Parey Branton
Encyclopedia
Parey Pershing Branton, Sr. (November 17, 1918 – September 15, 2011), was a businessman from Shongaloo
, Louisiana
, who was from 1960 to 1972 a Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from what is now District 10 in Webster Parish
. The district, which includes the parish seat of Minden
in northwestern Louisiana, is now representing by the term-limited Democrat Jean Doerge.
In the mid-1960s, he called himself a "Wallace--Goldwater--Free Enterprise
--Right-to-Profit Democrat" and printed that slogan for a time on his private vehicle. He refused to support the national Democratic presidential nominees during his tenure in the legislature. Instead, he endorsed Republican
Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
in 1964 and former Alabama
Governor George C. Wallace, Jr.
, in 1968. Wallace ran on the American Independent Party
banner in a vain attempt to block the election of either Richard M. Nixon or Hubert Humphrey
.
in Baton Rouge and the University of Texas at Austin
, both for two years. With the outbreak of World War II
, Branton joined the United States Army Signal Corps
and attended a special school in advanced radar held near Lexington
in Fayette County
, Kentucky
. There he met his future wife, the former Georgia P. Lusby (born March 20, 1921).
In 1948, Branton joined the staff of American Airlines
in El Paso
, Texas
, and was later assigned in San Francisco
and Los Angeles
, California
. He returned to Shongaloo in 1951 and was employed in the personnel and payroll departments of the since closed International Paper Company in nearby Springhill
. He also operated a store in Shongaloo at the intersection of Louisiana Highway 159
and Louisiana Highway 2
. He was a member of Mt. Paran Baptist
Church in Shongaloo. His residence is adjacent to his former business, which has since closed.
from 1952 to 1958. In his obituary, Branton, as a school board member, is said to have "pressed consistently for excellence in the classroom and efficiency in budget management and in public property maintenance."
In January 1956, he was elected vice president of the board, serving under president James E. Harper (1893-1971), a banker and a former principal of Minden High School
.
Just days after being named school board vice president, Branton sought the position of Webster Parish clerk of court. Three candidates challenged the 24-year incumbent
Thomas J. Campbell (1895–1968) in the Democratic primary. Branton finished third with 2,327 votes, 92 fewer than the second-place candidate, Clarence D. Wiley (1909–1976) of Minden. The fourth-place candidate, Minden alderman Frank T. Norman
, would be elected mayor some two years later in 1958. Wiley went on to unseat Campbell in the runoff election and served for twenty years as clerk of court.
In the November 4, 1958, general election for school board, Branton faced the opposition of his fellow Democrat A. J. Burns, Jr. (1907-1976), who filed as a write-in candidate
. Burns unseated Branton, who was still the board president, 269 (55.5 percent) to 216 votes (44.5 percent). After the Democratic primary for school board was held, opposition arose to Branton when the school board transferred the late Douglas Newsom from the principalship of Shongaloo High School to that of Dubberly High School in Dubberly
in south Webster Parish. Newson's exodus from Shongaloo stalled the development of the agriculture department at the school, and voters retaliated at the polls against Branton.
, died shortly after announcing plans to seek a third term. Governor Earl K. Long appointed Gleason's widow, Mary Smith Gleason
, to fill the remaining months of the term, as insufficient time existed for a special election, which would have coincided with the regular primary schedule. Mrs. Gleason did not seek a full term, but her son, William E. Gleason (born ca. 1919), an educator, entered the race. Other primary candidates included businessman Frank B. Treat, Jr. (1923–1994), and attorney Henry Grady Hobbs (born ca. 1922), both of Minden. Branton trailed Hobbs by 130 votes in the December primary, but in the runoff held on January 9, 1960, Branton defeated Hobbs, 4,300 votes (50.01 percent) to 4,284 (49.99 percent). A Branton campaign advertisement proclaimed "Remove All Doubt. There Will Be No Question if You Elect an Avowed Segregationist," a claim that Hobbs would not pursue the same segregationist policies in the legislature as would Branton. Branton won only two of the five wards in the parish to take the seat by sixteen ballots.
In 1962, Branton joined his House colleague, Representative Wellborn Jack of Shreveport
, in supporting a change in the system of how Louisiana allocates its electoral votes. The two argued that Louisiana should adopt the framework used currently only by Maine
and Nebraska
by which one elector is allotted for each congressional district to the winner by plurality in that district, and two at-large electoral votes are assigned to the top vote-getter statewide, plurality or majority. The plan was not adopted. It could have enabled Louisiana to choose split electors, as Alabama
did in 1960 and New Jersey
in 1860. Branton said the plan would dilute the voting power of minority groups in large eastern and Midwestern cities.
In his three terms in the House, Branton served on the committees of Appropriations, Judiciary D, Wild Life and Fisheries, Public Education, and State Retirement, of which he was for a time the chairman.
Branton was unopposed for his second legislative term in the 1963 primary. On August 13, 1966, he ran for the Louisiana Public Service Commission
against the appointed incumbent, John S. Hunt, III
, of Monroe
. Others in the race were fellow Representative John Sidney Garrett
of nearby Haynesville
and former lawmaker Wellborn Jack, who described himself as one opposed to all kinds of "federal encroachment." Though Branton finished in sixth place, he led by a plurality in his own Webster Parish. In the party runoff on September 24, Hunt prevailed over Garrett.
In 1967, Branton faced a stiff renomination fight from Springhill
attorney and former mayor and school board member Charles E. McConnell, who carried the support of Governor John J. McKeithen, an easy winner in his own primary for a second term against U.S. Representative John Rarick
. Branton prevailed in a runoff election held on December 16: 7,619 votes (52.6 percent) to McConnell's 6,857 (47.4 percent). From 1968-1972, Branton and neighboring Representative John S. Garrett represented a combined Webster and Claiborne Parish
district. Garrett was renominated in the first primary and was thereafter tapped by McKeithen to succeed House Speaker
Vail M. Delony
of Lake Providence
in East Carroll Parish.
In 1968, Branton opposed pay increases for assistant district attorneys in his own Bossier-Webster judicial district, a measure introduced by his colleague Walter O. Bigby
. In taking that position, Branton clashed with Speaker John S. Garrett, who viewed the matter as "local" and endorsed earlier by the police juries of both parishes. According to Branton, the state could not "afford such increases in salary of politicians. I think the raise is ridiculous at a time when the state of Louisiana is looking for additional salary increases to the working people . . . and school teachers." He noted too that the assistant district attorneys are parttime employees.
After his last election to the House, Branton joined two Democratic colleagues from Shreveport, Algie D. Brown
and Frank Fulco
, in opposition to approved legislative pay raises. The trio filed suit in East Baton Rouge Parish in a failed bid to prevent state Treasurer
Mary Evelyn Parker
from allowing the expenditure of funds to underwrite the raises. Branton noted with alarm that his own legislative check had more than doubled, from $204.73 net monthly to $429.72, an amount he considered too large for a citizen legislator.
in the 1971 Democratic primary. He was paired on an intraparty ticket with state Senator
John G. Schwegmann, Jr.
, (1911–1995) of Jefferson Parish in the New Orleans
suburbs, the candidate for governor. Schwegmann, the owner of eighteen grocery stores, was an outspoken conservative
who had long been critical of excessive state spending and expanded government. The Schwegmann-Branton ticket fared poorly. Schwegmann finished in fifth place in the primary. Branton placed sixth in the lieutenant governor's race with 53,295 votes.
Branton was seeking to succeed conservative Lieutenant Governor Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
of Franklin
in St. Mary Parish
in south Louisiana. Aycock was running for governor that year and finished a notch behind Schwegmann. Branton was weakened in his campaign by the presence of a second candidate from Webster Parish. The developer Francis Edward "Ed" Kennon, Jr.
(born 1938), of Minden, a nephew of former Governor Robert F. Kennon
, was also running for lieutenant governor. So were two bankers, Jamar Adcock
of Monroe and P.J. Mills
of Shreveport, both outgoing members of the state legislature. Pete Heine
, a local politician from Baker
in East Baton Rouge Parish
, was also in the running. Kennon polled 162,944 votes, more than three times as many ballots as Branton received. The winner of the lieutenant governor's race was former New Orleans City Council member James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr.
The next year, Edward Kennon was elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a position that he held from 1973 to 1984.
Branton was philosophically aligned with State Senator Harold Montgomery
of Doyline
in Webster Parish, another staunch conservative often at odds with his party's leadership. Branton was also personally and philosophically close to his successor, R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
, of Minden, another conservative Democrat. In 1995, Branton was an honorary pallbearer
at the funerals of both Montgomery and Drew, who died a day apart in 1995.
In 1975, when Montgomery declined to seek a fourth term in the state Senate, Branton ran in an eight-candidate, all-Democratic field for the seat. Trailing in the first-ever jungle primary
held in Louisiana, Branton hence failed to secure a general election position. His former legislative colleague, John S. Garrett, went into the second election with Foster L. Campbell, Jr.
, then a young educator from Haughton
. Campbell emerged the overwhelming winner over Garrett. Other primary candidates had included Minden educator Ralph Lamar Rentz, Sr. (1930—1995), who had run against Drew for the state House seat in 1971.
At some point after 1975, Branton switched his partisan affiliation to Republican.
Branton resided with his wife in an attractive home in Shongaloo built in 1909 and located less than a mile from the farm on which he was reared. He was elected without opposition as the mayor of Shongaloo in 1972, just as his legislative term was ending. As mayor, a position that he held until 1990, Branton worked for establishment of the Shongaloo Civic Center, a public meeting hall located across the highway from his own home. In 1974, Branton was the Webster Parish federal funds coordinator. In that capacity, he developed an emergency medical services plan for his parish.
In 2001, Branton's son, Daniel Miles Branton (born March 26, 1949), was elected mayor of Shongaloo but now resides with his wife, Renee Branton, in Ruston
, Louisiana. The Brantons also have a younger son, Parey P. Branton, Jr. (born 1951), of Shongaloo. Branton formerly operated a store in Shongaloo adjacent to his home. He was also involved in the cattle and oil and natural gas leasing businesses.
Branton died at the age of ninety-two in a hospital in Shreveport. In addition to his wife and sons, he was survived by his brother, Harold M. Branton and wife, Elsie, of New Caney
, Texas, and a sister, Mutelle B. Thompson of Springhill. He was predeceased by a second sister, Dorothy B. Patton. Services were held at Mt. Paran Baptist Church on September 18, 2011. Interment followed at Union Springs Cemetery in 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....
, 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...
, who was from 1960 to 1972 a 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...
member 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...
from what is now District 10 in 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....
. The district, which includes the parish seat 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...
in northwestern Louisiana, is now representing by the term-limited Democrat Jean Doerge.
In the mid-1960s, he called himself a "Wallace--Goldwater--Free Enterprise
Free enterprise
-Transport:* Free Enterprise I, a ferry in service with European Ferries between 1962 and 1980.* Free Enterprise II, a ferry in service with European Ferries between 1965 and 1982....
--Right-to-Profit Democrat" and printed that slogan for a time on his private vehicle. He refused to support the national Democratic presidential nominees during his tenure in the legislature. Instead, he endorsed 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...
Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in 1964 and former Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
Governor George C. Wallace, Jr.
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
, in 1968. Wallace ran on the American Independent Party
American Independent Party
The American Independent Party is a right-wing political party of the United States that was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer. In 1968, the American Independent Party nominated George C. Wallace as its presidential candidate and retired Air Force General Curtis E. LeMay as the vice...
banner in a vain attempt to block the election of either Richard M. Nixon or Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
.
Early years
The oldest child of Marion M. Branton and the former Addie Mae Martin, Branton graduated from Shongaloo High School in his native Shongaloo in central Webster Parish. He then attended 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...
in Baton Rouge and the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, both for two years. With the outbreak of 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...
, Branton joined the United States Army Signal Corps
United States Army Signal Corps
The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...
and attended a special school in advanced radar held near Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
in Fayette County
Fayette County, Kentucky
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 295,083 in the 2010 Census. Its territory, population and government are coextensive with the city of Lexington, which also serves as county seat....
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. There he met his future wife, the former Georgia P. Lusby (born March 20, 1921).
In 1948, Branton joined the staff of American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
in El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, 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...
, and was later assigned in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He returned to Shongaloo in 1951 and was employed in the personnel and payroll departments of the since closed International Paper Company in nearby Springhill
Springhill, Louisiana
Springhill is a city in northern Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,439 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. He also operated a store in Shongaloo at the intersection of Louisiana Highway 159
Louisiana Highway 159
Louisiana Highway 159 connects Shongaloo to Minden in Louisiana. It ends at Arkansas Highway 19 and begins at U.S. Route 371.The highway is a winding highway that intersects LA 2, LA ALT 2, and US 79-80....
and Louisiana Highway 2
Louisiana Highway 2
Louisiana Highway 2 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It runs in a west to east direction, beginning at State Highway 49 and ending at an intersection with U.S. Highway 65 in East Carroll Parish...
. He was a member of Mt. Paran Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church in Shongaloo. His residence is adjacent to his former business, which has since closed.
School board service
Prior to his legislative service, Branton was a member of the Webster Parish School BoardWebster Parish School Board
Webster Parish School Board is a school district headquartered in Minden, Louisiana, United States. The district operates public schools in Webster Parish.-Primary schools:PK-6* Central Elementary School 5-6...
from 1952 to 1958. In his obituary, Branton, as a school board member, is said to have "pressed consistently for excellence in the classroom and efficiency in budget management and in public property maintenance."
In January 1956, he was elected vice president of the board, serving under president James E. Harper (1893-1971), a banker and a former principal of 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...
.
Just days after being named school board vice president, Branton sought the position of Webster Parish clerk of court. Three candidates challenged the 24-year incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Thomas J. Campbell (1895–1968) in the Democratic primary. Branton finished third with 2,327 votes, 92 fewer than the second-place candidate, Clarence D. Wiley (1909–1976) of Minden. The fourth-place candidate, Minden alderman Frank T. Norman
Frank T. Norman
Francis Toadvin Norman, known as Frank T. Norman , was a Democratic mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, from 1958-1966. From 1952-1958, Norman had served on the Minden City Council as the then public safety commissioner under the since disbanded...
, would be elected mayor some two years later in 1958. Wiley went on to unseat Campbell in the runoff election and served for twenty years as clerk of court.
In the November 4, 1958, general election for school board, Branton faced the opposition of his fellow Democrat A. J. Burns, Jr. (1907-1976), who filed as a write-in candidate
Write-in candidate
A write-in candidate is a candidate in an election whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may vote nonetheless by writing in the person's name. Some states and local jurisdictions allow a voter to affix a sticker with a write-in candidate's name on it to the ballot in lieu...
. Burns unseated Branton, who was still the board president, 269 (55.5 percent) to 216 votes (44.5 percent). After the Democratic primary for school board was held, opposition arose to Branton when the school board transferred the late Douglas Newsom from the principalship of Shongaloo High School to that of Dubberly High School in Dubberly
Dubberly, Louisiana
Dubberly is a village in Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 290 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area....
in south Webster Parish. Newson's exodus from Shongaloo stalled the development of the agriculture department at the school, and voters retaliated at the polls against Branton.
Three legislative elections
Fresh from his defeat as a school board member, Branton entered the 1959 Democratic primary for the Webster Parish seat in the Louisiana House. The incumbent, Ernest Dewey GleasonE.D. Gleason
Ernest Dewey Gleason, known as E. D. Gleason , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the Evergreen Community near Minden in Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. Gleason served from 1952 until his death at the end of his second term...
, died shortly after announcing plans to seek a third term. Governor Earl K. Long appointed Gleason's widow, Mary Smith Gleason
Mary Smith Gleason
Mary Smith Gleason was an interim Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Webster Parish, who served from 1959–1960, after the death in office of her husband, E.D. Gleason.Mrs...
, to fill the remaining months of the term, as insufficient time existed for a special election, which would have coincided with the regular primary schedule. Mrs. Gleason did not seek a full term, but her son, William E. Gleason (born ca. 1919), an educator, entered the race. Other primary candidates included businessman Frank B. Treat, Jr. (1923–1994), and attorney Henry Grady Hobbs (born ca. 1922), both of Minden. Branton trailed Hobbs by 130 votes in the December primary, but in the runoff held on January 9, 1960, Branton defeated Hobbs, 4,300 votes (50.01 percent) to 4,284 (49.99 percent). A Branton campaign advertisement proclaimed "Remove All Doubt. There Will Be No Question if You Elect an Avowed Segregationist," a claim that Hobbs would not pursue the same segregationist policies in the legislature as would Branton. Branton won only two of the five wards in the parish to take the seat by sixteen ballots.
In 1962, Branton joined his House colleague, Representative Wellborn Jack of 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....
, in supporting a change in the system of how Louisiana allocates its electoral votes. The two argued that Louisiana should adopt the framework used currently only by Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
by which one elector is allotted for each congressional district to the winner by plurality in that district, and two at-large electoral votes are assigned to the top vote-getter statewide, plurality or majority. The plan was not adopted. It could have enabled Louisiana to choose split electors, as Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
did in 1960 and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1860. Branton said the plan would dilute the voting power of minority groups in large eastern and Midwestern cities.
In his three terms in the House, Branton served on the committees of Appropriations, Judiciary D, Wild Life and Fisheries, Public Education, and State Retirement, of which he was for a time the chairman.
Branton was unopposed for his second legislative term in the 1963 primary. On August 13, 1966, he ran for the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
against the appointed incumbent, John S. Hunt, III
John S. Hunt, III
John Smoker Hunt, III , was a nephew of Louisiana Governors Huey Pierce Long, Jr., and Earl Kemp Long who served on the elected Louisiana Public Service Commission from May 1964, to December 31, 1972. He was unseated in the September 30, 1972, Democratic runoff by Francis Edward Kennon, Jr...
, of 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...
. Others in the race were fellow Representative John Sidney Garrett
John Sidney Garrett
John Sidney Garrett was a conservative Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives who served from 1948 to 1972 under four gubernatorial administrations. Garrett was a successful businessman in the small town of Haynesville in Claiborne Parish south of the Arkansas state line...
of nearby Haynesville
Haynesville, Louisiana
Haynesville is a town in northern Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, United States, located just south of the Arkansas border. The population was 2,679 at the 2000 census....
and former lawmaker Wellborn Jack, who described himself as one opposed to all kinds of "federal encroachment." Though Branton finished in sixth place, he led by a plurality in his own Webster Parish. In the party runoff on September 24, Hunt prevailed over Garrett.
In 1967, Branton faced a stiff renomination fight from Springhill
Springhill, Louisiana
Springhill is a city in northern Webster Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,439 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Minden Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
attorney and former mayor and school board member Charles E. McConnell, who carried the support of Governor John J. McKeithen, an easy winner in his own primary for a second term against U.S. Representative John Rarick
John Rarick
John Richard Rarick was a lawyer who served as a Louisiana state district court judge from 1961 to 1966 in St. Francisville, Louisiana, the seat of West Feliciana Parish, and as a Democratic U.S. representative from the Sixth Congressional District from 1967 to 1975...
. Branton prevailed in a runoff election held on December 16: 7,619 votes (52.6 percent) to McConnell's 6,857 (47.4 percent). From 1968-1972, Branton and neighboring Representative John S. Garrett represented a combined Webster and Claiborne Parish
Claiborne Parish, Louisiana
Claiborne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Homer and as of 2000, the population is 16,851.-History:The parish is named for the first Louisiana governor, William C. C. Claiborne....
district. Garrett was renominated in the first primary and was thereafter tapped by McKeithen to succeed House 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...
Vail M. Delony
Vail M. Delony
Vail Montgomery Delony was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Lake Providence in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, having served from 1940 until his death in office...
of Lake Providence
Lake Providence, Louisiana
Lake Providence is a town in and the parish seat of East Carroll Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,104 at the 2000 census.-Civil War:...
in East Carroll Parish.
In 1968, Branton opposed pay increases for assistant district attorneys in his own Bossier-Webster judicial district, a measure introduced by his colleague Walter O. Bigby
Walter O. Bigby
Walter Oliver Bigby, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Bossier Parish, having served from 1968 until 1979. Often called the "Dean of the House" because of his reputation for integrity, fairness, and hard work, Bigby was a son-in-law of banker and former...
. In taking that position, Branton clashed with Speaker John S. Garrett, who viewed the matter as "local" and endorsed earlier by the police juries of both parishes. According to Branton, the state could not "afford such increases in salary of politicians. I think the raise is ridiculous at a time when the state of Louisiana is looking for additional salary increases to the working people . . . and school teachers." He noted too that the assistant district attorneys are parttime employees.
After his last election to the House, Branton joined two Democratic colleagues from Shreveport, Algie D. Brown
Algie D. Brown
Algie Dee Brown was a Shreveport attorney and a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1948-1972. He served under governors Earl Kemp Long, Robert F. Kennon, James Houston "Jimmie" Davis, and John J. McKeithen...
and Frank Fulco
Frank Fulco
Frank J. Fulco, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1956–1972 and a leader of the Italian-American community in his native Louisiana...
, in opposition to approved legislative pay raises. The trio filed suit in East Baton Rouge Parish in a failed bid to prevent state Treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
Mary Evelyn Parker
Mary Evelyn Parker
Mary Evelyn Dickerson Parker is a former Democratic state treasurer of Louisiana, having served from 1968-1987. She was the first woman to have held the position. Prior to her tenure as treasurer, she held several appointed positions in state government...
from allowing the expenditure of funds to underwrite the raises. Branton noted with alarm that his own legislative check had more than doubled, from $204.73 net monthly to $429.72, an amount he considered too large for a citizen legislator.
Bid for lieutenant governor
Branton relinquished his legislative seat after three terms to run for Lieutenant Governor of LouisianaLieutenant 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...
in the 1971 Democratic primary. He was paired on an intraparty ticket with 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...
John G. Schwegmann, Jr.
John G. Schwegmann
John Gerald Schwegmann, Jr., was a pioneer in the development of the modern supermarket. He owned eighteen stores in the Greater New Orleans area, based from Metairie, a large unincorporated city in Jefferson Parish...
, (1911–1995) of Jefferson Parish in the 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...
suburbs, the candidate for governor. Schwegmann, the owner of eighteen grocery stores, was an outspoken conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
who had long been critical of excessive state spending and expanded government. The Schwegmann-Branton ticket fared poorly. Schwegmann finished in fifth place in the primary. Branton placed sixth in the lieutenant governor's race with 53,295 votes.
Branton was seeking to succeed conservative Lieutenant Governor Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock
Clarence C. Aycock
Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock , a conservative Democrat from Franklin in St. Mary Parish, was the only three-term lieutenant governor in modern Louisiana history. He served from 1960 to 1972. Aycock failed in his only bid for governor in the 1971 Democratic primary...
of Franklin
Franklin, Louisiana
Franklin is a city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
in south Louisiana. Aycock was running for governor that year and finished a notch behind Schwegmann. Branton was weakened in his campaign by the presence of a second candidate from Webster Parish. The developer Francis Edward "Ed" Kennon, Jr.
Edward Kennon
Francis Edward Kennon, Jr. , usually known as Ed Kennon is a multi-millionaire Shreveport real-estate developer and a former Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, the regulatory body for oil, natural gas, and utilities. He represented north Louisiana on the commission for...
(born 1938), of Minden, a nephew of former Governor Robert F. Kennon
Robert 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....
, was also running for lieutenant governor. So were two bankers, Jamar Adcock
Jamar Adcock
Jamar William Adcock was a high-profile banker and a Democratic state senator from Monroe, Louisiana, who served from 1960 to 1972...
of Monroe and P.J. Mills
P.J. Mills
Percy Joseph Mills, Jr., known as P. J. Mills , is a retired businessman residing in New Orleans, Louisiana, who served from 1968-1972 as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish in the northwestern corner of the state.Known as one of the...
of Shreveport, both outgoing members of the state legislature. Pete Heine
Pete Heine
Norman E. Heine, known as Pete Heine , is a former Democratic mayor of the East Baton Rouge Parish city of Baker, located east of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, having served from 1964–1976 and again from 1981-1992...
, a local politician from Baker
Baker, Louisiana
Baker is a city in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,793 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baker is located at...
in East Baton Rouge Parish
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. As of the 2010 census, the population was 440,171. The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is the most populous parish in the state...
, was also in the running. Kennon polled 162,944 votes, more than three times as many ballots as Branton received. The winner of the lieutenant governor's race was former New Orleans City Council member 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...
The next year, Edward Kennon was elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a position that he held from 1973 to 1984.
Branton was philosophically aligned with State Senator Harold Montgomery
Harold Montgomery
A. Harold Montgomery, Sr. , was an agricultural businessman and a Louisiana state senator, who is remembered as an outspoken conservative within his state's dominant Democratic Party...
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....
in Webster Parish, another staunch conservative often at odds with his party's leadership. Branton was also personally and philosophically close to his successor, 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...
, of Minden, another conservative Democrat. In 1995, Branton was an honorary pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
at the funerals of both Montgomery and Drew, who died a day apart in 1995.
In 1975, when Montgomery declined to seek a fourth term in the state Senate, Branton ran in an eight-candidate, all-Democratic field for the seat. Trailing in the first-ever 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...
held in Louisiana, Branton hence failed to secure a general election position. His former legislative colleague, John S. Garrett, went into the second election with Foster L. Campbell, Jr.
Foster Campbell
Foster L. Campbell, Jr. , is a Democratic member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, a former 26-year member of the Louisiana State Senate, and an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the October 20, 2007, jungle primary. Campbell polled 161,425 votes and won two parishes: Red River and...
, then a young educator from Haughton
Haughton, Louisiana
Haughton is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,792 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Haughton is located at ....
. Campbell emerged the overwhelming winner over Garrett. Other primary candidates had included Minden educator Ralph Lamar Rentz, Sr. (1930—1995), who had run against Drew for the state House seat in 1971.
At some point after 1975, Branton switched his partisan affiliation to Republican.
Family information
In 2001, Branton's son, Daniel Miles Branton (born March 26, 1949), was elected mayor of Shongaloo but now resides with his wife, Renee Branton, 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...
, Louisiana. The Brantons also have a younger son, Parey P. Branton, Jr. (born 1951), of Shongaloo. Branton formerly operated a store in Shongaloo adjacent to his home. He was also involved in the cattle and oil and natural gas leasing businesses.
Branton died at the age of ninety-two in a hospital in Shreveport. In addition to his wife and sons, he was survived by his brother, Harold M. Branton and wife, Elsie, of New Caney
New Caney, Texas
New Caney is an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Texas, United States within the metropolitan area. In 1980, population reached estimated 8000.-History:...
, Texas, and a sister, Mutelle B. Thompson of Springhill. He was predeceased by a second sister, Dorothy B. Patton. Services were held at Mt. Paran Baptist Church on September 18, 2011. Interment followed at Union Springs Cemetery in Shongaloo.