Leland G. Mims
Encyclopedia
Leland Garland Mims was a Minden
, Louisiana
, businessman and civic leader who served as a member of the Webster Parish
Police Jury (equivalent to county commission in other states) from 1953–1976 and as president of the body from 1956-1973. He was also the elected president of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana from 1965–1967 and served for several years as well on the executive committee of the statewide organization. On October 5, 1976, Minden observed "Leland Mims Day".
(1902–1988), also a former Minden mayor
, appointed Mims to the police jury, the 12-member parish governing council, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mims' distant cousin, G. Calhoun Garland.
At the time, the members were elected at-large by wards. Mims campaigned door-to-door in each Democratic
primary election
, beginning in 1956. He usually led the field with a healthy majority. Four members were elected from the former Ward 4, which covered the immediate Minden area. A Ward 4 colleague, businessman William N. "Nick" Love (1909–2000), was also a strong votegetter in police jury races. The lower-polling candidates wound up either being defeated outright or placed into runoff elections among themselves.
During his tenure on the police jury, Mims ultimately served on each committee. He was the third vice-president, then second vice-president, and first vice-president of state Police Jury Association, headquartered in Baton Rouge. He served from April 20, 1965, to April 2, 1967, as the president of the state organization, the only Webster Parish juror thus far to have headed the association. In 1973, partly as a result of health problems of his wife, Mims relinquished the police jury presidency to the first vice-president Morris W. McClary (1917–1988) of Sarepta
, then a 17-year member of the body. When he, and McClary as well, retired from the body in 1976, the Police Jury Association of the Fourth Congressional District adopted a resolution recognizing Mims for his “excellent, energetic, and intelligent service."
James Tenney "Jim" Branch, Sr. (1927–2010), a Minden businessman originally from St. Louis
, Missouri
, who succeeded McClary as jury president and himself lost the 1982 race for Minden mayor to Noel Byars, said that he had "never known any juror [Mims] to be more honest, sincere, and knowledgeable . . . Years ago, the jury found itself to be in bad financial shape. Then he became president, and today it is in great shape due to the financial abilities of Mr. Mims."
In addition to his watch over fiscal matters, Mims took an interest in all parish roads, including some of the lesser-travelled ones. He made sure that all such thoroughfares were well-maintained and that planning be undertaken before new roads were authorized. Daughter Linda Lee Martin (October 4, 1937–January 23, 2011) recalled her father being a "people person. He really loved people and enjoyed working with them. He spoke with plain words and from the heart. He was easy-going and a peacemaker by nature, but he never hesitated to take a stand for what he believed was right."
Mims served until July 1, 1976, having declined to seek another term in the single-member District 8 seat created earlier by court-ordered reapportionment. Outgoing Webster Parish Clerk of Court Clarence Douglas Wiley (1909–1976) was handily elected to succeed Mims, but Wiley never joined the panel, having died as police juror-elect four months before he was to have taken office. Instead a special election was held, and the Webster Parish school administrator, Ralph Lamar Rentz, Sr. (1930–1995), defeated Minden businessman Stewart Covington (1930–1997), later of Doyline
, by three votes for the right to succeed Leland Mims. Rentz had finished a close third in the 1971 Democratic primary for the Webster Parish seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives, a position won by Judge R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
(1917–1996) and held at the time by Parey P. Branton of Shongaloo
, who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor
.
and north of Minden in central Webster Parish north of Minden to Henry Nathaniel Mims (February 3, 1851–June 25, 1900) and the former Ella Olivia Garland (July 31, 1859– May 25, 1920). A successful farmer
, Henry Mims, died suddenly at the age of forty-nine, some seven months before his wife gave birth to Leland. Henry Mims was a native of the Darlington
district of South Carolina
; Ella, from nearby Sumter County in central South Carolina. Henry and Ella are interred at Pine Grove Cemetery north of Minden. Leland Mims was the youngest of seven children; his oldest sister was already nineteen when Leland was born. The second youngest sibling was seven years Leland's senior. The older siblings were more like surrogate parents or doting aunts and uncles than brothers and sisters, and Leland was close to all of them, recalled daughter Linda Martin.
Mims graduated in 1921 from Minden High School
. He was the athletic editor of the yearbook, The Grig, a member of the football
track and field
, and basketball
teams as well as the basketball captain. Among his MHS classmates were the artist Ben Earl Looney
(1904–1981) and the future Minden educator Kirtley J. Miles (1904–1993). After high school, Mims attended Louisiana Tech University
, then Louisiana Polytechnic Institute in Ruston
, on an athletic scholarship, but he did not graduate. He then ran a store for a period of time.
Company, then owned by banker Castle O. Holland (1895–1981) and businessman Earl Long (1898–1980, no relation to the late Louisiana Governor Earl K. Long); some thirteen years later, Mims opened his own used-car business. At times he was in business with M.O. "Mop" Powell and Thomas C. Bloxom, Sr. (1896–1978), the father of the former Minden police chief and fire chief. Mims' operation was first on Pearl Street across from the former Joy Theater and thereafter on East Union Street.
Mims was named Minden Man of the Year in 1960. He was an honorary lifetime Boy Scout
and an active member of the Masonic lodge
. Though he had no musical training, Mims sang tenor at band concerts in the park and also in the choir of the First United Methodist Church, of which he was also a member of the board of stewards. Mims was active in the Minden Lions Club and was selected "Boss of the Year" by the Business and Professional Women
's Club.
(January 1, 1872—March 4, 1955) and the former Clara Hodges (February 5, 1880–December 29, 1954), a native of Cotton Valley
in central Webster Parish. Lowe, a merchant, served as mayor
of Minden from 1916–1920 and was thereafter a member of the police jury from 1940-1954. He died at a Shreveport
hospital at the age of eighty-three.
Rubye Lowe Mims procured a teacher's certificate from Louisiana Tech. She taught for a year before the couple married on January 15, 1925. Hence, her father and husband were both police jurors, but their terms coincided only from February 1953 until January 1954. The Mimses resided at 103 Germantown Road. Rubye was a diabetic. She and her husband both died of congestive heart failure
four years apart. After Mims' passing, the Germantown Road residence was sold to Minden photographer Stanley B. Quade (1914–2002).
Linda Lee Mims Martin, years earlier a librarian, was the only child of Leland and Rubye Mims. She and her husband, Robert Oliver Martin, Jr. (1937–2010), graduated from Minden High School in 1955 and resided in Houston
, Texas
, at the time of their deaths, some five months apart.League City
, a southeastern Houston suburb
, with his wife, Kimberly, and their two children, Chloe Lynn Martin and Cameron Oliver Martin. The Martins lived in Connecticut
from 1976–2001, where Rob was employed by International Business Machines. He retired in 1993 with thirty years service as portfolio manager of the IBM Retirement Fund.
quoted his advice to aspiring politicians: "The main person that can help you is the Good Lord -- you've got to put Him there. There's not much that can be done unless we give praise to Him and look to Him for guidance." In his farewell speech to the jury, Mims said simply that
"This is my time to bow out" as jury president. He remained on the jury itself for another two years.
In 1975, when Mims announced his decision to retire from his jury seat, he told the Press-Herald: "I loved every minute of it. It was the high spot of my life. And I have worked with a lot of good men.” Linda Martin added: "He loved Minden with all his heart -- it was his town!"
The Mimses are interred at Minden Cemetery
. Rob and Linda Mims Martin are interred at Gardens of Memory Cemetery
in 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...
, 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...
, businessman and civic leader who served as a member of the 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....
Police Jury (equivalent to county commission in other states) from 1953–1976 and as president of the body from 1956-1973. He was also the elected president of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana from 1965–1967 and served for several years as well on the executive committee of the statewide organization. On October 5, 1976, Minden observed "Leland Mims Day".
Webster Parish Police Jury
In February 1953, Governor Robert F. KennonRobert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
(1902–1988), also a former Minden mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, appointed Mims to the police jury, the 12-member parish governing council, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mims' distant cousin, G. Calhoun Garland.
At the time, the members were elected at-large by wards. Mims campaigned door-to-door in each 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...
primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, beginning in 1956. He usually led the field with a healthy majority. Four members were elected from the former Ward 4, which covered the immediate Minden area. A Ward 4 colleague, businessman William N. "Nick" Love (1909–2000), was also a strong votegetter in police jury races. The lower-polling candidates wound up either being defeated outright or placed into runoff elections among themselves.
During his tenure on the police jury, Mims ultimately served on each committee. He was the third vice-president, then second vice-president, and first vice-president of state Police Jury Association, headquartered in Baton Rouge. He served from April 20, 1965, to April 2, 1967, as the president of the state organization, the only Webster Parish juror thus far to have headed the association. In 1973, partly as a result of health problems of his wife, Mims relinquished the police jury presidency to the first vice-president Morris W. McClary (1917–1988) of Sarepta
Sarepta, Louisiana
Sarepta is a town in Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 925 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, then a 17-year member of the body. When he, and McClary as well, retired from the body in 1976, the Police Jury Association of the Fourth Congressional District adopted a resolution recognizing Mims for his “excellent, energetic, and intelligent service."
James Tenney "Jim" Branch, Sr. (1927–2010), a Minden businessman originally from St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, who succeeded McClary as jury president and himself lost the 1982 race for Minden mayor to Noel Byars, said that he had "never known any juror [Mims] to be more honest, sincere, and knowledgeable . . . Years ago, the jury found itself to be in bad financial shape. Then he became president, and today it is in great shape due to the financial abilities of Mr. Mims."
In addition to his watch over fiscal matters, Mims took an interest in all parish roads, including some of the lesser-travelled ones. He made sure that all such thoroughfares were well-maintained and that planning be undertaken before new roads were authorized. Daughter Linda Lee Martin (October 4, 1937–January 23, 2011) recalled her father being a "people person. He really loved people and enjoyed working with them. He spoke with plain words and from the heart. He was easy-going and a peacemaker by nature, but he never hesitated to take a stand for what he believed was right."
Mims served until July 1, 1976, having declined to seek another term in the single-member District 8 seat created earlier by court-ordered reapportionment. Outgoing Webster Parish Clerk of Court Clarence Douglas Wiley (1909–1976) was handily elected to succeed Mims, but Wiley never joined the panel, having died as police juror-elect four months before he was to have taken office. Instead a special election was held, and the Webster Parish school administrator, Ralph Lamar Rentz, Sr. (1930–1995), defeated Minden businessman Stewart Covington (1930–1997), later of Doyline
Doyline, Louisiana
Doyline is a village in southwestern Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 841 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, by three votes for the right to succeed Leland Mims. Rentz had finished a close third in the 1971 Democratic primary for the Webster Parish seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives, a position won by Judge R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
Richard Harmon Drew, Sr. was a fourth generation judge and a former Democratic state representative who was descended from pioneer families of Webster Parish in north Louisiana...
(1917–1996) and held at the time by Parey P. Branton of Shongaloo
Shongaloo, Louisiana
Shongaloo is a village in Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States.West of Shongaloo on Louisiana Highway 2 is Munn Hill, a homestead of Daniel and Rebecca Munn, established on July 26, 1900....
, who ran unsuccessfully 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"...
.
Early years and education
Mims was born in Evergreen southwest of ShongalooShongaloo, Louisiana
Shongaloo is a village in Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States.West of Shongaloo on Louisiana Highway 2 is Munn Hill, a homestead of Daniel and Rebecca Munn, established on July 26, 1900....
and north of Minden in central Webster Parish north of Minden to Henry Nathaniel Mims (February 3, 1851–June 25, 1900) and the former Ella Olivia Garland (July 31, 1859– May 25, 1920). A successful farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
, Henry Mims, died suddenly at the age of forty-nine, some seven months before his wife gave birth to Leland. Henry Mims was a native of the Darlington
Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington is a city in and the county seat of Darlington County, in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a center for tobacco farming. The population was 6,720 at the 2000 census and is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area...
district of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
; Ella, from nearby Sumter County in central South Carolina. Henry and Ella are interred at Pine Grove Cemetery north of Minden. Leland Mims was the youngest of seven children; his oldest sister was already nineteen when Leland was born. The second youngest sibling was seven years Leland's senior. The older siblings were more like surrogate parents or doting aunts and uncles than brothers and sisters, and Leland was close to all of them, recalled daughter Linda Martin.
Mims graduated in 1921 from Minden High School
Minden High School (Minden, Louisiana)
Minden High School is the public secondary educational institution in Minden, a small city of 13,000 and the seat of Webster Parish located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana...
. He was the athletic editor of the yearbook, The Grig, a member of the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams as well as the basketball captain. Among his MHS classmates were the artist Ben Earl Looney
Ben Earl Looney
Ben Earl Looney was a Louisiana artist and author known for his Water Colors of Dixie and Cajun Country, pen and ink sketches of Acadiana....
(1904–1981) and the future Minden educator Kirtley J. Miles (1904–1993). After high school, Mims attended 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...
, then Louisiana Polytechnic Institute 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...
, on an athletic scholarship, but he did not graduate. He then ran a store for a period of time.
Business and civic affairs
Thereafter, Mims headed the sales department for the former Standard ChevroletChevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
Company, then owned by banker Castle O. Holland (1895–1981) and businessman Earl Long (1898–1980, no relation to the late Louisiana Governor Earl K. Long); some thirteen years later, Mims opened his own used-car business. At times he was in business with M.O. "Mop" Powell and Thomas C. Bloxom, Sr. (1896–1978), the father of the former Minden police chief and fire chief. Mims' operation was first on Pearl Street across from the former Joy Theater and thereafter on East Union Street.
Mims was named Minden Man of the Year in 1960. He was an honorary lifetime Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
and an active member of the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
. Though he had no musical training, Mims sang tenor at band concerts in the park and also in the choir of the First United Methodist Church, of which he was also a member of the board of stewards. Mims was active in the Minden Lions Club and was selected "Boss of the Year" by the Business and Professional Women
Business and Professional Women
Business and Professional Women's Foundation Business and Professional Women’s Foundation is an organization focused on creating successful workplaces by focusing on issues that impact women, families and employers. Successful Workplaces are those that embrace and practice diversity, equity and...
's Club.
The Lowe family
Mrs. Mims, the former Rubye Lowe (February 16, 1904—March 14, 1975) was the daughter of William Matt LoweW. Matt Lowe
William Matt Lowe, known as W. Matt Lowe was a merchant and public official in the city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. During World War I and its aftermath, Lowe served two terms from 1916-1920 as mayor of Minden...
(January 1, 1872—March 4, 1955) and the former Clara Hodges (February 5, 1880–December 29, 1954), a native of Cotton Valley
Cotton Valley, Louisiana
Cotton Valley is a town in central Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,189 at the 2000 census. It is located some twenty miles northwest of the parish seat of Minden.-Overview:-Municipal matters:...
in central Webster Parish. Lowe, a merchant, served as 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 from 1916–1920 and was thereafter a member of the police jury from 1940-1954. He died at a Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
hospital at the age of eighty-three.
Rubye Lowe Mims procured a teacher's certificate from Louisiana Tech. She taught for a year before the couple married on January 15, 1925. Hence, her father and husband were both police jurors, but their terms coincided only from February 1953 until January 1954. The Mimses resided at 103 Germantown Road. Rubye was a diabetic. She and her husband both died of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
four years apart. After Mims' passing, the Germantown Road residence was sold to Minden photographer Stanley B. Quade (1914–2002).
Linda Lee Mims Martin, years earlier a librarian, was the only child of Leland and Rubye Mims. She and her husband, Robert Oliver Martin, Jr. (1937–2010), graduated from Minden High School in 1955 and resided in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, at the time of their deaths, some five months apart.League City
League City, Texas
League City is a city in Galveston County and Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 45,444; in the 2006 census estimate, the population was listed as 67,200. The 2010 Census places the population of League City...
, a southeastern Houston suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
, with his wife, Kimberly, and their two children, Chloe Lynn Martin and Cameron Oliver Martin. The Martins lived in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
from 1976–2001, where Rob was employed by International Business Machines. He retired in 1993 with thirty years service as portfolio manager of the IBM Retirement Fund.
Retirement
On June 8, 1973, on the occasion of Mims' relinquishing of the police jury presidency after seventeen years, the Minden Press-HeraldMinden Press-Herald
The Minden Press-Herald is a Monday-Friday daily newspaper published in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, by Specht Newspapers, Inc...
quoted his advice to aspiring politicians: "The main person that can help you is the Good Lord -- you've got to put Him there. There's not much that can be done unless we give praise to Him and look to Him for guidance." In his farewell speech to the jury, Mims said simply that
"This is my time to bow out" as jury president. He remained on the jury itself for another two years.
In 1975, when Mims announced his decision to retire from his jury seat, he told the Press-Herald: "I loved every minute of it. It was the high spot of my life. And I have worked with a lot of good men.” Linda Martin added: "He loved Minden with all his heart -- it was his town!"
The Mimses are interred at Minden Cemetery
Minden Cemetery
The Minden Cemetery, located in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, United States, has graves dating from 1843, seven years after the founding of the city in 1836...
. Rob and Linda Mims Martin are interred at Gardens of Memory Cemetery
Gardens of Memory Cemetery (Minden, Louisiana)
Other cemeteries named "Gardens of Memory" are located in Muncie, and Marion, Indiana, and Houston County, Alabama. There is an Erath Gardens of Memory in Stephenville in Erath County, Texas, an Oakhaven Gardens of Memory in Gibson County, Tennessee, a Resthaven Gardens of Memory in Baton Rouge,...
in Minden.