Ken Hollis
Encyclopedia
Jesse Kendrick Hollis, Jr., known as Ken Hollis (March 13, 1942–September 10, 2010), was a Republican Party
member of the Louisiana State Senate
from Metairie
in Jefferson Parish
in the New Orleans suburbs. He served from 1982, when he won a special election to fill an unexpired term, until he was term-limited, effective January 14, 2008.
In 2003, Hollis launched an exploratory campaign for governor but never filed his papers even though he claimed that his early polling was encouraging. He instead endorsed intraparty rival Hunt Downer
of Houma
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
in south Louisiana. Downer finished in sixth place in the jungle primary
, and the office ultimately went to the Democrat
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
. Because he did not run for governor, Hollis was able to secure his sixth full term in the state Senate District 9.
As his Senate successor, Hollis endorsed Republican State Representative Steve Scalise
, a conservative who won the seat in the primary held on October 20, 2007, but soon resigned to become a U.S. representative.
, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana
. He graduated in 1960 from Bolton High School
. One of his classmates was former Mayor
Edward G. "Ned" Randolph, Jr.
, who served in the state Senate from 1976 to 1984. Their Senate tenures hence coincided only during the short session to which Hollis was elected in 1982. Hollis thereafter received a Bachelor of Science
degree in business administration from Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston
, the seat of Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana.
From 1967 to 1974, he was a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
A Presbyterian, Hollis was a board member of United Christian Charities.
Hollis was first married to the former Judith Beasley (1942–2007), who was living in Monroe
at the time of her death. She was the mother of his three sons, Jesse K. "Trey" Hollis, III, Michael Hollis, and Paul Hollis. After a divorce, Hollis in 1999 wed the former Diane Woods, who had from a previous marriage three daughters, Heather, Jennifer, and Casie.
After graduation from Louisiana Tech, Hollis entered the insurance business as MassMutual's regional group manager, a position that he retained until 1981. Hollis then served as MassMutual's general agent for the State of Louisiana until he retired from that position in January 1998. He was since the president and chief executive officer of Hollis Companies which specialize in employee benefits consulting.
Prior to his Senate tenure, he was an elected member of the Jefferson Parish governing council from 1980 to 1982, a position akin to that of police juror in other Louisiana parishes.
Hollis was unopposed in his bids for re-election in 1983, 1987, 1991, and 1999. In 1995, he defeated fellow Republican Greg Reinhard in the primary, 29,240 (80 percent) to 7,361 (20 percent). In 2003, Hollis defeated fellow Republican Polly Thomas in the primary, 19,570 (61 percent) to 12,504 (39 percent).
In the Senate, Hollis supported Planned Parenthood of America and one of its opposite interest groups, the Louisiana Family Forum
, each approximately 33 percent of the time. Two other rival interest groups, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
and the AFL-CIO
each graded Hollis between 70 and 80 percent in his last legislative years. The Christian Coalition rated him 55 percent. The Louisiana Association of Educators rated him from 40 to 90 percent, depending on the year.
The Jefferson Beautification Council award him the "Frederick Law Olmsted Award," named for Frederick Law Olmsted
, the landscape architect who designed Central Park
in New York City
. In 1985, 1987, and 1993, he was named "Senator of the Year for Jefferson Parish" by the interest group, the Alliance for Good Government. He was designated as "Man of the Year" in 1984 by the New Orleans chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors. He is a past president of the Louisiana State Employees' Group Benefits Program.
In 1993, Hollis, along with fellow lawmakers Kernan "Skip" Hand
, Jim Donelon
, and Steve Theriot
, all of the New Orleans suburbs, admitted to having given Tulane University
scholarships to their children. Legislators are allowed under an 1884 law to designate one Tulane scholarship recipient per year, but the practice of giving such awards, totaling $17,000 in 1993 dollars, to family members had been previously unknown.
As a senator, Hollis championed the removal of tolls on the south shore of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
. He was an advocate for the Jefferson Performing Arts Society. As commerce committee chairman, he worked for economic development. He was involved in the negotiations to retain the New Orleans Saints
in the state, the completion of Harrah's
Casino, and legislation establishing the Louisiana Lottery
. He successfully fought an earnings tax on non-residents working in the city of New Orleans.
"This was a real gut issue for me. I realized this is probably not the smartest position, politically, to take. It would have been easy for me to be somewhere else. But I just reached down deep. I voted for it. I did the right thing, and I have had a calm feeling since," Hollis told the national homosexual publication The Advocate in its June 19, 2001 issue. Mike Hollis is also a Louisiana Tech graduate and at the time was a Tech administrator who feared that he could be fired from his job. He since left the university and worked with his father in providing employee benefits consulting to both large and small companies in the region.
The Senate committee voted 3-2 to send the bill to the full chamber, where it was defeated. The bill made Hollis a rare Republican favorite among the interest group the Louisiana Electorate of Gay
s and Lesbians, Inc.
of Mandeville
was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 104th District on October 22, 2011.
Paul Hollis is a collector of rare coins, having begun with Blanchard and Company of New Orleans, one of the nation's largest rare coin firms. He formerly hosted "The Coin Vault," a nationally televised program that reached 60 million homes on the Shop at Home television network. He eventually started his own coin firm and specializes ancient coins that circulated during the lifetime of Jesus Christ.
at Ochsner Medical Center
in Jefferson
, Louisiana. Services were held on September 13, 2010, at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home. Interment followed in Metairie Cemetery
in New Orleans.
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...
member of 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...
from Metairie
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
in Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
in the New Orleans suburbs. He served from 1982, when he won a special election to fill an unexpired term, until he was term-limited, effective January 14, 2008.
In 2003, Hollis launched an exploratory campaign for governor but never filed his papers even though he claimed that his early polling was encouraging. He instead endorsed intraparty rival Hunt Downer
Hunt Downer
Major General Huntington Blair Downer, Jr., known as Hunt Downer , is a Republican politician in the U.S. state of Louisiana who is the assistant adjutant general of the state National Guard and the first ever director of the new Louisiana Veterans Affairs Department.A former Speaker of the...
of Houma
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
in south Louisiana. Downer finished in sixth place in the 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...
, and the office ultimately went to the 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...
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. Because he did not run for governor, Hollis was able to secure his sixth full term in the state Senate District 9.
As his Senate successor, Hollis endorsed Republican State Representative Steve Scalise
Steve Scalise
Stephen Joseph "Steve" Scalise is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2008. He is a member of the Republican Party...
, a conservative who won the seat in the primary held on October 20, 2007, but soon resigned to become a U.S. representative.
Early years, education, military
Hollis was born and reared in AlexandriaAlexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He graduated in 1960 from Bolton High School
Bolton High School (Louisiana)
Bolton High School is a secondary educational institution located in the Garden District of Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana. The school is named for its benefactor, James W...
. One of his classmates was former Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Edward G. "Ned" Randolph, Jr.
Ned Randolph
Edward Gordon "Ned" Randolph, Jr. , is a veteran Democratic politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria in central Louisiana from 1986 to 2006. Randolph was also a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972 to 1976 and the Louisiana State Senate from 1976 to 1984...
, who served in the state Senate from 1976 to 1984. Their Senate tenures hence coincided only during the short session to which Hollis was elected in 1982. Hollis thereafter received a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in business administration from Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, the seat of Lincoln Parish in north Louisiana.
From 1967 to 1974, he was a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve.
A Presbyterian, Hollis was a board member of United Christian Charities.
Hollis was first married to the former Judith Beasley (1942–2007), who was living in Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
at the time of her death. She was the mother of his three sons, Jesse K. "Trey" Hollis, III, Michael Hollis, and Paul Hollis. After a divorce, Hollis in 1999 wed the former Diane Woods, who had from a previous marriage three daughters, Heather, Jennifer, and Casie.
After graduation from Louisiana Tech, Hollis entered the insurance business as MassMutual's regional group manager, a position that he retained until 1981. Hollis then served as MassMutual's general agent for the State of Louisiana until he retired from that position in January 1998. He was since the president and chief executive officer of Hollis Companies which specialize in employee benefits consulting.
Prior to his Senate tenure, he was an elected member of the Jefferson Parish governing council from 1980 to 1982, a position akin to that of police juror in other Louisiana parishes.
Legislative activities
In his last Senate term, Hollis was chairman of the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee and a member of the Judiciary "B" and Retirement committeesHollis was unopposed in his bids for re-election in 1983, 1987, 1991, and 1999. In 1995, he defeated fellow Republican Greg Reinhard in the primary, 29,240 (80 percent) to 7,361 (20 percent). In 2003, Hollis defeated fellow Republican Polly Thomas in the primary, 19,570 (61 percent) to 12,504 (39 percent).
In the Senate, Hollis supported Planned Parenthood of America and one of its opposite interest groups, the Louisiana Family Forum
Louisiana Family Forum
Louisiana Family Forum is a social conservative non-profit advocacy group based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The organization supports Louisiana's covenant marriage law and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage...
, each approximately 33 percent of the time. Two other rival interest groups, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, known by the acronym LABI, is the largest and most successful business lobbying group in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded in Baton Rouge in 1976, when Louisiana adopted a new right-to-work law during the administration of Democratic...
and the AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The 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 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
each graded Hollis between 70 and 80 percent in his last legislative years. The Christian Coalition rated him 55 percent. The Louisiana Association of Educators rated him from 40 to 90 percent, depending on the year.
The Jefferson Beautification Council award him the "Frederick Law Olmsted Award," named for Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
, the landscape architect who designed Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1985, 1987, and 1993, he was named "Senator of the Year for Jefferson Parish" by the interest group, the Alliance for Good Government. He was designated as "Man of the Year" in 1984 by the New Orleans chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors. He is a past president of the Louisiana State Employees' Group Benefits Program.
In 1993, Hollis, along with fellow lawmakers Kernan "Skip" Hand
Kernan "Skip" Hand
Kernan August Hand, Sr., known as Kernan "Skip" Hand , is a retired state court judge of the 24th Judicial District from Kenner in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. A Republican, Hand served in the "Division H" judgeship from the spring of 1994 until his retirement on December 31, 2008...
, Jim Donelon
Jim Donelon
James J. "Jim" Donelon has been the Republican insurance commissioner of Louisiana since February 15, 2006.Donelon won a full-term as commissioner in the October 20, 2007 nonpartisan blanket primary. He finished with 606,534 votes and defeated three opponents, the closest of whom, Democrat Jim...
, and Steve Theriot
Steve Theriot
Steven J. Theriot, known as Steve Theriot , is a Certified Public Accountant from Marrero in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, USA, who served as his state’s legislative auditor from 2004–2009 and as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1988-1996.-State legislator:Theriot...
, all of the New Orleans suburbs, admitted to having given Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
scholarships to their children. Legislators are allowed under an 1884 law to designate one Tulane scholarship recipient per year, but the practice of giving such awards, totaling $17,000 in 1993 dollars, to family members had been previously unknown.
As a senator, Hollis championed the removal of tolls on the south shore of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, or the Causeway, consists of two parallel bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana, United States. The longer of the two bridges is long...
. He was an advocate for the Jefferson Performing Arts Society. As commerce committee chairman, he worked for economic development. He was involved in the negotiations to retain the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
in the state, the completion of Harrah's
Harrah's Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...
Casino, and legislation establishing the Louisiana Lottery
Louisiana Lottery (modern)
- History :The Louisiana Lottery Corporation began in 1991, after the 1990 Louisiana legislature proposed a government-run lottery as a way to generate revenue without increasing taxes...
. He successfully fought an earnings tax on non-residents working in the city of New Orleans.
Supporting gay rights
In 2001, Hollis acknowledged that his son, Michael Hollis, is homosexual. He introduced a bill to prohibit all but the smallest businesses in Louisiana from discriminating against employees because of sexual preference."This was a real gut issue for me. I realized this is probably not the smartest position, politically, to take. It would have been easy for me to be somewhere else. But I just reached down deep. I voted for it. I did the right thing, and I have had a calm feeling since," Hollis told the national homosexual publication The Advocate in its June 19, 2001 issue. Mike Hollis is also a Louisiana Tech graduate and at the time was a Tech administrator who feared that he could be fired from his job. He since left the university and worked with his father in providing employee benefits consulting to both large and small companies in the region.
The Senate committee voted 3-2 to send the bill to the full chamber, where it was defeated. The bill made Hollis a rare Republican favorite among the interest group the Louisiana Electorate of Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s and Lesbians, Inc.
Paul Hollis
Meanwhile, another Hollis son, Paul HollisPaul Hollis
Paul Hollis was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 104th District on October 22, 2011. Hollis, the son of former Louisiana State Senator Ken Hollis, defeated Christopher Trahan by a margin of 3905 to 3096...
of Mandeville
Mandeville, Louisiana
Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,421 in 2008. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs...
was elected to 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...
from the 104th District on October 22, 2011.
Paul Hollis is a collector of rare coins, having begun with Blanchard and Company of New Orleans, one of the nation's largest rare coin firms. He formerly hosted "The Coin Vault," a nationally televised program that reached 60 million homes on the Shop at Home television network. He eventually started his own coin firm and specializes ancient coins that circulated during the lifetime of Jesus Christ.
Death
Hollis died at the age of sixty-eight of metastatic neuroendocrine cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at Ochsner Medical Center
Ochsner Medical Center
Ochsner Medical Center, historically also known as Ochsner Clinic, Ochsner Hospital, and Ochsner Foundation Hospital, is a hospital in Jefferson, Louisiana, a short distance from the city limits of New Orleans. As the flagship of the Ochsner Health System, it was founded by Dr. Alton Ochsner,...
in Jefferson
Jefferson, Louisiana
Jefferson is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on the East Bank of the Mississippi River. Jefferson is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,843 at the 2000 census...
, Louisiana. Services were held on September 13, 2010, at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home. Interment followed in Metairie Cemetery
Metairie Cemetery
Metairie Cemetery is a cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume that the cemetery is located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it is located within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road .-History:This site was previously a horse...
in New Orleans.