Jesse Knowles
Encyclopedia
Jesse Monroe Knowles was a Lake Charles
, businessman, civic leader, former member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
from Calcasieu Parish, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March
in World War II
.
He was born in Merryville
in Beauregard Parish but had resided in Lake Charles since 1935. Knowles graduated from Lake Charles High School
(renamed Lake Charles Boston High School after consolidation).
ese army at Bataan
and held in a number of prison camps for 1,228 days. He was in the camp in Mukden, Manchuria
, until he was liberated on August 15, 1945. The Death March was featured in a National Broadcasting Company
documentary
in 1982 entitled "The Forgotten Hell".
As a president of the Mayor's Armed Forces Committee, he had regular contact with the Fort Polk
staff in Leesville
, the seat of Vernon Parish, and urged members of the military to visit Lake Charles. He was a well-known speaker at school programs and veterans' ceremonies.
Knowles was a past commander of his area and district Veterans of Foreign Wars
. He was a past legislative officer and a past junior vice commander of the VFW Post 2130. He was also a member of W.B. Williamson American Legion
Post 1, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American Ex-Prisoners of War
. He was a past national president of the 27th Bombardment Group Association and was cited as "Man of the Year" by that group. He was a member of the American Defenders of Bataan
and Corregidor
.
After he returned from the service, he went to work as a draftsman for Amoco Oil Company and became a fee land supervisor. He retired with thirty-eight years of service from Amoco in 1984 and was thereafter employed by Lake Charles River Pilots.
as a Democrat
in the 1959-1960 election cycle. In 1964, Knowles was elected again as a Democrat to the Louisiana State Senate
, in which he served for four terms. He was named "Outstanding Legislator" by the Lake Charles Jaycees.
In the 1979 jungle primary
, Knowles did not seek a fifth state Senate term but instead ran for lieutenant governor
in a bid to succeed James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr.
, of New Orleans, who was running instead, unsuccessfully, for governor. Knowles lost, and fellow Democrat Robert "Bobby" Freeman became lieutenant governor for the first of two terms.
Knowles supported Republican
gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen
in the 1979 general election
. Early in 1980, Knowles, with just a few weeks remaining in his senate term, switched his party affiliation to Republican. Governor Treen then appointed Knowles, a past chairman of the Louisiana Wildlife Commission, as secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. However, a heart attack
caused him to resign the post after only twelve days. Treen later named him to the Louisiana Rice
Promotion Board. He was also elected to the board of directors of the Louisiana Rice Council and served thereafter as president of that group.
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, businessman, civic leader, former member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature
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 Calcasieu Parish, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.The march was characterized by...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He was born in Merryville
Merryville, Louisiana
Merryville is a town in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census. It is part of the DeRidder Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Merryville is located at ....
in Beauregard Parish but had resided in Lake Charles since 1935. Knowles graduated from Lake Charles High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(renamed Lake Charles Boston High School after consolidation).
A veteran's veteran
In 1939, Knowles enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was captured by the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese army at Bataan
Bataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
and held in a number of prison camps for 1,228 days. He was in the camp in Mukden, Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, until he was liberated on August 15, 1945. The Death March was featured in a National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
in 1982 entitled "The Forgotten Hell".
As a president of the Mayor's Armed Forces Committee, he had regular contact with the Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
staff in Leesville
Leesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
, the seat of Vernon Parish, and urged members of the military to visit Lake Charles. He was a well-known speaker at school programs and veterans' ceremonies.
Knowles was a past commander of his area and district Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
. He was a past legislative officer and a past junior vice commander of the VFW Post 2130. He was also a member of W.B. Williamson American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
Post 1, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American Ex-Prisoners of War
American Ex-Prisoners of War
Prisoners of War is a service organization that aims to assist the surviving U.S. military prisoner of war , particularly those who are elderly and those who have medical problems. Based in Arlington, Texas, the American Ex-Prisoners of War was founded in 1942. It received a congressional charter...
. He was a past national president of the 27th Bombardment Group Association and was cited as "Man of the Year" by that group. He was a member of the American Defenders of Bataan
Bataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
and Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
.
After he returned from the service, he went to work as a draftsman for Amoco Oil Company and became a fee land supervisor. He retired with thirty-eight years of service from Amoco in 1984 and was thereafter employed by Lake Charles River Pilots.
Entering Louisiana politics
Knowles was first elected to the Louisiana House of RepresentativesLouisiana 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...
as a Democrat
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...
in the 1959-1960 election cycle. In 1964, Knowles was elected again as a Democrat to the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, in which he served for four terms. He was named "Outstanding Legislator" by the Lake Charles Jaycees.
In the 1979 jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
, Knowles did not seek a fifth state Senate term but instead ran for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
in a bid to succeed James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr.
Jimmy Fitzmorris
James Edward "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr. , is a New Orleans businessman and civic leader who was the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1972–1980...
, of New Orleans, who was running instead, unsuccessfully, for governor. Knowles lost, and fellow Democrat Robert "Bobby" Freeman became lieutenant governor for the first of two terms.
Knowles supported Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
in the 1979 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. Early in 1980, Knowles, with just a few weeks remaining in his senate term, switched his party affiliation to Republican. Governor Treen then appointed Knowles, a past chairman of the Louisiana Wildlife Commission, as secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. However, a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
caused him to resign the post after only twelve days. Treen later named him to the Louisiana Rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
Promotion Board. He was also elected to the board of directors of the Louisiana Rice Council and served thereafter as president of that group.