Richard S. Thompson
Encyclopedia
Richard S. Thompson was from 1972 to 1984 a Democratic
member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from District 22, which now includes Grant
, La Salle
, Winn
, and Rapides
parishes.
Thompson was first person to hold the District 22 seat, created with the 1971-1972 election cycle following redistricting based on the 1970 census. The previous configuration had included Grant Parish in a multi-member district with four representtives. Thompson served under the first two administrations of Governor Edwin Washington Edwards and Edwards's first successor, Republican
David C. Treen
.
In the 1975 nonpartisan blanket primary, the first held in Louisiana history with the abolition of the closed primary system, Thompson defeated a challenge from former State Senator
W. L. Rambo
of Georgetown
, also in Grant Parish. Rambo had also held the Grant Parish House seat from 1952 to 1960.
Thompson, a cotton farmer, resided in Colfax
, the seat of Grant Parish. He died two days before his 81st birthday. Thompson and his surviving wife, Lucille, have one daughter, Ellen T. Anderson and her husband, Paul J. Anderson, Sr., of Baton Rouge
. Two of Thompson's grandchildren are deceased, Paul Anderson, Jr., and Emmie Gayle Anderson Wisniewski, who died in Franklin
, Tennessee
in 2008, along with her unborn son, Weston Joseph Wisniewski, Thompson's great-grandson. Thompson has four surviving grandchildren, Deborah A. Moody, of Wichita Falls
, Texas
, Chad Anderson of Baton Rouge, Alicia Anderson, of Denham Springs
, and Richard Anderson of New York.
He is remembered through the Richard S. Thompson Memorial Scholarship given to a student from Grant Parish studying at Louisiana State University at Alexandria
.
The District 22 seat is now held by Billy Chandler
, a Democrat-turned-Republican who is seeking a second full term in the October 22 primary election.
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 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 District 22, which now includes Grant
Grant Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,698 people, 7,073 households, and 5,276 families residing in the parish. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 8,531 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
, La Salle
La Salle Parish, Louisiana
La Salle Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of 2000, the population was 14,282. The parish seat is Jena.-Geography:The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
, Winn
Winn Parish, Louisiana
Winn Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Winnfield. In 2000, its population was 16,894.The parish has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, and Rapides
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
parishes.
Thompson was first person to hold the District 22 seat, created with the 1971-1972 election cycle following redistricting based on the 1970 census. The previous configuration had included Grant Parish in a multi-member district with four representtives. Thompson served under the first two administrations of Governor Edwin Washington Edwards and Edwards's first successor, 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...
David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
.
In the 1975 nonpartisan blanket primary, the first held in Louisiana history with the abolition of the closed primary system, Thompson defeated a challenge from former 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...
W. L. Rambo
W. L. Rambo
Willard Lloyd Rambo was a Democratic member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature, having represented districts in the north central portion of the state during the 1950s and the 1960s...
of Georgetown
Georgetown, Louisiana
Georgetown is a village in Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 301 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, also in Grant Parish. Rambo had also held the Grant Parish House seat from 1952 to 1960.
Thompson, a cotton farmer, resided in Colfax
Colfax, Louisiana
Colfax is a town in and the parish seat of Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town, founded in 1869, is named for the vice president of the United States, Schuyler M. Colfax , who served in the first term of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, for whom the parish is named. Colfax is part of...
, the seat of Grant Parish. He died two days before his 81st birthday. Thompson and his surviving wife, Lucille, have one daughter, Ellen T. Anderson and her husband, Paul J. Anderson, Sr., of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. Two of Thompson's grandchildren are deceased, Paul Anderson, Jr., and Emmie Gayle Anderson Wisniewski, who died in Franklin
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in 2008, along with her unborn son, Weston Joseph Wisniewski, Thompson's great-grandson. Thompson has four surviving grandchildren, Deborah A. Moody, of Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
, 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...
, Chad Anderson of Baton Rouge, Alicia Anderson, of Denham Springs
Denham Springs, Louisiana
Denham Springs is a city in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, United States, and part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. Downtown Denham Springs has transformed itself from hardware stores, drug stores, doctor's offices, and a single movie theater to a collection of various and varied...
, and Richard Anderson of New York.
He is remembered through the Richard S. Thompson Memorial Scholarship given to a student from Grant Parish studying at Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Louisiana State University at Alexandria
Louisiana State University at Alexandria is located in Alexandria, Louisiana. Louisiana State University at Alexandria is a publicly supported institution that provides undergraduatelevel college education to the citizens of Central Louisiana. The university is a unit of the LSU System and operates...
.
The District 22 seat is now held by Billy Chandler
Billy Chandler
Billy Ray Chandler , is a retired businessman from Dry Prong in Grant Parish, who is a departing Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Prior to redistricting, Chandler's District 22 encompassed seventy-two precincts from Grant, La Salle, and parts of Winn and northern Rapides...
, a Democrat-turned-Republican who is seeking a second full term in the October 22 primary election.