Robert Angers
Encyclopedia
Robert John Angers, Jr. (October 20, 1919 – October 13, 1988), was an American journalist
, businessman, and conservative politician
. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography describes Angers as "a tireless and unselfish promoter of good government, the Acadiana
region, and free enterprise
."
, the seat of Vermilion Parish, to Robert J. Angers (1894–1965) and the former Anna Mae Nunez (1898–1988). He graduated from Catholic High School
, then known as St. Peter's College of New Iberia
. In 1940, he procured his bachelor of arts
in journalism from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
. During World War II
, Angers was a major of the United States Army
's 24th Infantry Regiment. He received the Combat Infantryman Badge
and the Bronze Star. In 1949, Angers graduated form the Command and General Staff College
in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
in Franklin
, the seat of St. Mary Parish
. During his fifteen years at the Banner-Tribune, the newspaper converted from a weekly to a daily publication and won 150 state and national press association awards.
In 1961, Angers co-founded with future Lafayette
Mayor
Kenny Bowen
, Angers, Bowen and Associates public relations firm in Lafayette He sold his interest to Bowen in 1962. From 1966-1968, Angers was an editorial writer and columnist of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser
. He founded the Jeanerette Weekly Journal (1964–1965), Southwest Louisiana Capitalist (1963), and Acadiana Profile
magazine (1968), which covers twenty-two South Louisiana parishes and is the longest-running still active magazine in Louisiana history. Assisted by his wife, Angers edited and published Acadiana Profile from 1968–1985, when his son took over the management. His last job in journalism was again at the Lafayette Daily Advertiser as business editor from 1985 until his death in 1988. From 1967-1968, Angers was also editor of Latin American Report magazine in New Orleans. He founded the Acadian News Agency, which syndicated
his public affairs editorials to Louisiana newspapers. Trent Angers acquired the news agency in 1970.
until 1960, when he joined the Republican Party
. In 1964, he supported Charlton Lyons
for governor of Louisiana. In July 1964, Angers was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
in San Francisco
, where he supported U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater for U.S. President. He lashed out at the then all Democratic congressional delegation from Louisiana, calling the members "so-called southern conservatives who are really liberals ... that vote with Lyndon Johnson on nearly all major bills."
Angers himself ran as the GOP
candidate for the Lafayette-based 3rd Congressional District seat against the 16-year incumbent
, Democrat Edwin E. Willis
of St. Martinville
. Angers received 31,806 votes (37.7 percent) to Willis's 52,532 (62.3 percent) and lost every parish in the district. In Lafayette Parish, Angers procured 49.6 percent of the vote and outpolled Goldwater there by 3.5 percentage points. Three other Republicans ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House seats from Louisiaana that year: future Governor David C. Treen
in the New Orleans suburbs, Floyd O. Crawford (1907–1995) of Baton Rouge, and William Stewart Walker
of Winnfield
, who opposed the conservative Democrat Speedy O. Long
in the since defunct 8th congressional district. Angers was a Louisiana delegate to the 1968 Republican convention which nominated the Nixon-Agnew ticket. In 1974, however, Angers left the GOP and re-registered as an Independent.
Church of Lafayette. He was also affiliated with a plethora of organizations, including the journalism society, Sigma Delta Chi, the New Iberia Port Commission, the Kiwanis
Club, and Rotary International
, which endowed a Paul Harris Fellowship
in his name. He was the founding secretary of the trade association
, the Louisiana Intracoastal Seaway Association, and a charter member of the Caribbean-American Freedom League, which worked with Cuban exile groups in unsuccessful efforts to overthrow the communist government of Fidel Castro
. Angers was a director of the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival and the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana
. He was a former president of the Louisiana Press Association, the Franklin Chamber of Commerce (1953), and the Louisiana Jaycees (1949). He founded and served as the first president of the interest groups, The International Relations Association of Acadiana (TIRAA) and the International Good Neighbor Council. He founded these organizations to promote trade, tourism
and goodwil in French and Spanish-speaking countries. Angers received the George Washington
Honor Medal from Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge
, Pennsylvania
. Prior to his death, he received the Lafayette Board of Realtors "Good News Award". He was also cited by the Louisiana Farm Bureau for its "Special Press Award" for his lifetime endeavors of promoting and writing about agriculture.
in Iberia Parish, the daughter of Gerald A. Beaulieu, Sr., and the former Laurice Hebert. The couple had seven sons and a daughter: Robert Gerald, Judith Ann, Trent Michael, Stephen Brion, Winston Thomas, John Matthew, Glen Williams, and Jefferson Mark. Another son died at birth.
Angers died at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
in Houston
. His passing came three months after the death of his mother. He is interred at Lafayette Memorial Park.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, businessman, and conservative politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography describes Angers as "a tireless and unselfish promoter of good government, the Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
region, and 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....
."
Early years, education, military
Angers was born in AbbevilleAbbeville, Louisiana
Abbeville is a town in and the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States, 150 miles west of New Orleans. The population was 12,257 at the 2010 census...
, the seat of Vermilion Parish, to Robert J. Angers (1894–1965) and the former Anna Mae Nunez (1898–1988). He graduated from Catholic High School
Catholic High School (New Iberia, Louisiana)
Catholic High School of New Iberia, Louisiana, was opened in 1957 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, and is located on De La Salle Drive, a road named after Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, the man who founded the Brothers in 1680...
, then known as St. Peter's College of New Iberia
New Iberia, Louisiana
New Iberia is a city in and the parish seat of Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States, 30 miles southeast of Lafayette. In 1900, 6,815 people lived in New Iberia; in 1910, 7,499; and in 1940, 13,747...
. In 1940, he procured his bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in journalism from Louisiana State University
Louisiana 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
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...
. During 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...
, Angers was a major of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's 24th Infantry Regiment. He received the Combat Infantryman Badge
Combat Infantryman Badge
The Combat Infantryman Badge is the U.S. Army combat service recognition decoration awarded to soldiers—enlisted men and officers holding colonel rank or below, who personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of either an infantry or a Special Forces unit, of brigade size...
and the Bronze Star. In 1949, Angers graduated form the Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Journalism career
Angers began his journalism career upon graduation from LSU with his hometown Abbeville Progress. After wartime service, he became in 1945 the advertising manager in 1945 of the Weekly Iberian and New Iberia Enterprise. With his father and brother, Allen, Angers co-owned Angers Real Estate Agency in New Iberia from 1946–1950, when he became the publisher of the Franklin Banner-TribuneFranklin Banner-Tribune
The Franklin Banner-Tribune is a small daily newspaper which circulates in Franklin, the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. It has approximately 3,350 paid subscribers and is owned by Morgan City Newspapers LLC....
in 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:...
, the seat of 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:...
. During his fifteen years at the Banner-Tribune, the newspaper converted from a weekly to a daily publication and won 150 state and national press association awards.
In 1961, Angers co-founded with future 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...
Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Kenny Bowen
Kenny Bowen
Kenneth Francis "Kenny" Bowen, Sr. was a three-term Democratic mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, the fourth largest city in the state, according to the 2000 census...
, Angers, Bowen and Associates public relations firm in Lafayette He sold his interest to Bowen in 1962. From 1966-1968, Angers was an editorial writer and columnist of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Lafayette Daily Advertiser
The Daily Advertiser is a Gannett daily newspaper based in Lafayette, the fourth largest city in Louisiana. The Daily Advertiser covers international, national, state, and local news in the six parishes of Lafayette, Acadia, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion. The publication circulates...
. He founded the Jeanerette Weekly Journal (1964–1965), Southwest Louisiana Capitalist (1963), and Acadiana Profile
Acadiana Profile
Acadiana Profile is a bi-monthly magazine published in the American state of Louisiana. It is the longest-running magazine in the state's history, and one of the most enduring regional publications in the United States...
magazine (1968), which covers twenty-two South Louisiana parishes and is the longest-running still active magazine in Louisiana history. Assisted by his wife, Angers edited and published Acadiana Profile from 1968–1985, when his son took over the management. His last job in journalism was again at the Lafayette Daily Advertiser as business editor from 1985 until his death in 1988. From 1967-1968, Angers was also editor of Latin American Report magazine in New Orleans. He founded the Acadian News Agency, which syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
his public affairs editorials to Louisiana newspapers. Trent Angers acquired the news agency in 1970.
Congressional campaign, 1964
Angers was a DemocratDemocratic 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...
until 1960, when he joined the Republican Party
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...
. In 1964, he supported Charlton Lyons
Charlton Lyons
Charlton Havard Lyons, Sr., also known as Big Papa Lyons , was a Shreveport oilman who in 1964 waged the first determined Republican bid for the Louisiana governorship since Reconstruction. Lyons also made a strong but losing bid for the United States House of Representatives in a special election...
for governor of Louisiana. In July 1964, Angers was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
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...
, where he supported U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater for U.S. President. He lashed out at the then all Democratic congressional delegation from Louisiana, calling the members "so-called southern conservatives who are really liberals ... that vote with Lyndon Johnson on nearly all major bills."
Angers himself ran as the GOP
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...
candidate for the Lafayette-based 3rd Congressional District seat against the 16-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...
, Democrat Edwin E. Willis
Edwin E. Willis
Edwin Edward Willis was an American politician and attorney from the U.S. state of Louisiana who was affiliated with the Long political faction. A Democrat, he served in the Louisiana State Senate during 1948 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1969.-Early life:Willis...
of St. Martinville
St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
. Angers received 31,806 votes (37.7 percent) to Willis's 52,532 (62.3 percent) and lost every parish in the district. In Lafayette Parish, Angers procured 49.6 percent of the vote and outpolled Goldwater there by 3.5 percentage points. Three other Republicans ran unsuccessfully for U.S. House seats from Louisiaana that year: future Governor 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 New Orleans suburbs, Floyd O. Crawford (1907–1995) of Baton Rouge, and William Stewart Walker
William Stewart Walker
William Stewart Walker, usually known as Stewart Walker , was a lieutenant colonel from Winnfield, Louisiana who, during World War II as a United States Army major, rescued 380 of his fellow soldiers from behind enemy lines in Belgium in December 1944...
of Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
, who opposed the conservative Democrat Speedy O. Long
Speedy O. Long
Speedy Oteria Long was a Jena lawyer who was a Democratic U.S. Representative from central Louisiana between 1965 and 1973. Prior to his tenure in the since disbanded Eighth Congressional District, Speedy Long had been a member of the Louisiana state Senate...
in the since defunct 8th congressional district. Angers was a Louisiana delegate to the 1968 Republican convention which nominated the Nixon-Agnew ticket. In 1974, however, Angers left the GOP and re-registered as an Independent.
Civic activities
Angers was a member of the St. Pius CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Church of Lafayette. He was also affiliated with a plethora of organizations, including the journalism society, Sigma Delta Chi, the New Iberia Port Commission, the Kiwanis
Kiwanis
Kiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Current membership is 240,000 members in 7,700 clubs in 80 nations...
Club, and Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, which endowed a Paul Harris Fellowship
Paul P. Harris
Paul Percy Harris was a Chicago, Illinois, attorney best known for founding Rotary International in 1905, a service organization that currently has well over one million members worldwide.-Biography:...
in his name. He was the founding secretary of the trade association
Trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...
, the Louisiana Intracoastal Seaway Association, and a charter member of the Caribbean-American Freedom League, which worked with Cuban exile groups in unsuccessful efforts to overthrow the communist government of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
. Angers was a director of the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival and the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana
Council for the Development of French in Louisiana
The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, or CODOFIL — known in French as le Conseil pour le développement du français en Louisiane and Konséy pou Dévelopmen di françé en Lwizyàn in Creole — is a state agency created in 1968 by the Louisiana legislature...
. He was a former president of the Louisiana Press Association, the Franklin Chamber of Commerce (1953), and the Louisiana Jaycees (1949). He founded and served as the first president of the interest groups, The International Relations Association of Acadiana (TIRAA) and the International Good Neighbor Council. He founded these organizations to promote trade, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and goodwil in French and Spanish-speaking countries. Angers received the George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
Honor Medal from Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, United States. The remaining village is in Schuylkill Township of Chester County, but once...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Prior to his death, he received the Lafayette Board of Realtors "Good News Award". He was also cited by the Louisiana Farm Bureau for its "Special Press Award" for his lifetime endeavors of promoting and writing about agriculture.
Family
On August 31, 1941, Angers married the former Geraldine Isabelle Beaulieu (born March 3, 1921) of JeaneretteJeanerette, Louisiana
Jeanerette is a city in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States. Known as "Sugar City", it had a population of 5,997 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Early years:...
in Iberia Parish, the daughter of Gerald A. Beaulieu, Sr., and the former Laurice Hebert. The couple had seven sons and a daughter: Robert Gerald, Judith Ann, Trent Michael, Stephen Brion, Winston Thomas, John Matthew, Glen Williams, and Jefferson Mark. Another son died at birth.
Angers died at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the nation's original three comprehensive cancer centers established by the National Cancer Act of 1971. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located at the Texas Medical Center in...
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 ...
. His passing came three months after the death of his mother. He is interred at Lafayette Memorial Park.