elected to the board of directors of the American Legislative Exchange Council and later became the group's national secretary. Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 1980, Governor Treen named Richey as the Louisiana chairman of the White House Conference on Families in the Jimmy Carter administration. In the conference, Richey co-authored with Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family the panel's minority report. In February 1981, Richey was the first Louisiana elected official to meet in the White House with newly-elected President Ronald W. Reagan, whom he and Jenkins had both endorsed. James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ... James Clayton Jim Dobson, Ph. ... The graphic identity of Focus on the Family is intended to recall old time traditional values. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ... 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...

Richey and Jenkins were leaders of the movement to legalize home schooling in 1980. The Louisiana Conservative Union named him "Legislator of the Year" in 1979, and the Shreveport-Bossier Pro-Family Forum accorded him similar recognition in 1980. Homeschooling (also called home education) is the education of children at home and in the community, in contrast to education in an institution such as a public or parochial school. ...

Jenkins, Richey, Scott, Carson, and Representatives B.F. O'Neal, Jr., of Shreveport and Clark Gaudin of Baton Rouge formed the Independent Legislative Study Group (ILSG), an informal mix of conservatives who met daily when the House was in session or when important business was pending before committees. "The ILSG enabled us to maximize our fire power against the Edwards machine. We seldom won, but had a good time setting small fires all over the place," Richey recalled. ([Dan Richey biographical sketch]) Benjamin Franklin Ben ONeal, Jr. ... Edward Clark Gaudin (born December 26, 1931) is a Baton Rouge attorney who served for 21 years in the Louisiana House of Representatives (1967-1968; 1972-1992) as the first Republican member from East Baton Rouge Parish in the twentieth century. ...

Out of politics, 1984-1997

After his legislative years, Richey practiced law from 1984-1989 in Vidalia, the seat of Concordia Parish, in the firm Koerber and Richey. After five years as a small-town lawyer, Richey decided not to pursue a legal career. Instead, he became the director of development at Magdalen College, a small private institution in Warner, New Hampshire. (Magdalen College) Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... The town of Vidalia is the parish seat of Concordia Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. ... Warner is a town located in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. ...

In 1991, Richey returned to Louisiana as a basketball coach and teacher at South Beauregard High School in Longville in Beauregard Parish, where his parents were retired. In 1993, he became the news director/commentator at WBTR-TV (Channel 19) in Baton Rouge, an independent station then owned by Jenkins. He left the station to head Louisiana’s Governor's Program on Abstinence (GPA). [Dan Richey biographical sketch] Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Upholding the value of abstinence

Richey recalled that when he graduated, "there was not a single person at Ferriday High School with venereal disease. There were only two out-of-wedlock births, and both girls married the guy." Richey urged parents to emphasize the transmission of disease from premarital sex, rather than only unintended pregnancy: "For every one teenager who gets pregnant, ten get a disease." The only way to avoid this, Richey contended, is abstinence until marriage.^[10] Sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), also known as sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), are diseases that are commonly transmitted between partners through some form of sexual activity, most commonly vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or anal sex. ...

The GPA is funded by the federal welfare reform act of 1996. According to Richey, congressional Republicans knew that Clinton would sign the welfare-reform measure; so they attached a bill to create an abstinence-only education program and authorized its funding with $250 million over five years. The Louisiana program was a national model acclaimed by Focus on the Family and other pro-family organizations (Source). The 36-week program stresses awareness of sexuality, education, behavioral changes, and physical and emotional health. Welfare reform is the name for a policy change in countries with a state-administered social welfare system to reduce dependence on welfare, as demanded by political conservatives. ...

As GPA director, Richey spoke throughout the state to seventh and eighth graders. He warned of the dangers of premarital intercourse: "My generation participated in the absurdity of 'free love' and now everyone is under the absurd notion of 'safe sex' . . . Condoms were advertised as the ticket to the party. The bottom line is that the so-called 'safe sex' message is the wrong message. It is a lie," Richey said.^[11] A standard latex condom still rolled up This article is about the contraceptive device. ...

Richey's appointment spurred the opposition of liberals because he came from a religious, not a health background. "I am a faith-based guy," asserted Richey "but there's a component of faith in every civilized institution and every law, for that matter." Richey noted that under the federal law, religion could not be included as an essential aspect of the program.^[12] In politics, the term liberal refers to: an adherent of the ideology of liberalism or a state or quality of this ideology. ...

The ACLU sues Foster and Richey

Some workers in the program in Slidell (St. Tammany Parish) and Lafayette, however, incorporated religious-based themes in the instruction. Therefore, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the GPA for violating the First Amendment "establishment clause". Richey pronounced the suit unfounded and without legal merit because he had already corrected the irregularities cited by the ACLU. ^[13] , Slidell is a city in St. ... St. ... Lafayette is a city on the Vermilion River in Lafayette Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. ... The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a major American non-profit organization whose stated mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.[1] It works through litigation, legislation, and community...

After a 2002 hearing, U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr., of Baton Rouge, a Clinton appointee, ordered the abstinence program to halt the allocation of federal funds to organizations or persons who "advance religion in any way in the course of any event supported in whole or in part by GPA funds." http://air.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/hisj Louisiana ACLU director Joe Cook said that Porteous' ruling, which he termed "very well-reasoned, well-written", marked the first successful court challenge to the federal abstinence program.^[14] Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Governor Foster said that he would take steps to assure that the GPA complied with the law but he would appeal Porteous' decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. "I have always made it clear that the courts will not allow the use of state or federal funds to promote religion. . . . It's a sad day when such a worthwhile program is attacked by the very people who are supposed to protect the interests of the citizens of Louisiana," Foster added.^[15] 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...

In addition to hosting its own events to promote abstinence, the GPA had then awarded more than $1 million to community groups seeking to promote the same message. Porteous said that the GPA must install an oversight program to monitor the use of its money and to provide written notification to any group that it finds to have misused the funds.^[16]

A settlement was reached before the circuit court heard Foster's appeal. The state agreed to require all organizations that received support from the GPA to submit monthly reports verifying that none of the funds are used to promote religion. GPA officials were also required to conduct quarterly in-person reviews of the organizations that receive funding and to post the following message on its Web site and on promotional materials: "The GPA is a health and education program committed to promoting and publicizing the benefits of abstinence. Under limits imposed by the Constitution, the GPA's funds may not be used for activities, events, or materials that include religious messages or otherwise promote or advance religion."^[17]

The GPA was first placed in the Office of Public Health. Foster transferred it to his office in July 1997, when he named Richey to head the operation. Richey was replaced in 2004, when the Democrat Kathleen Babineaux Blanco became governor. She named Gail Dignam as head of the GPA.^[18] Categories: Stub | 1942 births | Governors of Louisiana ...

Richey's family

Richey met Jessie when he was in law school, and she was an undergraduate at Loyola. They have three sons and a daughter: William Victor Richey (born 1977), Aida Lenn Richey (born 1980), Joseph Daniel Richey (born 1986), and John Paul Richey (born 1991). They are members of St. Agnes Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. Richey's three brothers are physicians, and his sister is a teacher.^[19] Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

In addition to political consulting, Richey is a blogger who writes on Louisiana politics, culture, and public affairs, usually with a take-no-prisoners approach.

References