Clyde Cecil Holloway (November 28, 1943 – October 16, 2016) was an American politician, small business owner, and Republican politician from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

who served as a member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

and as one of five members of the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

Early life and entrance into politics

Clyde was born to James and Ever Holloway as the fourth of seven children. In 1968, he started the Clyde Holloway Nursery with his wife, Catherine K. Holloway. The couple also operated the Forest Hill Speedway for over two decades. Holloway first gained public attention in 1980, when he led an anti-bussing movement in

Rapides Parish Rapides Parish () () is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 130,023. The parish seat and largest city is Alexandria, which developed along the Red River of the South. ''Rapides'' is th ...

, opposing a federal court's

desegregation Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws ...

order. He led a group of white parents who seized a local elementary school that was set to be shuttered and operated it for their children. Holloway told reporters that he doubted federal judge

Nauman Scott Nauman Steele Scott (June 15, 1916 – September 19, 2001) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Education and career Born in New Roads, Louisiana, Scott received a Bachelo ...

"would send federal marshals" to empty the building. Prompted by local support, Holloway launched his first campaign for Congress, losing to

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

Gillis Long by more than 40 percentage points. Holloway faced pushback for a public forum at which he said he would no longer urge his followers to remain calm: "If they want to burn chools let them go. We don't have anything left so let them do it." The local daily, ''

The Town Talk ''The Town Talk'', started as ''The Daily Town Talk'' in 1883 and later named the ''Alexandria Daily Town Talk'', is the major newspaper of Central Louisiana. It is published by Gannett in Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and ...

'', called it a "betrayal" of his supporters and that Holloway had given "his personal go-ahead Friday night to those who think the torching of school buildings is the best solution to the desegregation mess." After failing to stop the desegregation order, Holloway and his wife launched the Forrest Hill Academy, a

segregation academy Segregation academies are private schools in the Southern United States that were founded in the mid-20th century by white parents to avoid having their children attend Racial segregation in the United States, desegregated public schools. They ...

, in protest and ran it until its closure in 2004.

Political career

Holloway won election to

Louisiana's 8th congressional district Louisiana's 8th congressional district was a congressional district which was created in 1913 and eliminated in 1993 after Louisiana lost its eighth congressional seat in the 1990 United States census, 1990 U. S. census. For its entire existen ...

as a Republican, and was re-elected two more times before being redistricted to the 6th district and losing re-election. Holloway won the first round of votes against Richard Baker, but lost in the runoff with 49.4% of the vote to Baker's 50.6%. He was a candidate for Governor in the 1991 jungle primary, ultimately running a distant fourth behind Governor

Buddy Roemer Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III (October 4, 1943 – May 17, 2021) was an American politician, investor, and banker who served as the 52nd governor of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992, and as a member of the United States House of Representatives fro ...

, State Representative and former

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

wizard

David Duke David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American politician, neo-Nazi, conspiracy theorist, and former grand wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992, he was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for the ...

, and the ultimate winner, former Governor

Edwin Edwards Edwin Washington Edwards (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1965 to 1972 and as the 50th governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972–1980, 1984–1988, and 1992–1996 ...

Later career and death

Holloway served as a member of the

Louisiana Public Service Commission The Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The Commission is established by Article IV, Section 21 of the 1921 Constitution of the State of ...

since 2009 and was its chairman at the time of his death. He was buried with a memorial arrangement at Forest Hill Town Hall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holloway, Clyde C. 1943 births 2016 deaths Businesspeople from Louisiana Louisiana Republicans Members of the Louisiana Public Service Commission People from Forest Hill, Louisiana Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives