Henry L. Fuqua
Encyclopedia
Henry Luse Fuqua was a Baton Rouge
businessman
Fuqua defeated both Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
, and Lieutenant Governor
(and former Speaker
of the Louisiana House of Representatives
) Hewitt Leonidas Bouanchaud in the Democratic
gubernatorial primary in 1924 to succeed the term-limited John M. Parker
. He died halfway into his term, and Lieutenant Governor Oramel H. Simpson
succeeded to the top post.
, both in Baton Rouge. On June 4, 1890, Fuqua married the former Laura Matta (1866–1968), and they had two children, Matta Fuqua and Henry L. Fuqua, Jr.
Prior to his entry into politics, Fuqua was the assistant to construction engineers of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. He was later a clerk and traveling salesman. He owned and operated his Fuqua Hardware
Company in Baton Rouge from 1883-1922.
at Angola in West Feliciana Parish north of Baton Rouge. He held the position until he became governor.
As warden, he terminated most of the security officers at the penitentiary and instead placed selected inmate trusty guards on duty, primarily as an economic measure but also to encourage cohesion among the inmates. Fuqua abolished stripes on convict uniforms. The former prison in Baton Rouge was sold to the city and dismantled.
In 1922, a flood ruined the crops of numerous plantations about Angola for the third time in nearly a decade. The owners thereafter agreed to sell land to expand the prison. In a series of eight purchases over some eighteen months, Fuqua arranged the purchase of 10,000 acres (40 km²) at approximately $13 per acre. The acquisitions brought the prison to its present size of 18,000 acres (73 km²).
, a Louisiana state senator
from 1916–1924, was urged to run for governor in 1924 but he declined, as Fuqua squared off against Long and Bouanchaud. The state Senate formed a committee of five to arrange Fuqua's inauguration as governor in 1924. The five included future Lieutenant Governor Coleman Lindsey
of Minden
, the seat of Webster Parish
in northwestern Louisiana, who was affiliated with the Long
faction
.
Fuqua brought considerable managerial skill to the governor's office, but his lack of political expertise hampered his efforts during his short term. He is remembered for his interest in levee
and road construction and his fight against the resurgent Ku Klux Klan
, whom the preceding governor, John M. Parker, had tried to counter as well. The KKK had initially appeared in the year of Fuqua's birth, not in Louisiana, but in Pulaski
, Tennessee
.
Louisiana's anti-Klan legislation secured harsh penalties to anyone wearing a mask or to anyone committing a crime while masked. An exception had to be made for the popular masked balls and masquerade parties popular during the celebration of Mardi Gras
.
He worked to increase the budget for his alma mater, LSU, and to construct more buildings on the new campus in southern Baton Rouge. In a segregated
society, he also supported the expansion of the African American
institution of higher education, Southern University
in Baton Rouge.
He ran into trouble when he awarded the franchise
to build a toll bridge
from east New Orleans
to Slidell
across Lake Pontchartrain
to a private firm, the Watson-Williams syndicate, represented by former Governor Jared Y. Sanders, Sr.
Huey Long used this controversial decision in his successful campaign for governor in 1928, when he defeated both Fuqua's successor Simpson and U.S. Representative Riley J. Wilson
from north Louisiana.
Fuqua was the last governor to have won the office on the strength of the New Orleans Choctaw Club political machine
.
Fuqua appointed State Representative J. Frank Colbert
of Webster Parish to the Louisiana Tax Commission. Colbert was later the mayor
of Minden
.
, who settled in Virginia
in the 17th century to escape religious persecution. Fuqua is the Anglicized version of the original French name, Fouquet.
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...
businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
Fuqua defeated both Huey Pierce Long, Jr.
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
, and Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
The Office of Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana is the second highest state office in Louisiana. The current Lieutenant Governor is Jay Dardenne, a Republican...
(and former 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...
of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
) Hewitt Leonidas Bouanchaud in the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
gubernatorial primary in 1924 to succeed the term-limited John M. Parker
John M. Parker
John Milliken Parker was an American Democratic politician from Louisiana, who served as the state's 37th Governor from 1920–1924. He was a friend and admirer of President Theodore Roosevelt....
. He died halfway into his term, and Lieutenant Governor Oramel H. Simpson
Oramel H. Simpson
Oramel Hinckley Simpson was an American politician from the US state of Louisiana. He became the 39th Governor of Louisiana in 1926, upon the death of his predecessor, Henry L. Fuqua...
succeeded to the top post.
Early years
Fuqua was born in Baton Rouge to James Overton Fuqua and the former Jeanette Fowles. He was educated at Magruder's Collegiate Institute and Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, both in Baton Rouge. On June 4, 1890, Fuqua married the former Laura Matta (1866–1968), and they had two children, Matta Fuqua and Henry L. Fuqua, Jr.
Prior to his entry into politics, Fuqua was the assistant to construction engineers of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad. He was later a clerk and traveling salesman. He owned and operated his Fuqua Hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
Company in Baton Rouge from 1883-1922.
Warden Fuqua
In 1916, Fuqua became the warden of the Louisiana State PenitentiaryLouisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
at Angola in West Feliciana Parish north of Baton Rouge. He held the position until he became governor.
As warden, he terminated most of the security officers at the penitentiary and instead placed selected inmate trusty guards on duty, primarily as an economic measure but also to encourage cohesion among the inmates. Fuqua abolished stripes on convict uniforms. The former prison in Baton Rouge was sold to the city and dismantled.
In 1922, a flood ruined the crops of numerous plantations about Angola for the third time in nearly a decade. The owners thereafter agreed to sell land to expand the prison. In a series of eight purchases over some eighteen months, Fuqua arranged the purchase of 10,000 acres (40 km²) at approximately $13 per acre. The acquisitions brought the prison to its present size of 18,000 acres (73 km²).
Fuqua as governor
Andrew R. JohnsonA.R. Johnson (Louisiana politician)
Andrew R. Johnson, known as A.R. Johnson , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, who represented District 24 from 1916 to 1924....
, a Louisiana state senator
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from 1916–1924, was urged to run for governor in 1924 but he declined, as Fuqua squared off against Long and Bouanchaud. The state Senate formed a committee of five to arrange Fuqua's inauguration as governor in 1924. The five included future Lieutenant Governor Coleman Lindsey
Coleman Lindsey
Isaac Coleman Lindsey, known as Coleman Lindsey , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate, a district judge, and from 1939 to 1940, the lieutenant governor under Governor Earl Kemp Long....
of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, the seat of Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
in northwestern Louisiana, who was affiliated with the Long
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
.
Fuqua brought considerable managerial skill to the governor's office, but his lack of political expertise hampered his efforts during his short term. He is remembered for his interest in levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
and road construction and his fight against the resurgent 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...
, whom the preceding governor, John M. Parker, had tried to counter as well. The KKK had initially appeared in the year of Fuqua's birth, not in Louisiana, but in Pulaski
Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. It was named to honor the Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Pułaski...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Louisiana's anti-Klan legislation secured harsh penalties to anyone wearing a mask or to anyone committing a crime while masked. An exception had to be made for the popular masked balls and masquerade parties popular during the celebration of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
.
He worked to increase the budget for his alma mater, LSU, and to construct more buildings on the new campus in southern Baton Rouge. In a segregated
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
society, he also supported the expansion of the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
institution of higher education, Southern University
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge campus is located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section...
in Baton Rouge.
He ran into trouble when he awarded the franchise
Government-granted monopoly
In economics, a government-granted monopoly is a form of coercive monopoly by which a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or firm to be the sole provider of a good or service; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation, or other mechanisms of...
to build a toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
from east 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...
to Slidell
Slidell, Louisiana
Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000...
across Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
to a private firm, the Watson-Williams syndicate, represented by former Governor Jared Y. Sanders, Sr.
Jared Y. Sanders, Sr.
Jared Young Sanders, Sr. , was a journalist and attorney from Franklin, the seat of St. Mary Parish in south Louisiana, who served as his state's House Speaker , lieutenant governor , the 34th Governor , and U.S. representative...
Huey Long used this controversial decision in his successful campaign for governor in 1928, when he defeated both Fuqua's successor Simpson and U.S. Representative Riley J. Wilson
Riley J. Wilson
Riley Joseph Wilson was a Louisiana educator, attorney, and legislator in the first half of the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. A Democrat, Wilson served in the United States House of Representatives from 1915 until 1937...
from north Louisiana.
Fuqua was the last governor to have won the office on the strength of the New Orleans Choctaw Club political machine
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
.
Fuqua appointed State Representative J. Frank Colbert
J. Frank Colbert
Jefferson Franklin Colbert, known as J. Frank Colbert , was a Democratic politician who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1920–1925 and from 1944-1946 as the mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana.-Background:Colbert was born in...
of Webster Parish to the Louisiana Tax Commission. Colbert was later the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
.
Fuqua's death
Fuqua was Episcopalian. He was initially interred in Magnolia Cemetery in Baton Rouge, but his remains were later relocated to Roselawn Cemetery in Baton Rouge. Some sources spell Fuqua's middle name as "Luce". However, the grave marker is spelled "Luse".Family
The original Fuqua family traces it ancestry back to William Fouquet, a HuguenotHuguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
, who settled in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the 17th century to escape religious persecution. Fuqua is the Anglicized version of the original French name, Fouquet.
External links
- Cemetery Memorial by La-Cemeteries