John Julian McKeithen (May 28, 1918 – June 4, 1999) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the
49th governor of
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 ...
from 1964 to 1972.
Early life
McKeithen was born in
Grayson, Louisiana on May 28, 1918. His father was a farmer.
He studied at
High Point College
High Point University (HPU) is a private university in High Point, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The university was founded as High Point College in 1924, and it became High Point University in ...
, and later received a law degree from
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
in 1942. He served in the
77th Infantry Division 77th Division or 75th Infantry Division may refer to:
*77th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht), Germany
* 77th Infantry Division of Khurasan, Iran
* 77th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
* 77th Division (People's Republic of China)
*77th Division (Sp ...
in the Pacific Theater during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
After the war, he settled in
Columbia, Louisiana
Columbia is a town in and the parish seat of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 277 in 2020.
History
The land that became Columbia was first cleared by Daniel Humphries in 1827. A store was built a few years later the ...
and set up a law practice.
Political career
1948–1963
McKeithen was elected to the
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...
in 1948. Governor
Earl K. Long appointed him as floor leader despite his lack of experience and low profile. He lost the race for the Democratic nomination for
lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
in 1952, and in 1954 was elected to 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 ...
.
First term as governor
McKeithen entered the
1963 Democratic primary for Governor of Louisiana. He ran as a populist, running direct-to-camera commercials with a signature catchphrase of "Won't you he'p me?"
As was typical for Southern Democrats, he ran as a
segregationist
Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...
, insinuating that his chief rival (
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
mayor
deLesseps Story Morrison
deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison Sr. (January 18, 1912 – May 22, 1964), was an American attorney and politician who was the 54th mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1946 to 1961. He then served as an appointee of U.S. President John F. Kenn ...
) was an integrationist supported by the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
. McKeithen won the Democratic nomination, which in the Deep South at the time was
tantamount to election
A safe seat is an electoral district which is regarded as fully secure, for either a certain political party, or the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both. With such seats, there is very little chance of a seat changing h ...
, and defeated the Republican candidate Charlton Lyons in the 1964 general election.
McKeithen's first term saw the construction of the
Louisiana Superdome
Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...
, reforms to the state code of ethics, and the
Civil Rights Movement.
Shortly after McKeithen's election, he began sending secret payments through the
Louisiana State Sovereignty Commission
The Louisiana State Sovereignty Commission was a government agency of the Louisiana state government established to combat desegregation, which operated from June 1960 to 1967 in the capital city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The group warned of "cr ...
to the
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, ...
leadership, in an attempt to "buy peace" and suppress Klan violence.
In one incident, a confident of McKeithen's was sent to
Bogalusa
Bogalusa ( ) is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In th2020 censusthe city reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Are ...
with $10,000 in cash to be split equally between local Klan leaders and the local chapter of
Deacons for Defense and Justice
The Deacons for Defense and Justice was a Black American self-defense group founded in November 1964, during the civil rights era in the United States, in the mill town of Jonesboro, Louisiana. On February 21, 1965—the day of Malcolm X's assassi ...
. These payments by McKeithen were discovered through declassified
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
records in 2016, through the
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request:
* Freedom of Information Act (United States) of 1966
* F ...
.
Despite his running as a segregationist in 1963, he oversaw the beginning of
school integration
In the United States, school integration (also known as desegregation) is the process of ending race-based segregation within American public, and private schools. Racial segregation in schools existed throughout most of American history and ...
in Louisiana, and called out the
Louisiana National Guard
The Louisiana National Guard (; ) is the armed force through which the Louisiana Military Department executes the U.S. state of Louisiana's security policy. Consisting of the Louisiana Army National Guard, a reserve component of the United States ...
to protect civil rights activists marching from
Bogalusa
Bogalusa ( ) is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In th2020 censusthe city reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Are ...
to
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
. In a speech to a Black audience in 1966, he said regarding integration: "I know I’m not leaving this state, and I don’t think you’re leaving either. So we’ve got to solve our problem."
McKeithen was popular in his first term, and successfully engineered the passage of a constitutional referendum that allowed governors to run for re-election, the first time this had been allowed in Louisiana in the 20th century.
He also helped to engineer a referendum for a domed stadium in
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, with the approval (by a margin of roughly 3-to-1) being key in the formation of the first professional team in the state in the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
to begin play in 1967. The initial forecast was for $35 million, complete with financing by a hotel-motel tax of 4% in the city and neighboring Jefferson Parish that would not rely on credit from the state. However, the figure doubled in the ensuing years to the point where (due to factors cited by McKeithen as inflation and rising construction costs) that had to see McKeithen sign a lease between the stadium (as chaired by him) and the state that would see the state rental take form in making up any deficits incurred by the stadium. The
Louisiana Superdome
Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...
eventually opened in 1975.
Second term as governor
McKeithen defeated Congressman
John Rarick
John Richard Rarick (January 29, 1924 – September 14, 2009) was an American lawyer, jurist, and World War II veteran who served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Louisiana's 6th congressional district from 1967 to 1975 ...
by a wide margin in the
1967 Democratic primary for Governor, and was elected unopposed in the 1968 general election.
During his second term, a series of articles in
Life magazine
''Life'' (stylized as ''LIFE'') is an American magazine launched in 1883 as a weekly publication. In 1972, it transitioned to publishing "special" issues before running as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. Since then, ''Life'' has irregularly publi ...
alleged that he was connected to the
New Orleans mafia, though definitive proof did not emerge.
Later life and death
After the completion of his second term, McKeithen retired to his farm in
Columbia, Louisiana
Columbia is a town in and the parish seat of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 277 in 2020.
History
The land that became Columbia was first cleared by Daniel Humphries in 1827. A store was built a few years later the ...
and continued to practice law. He managed an oil and gas company and was appointed to the Board of Supervisors of
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
in 1983.
McKeithen underwent heart surgery in 1997, after which his health declined. On June 4, 1999, McKeithen died at the age of 81 in Columbia.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKeithen, John
1918 births
1999 deaths
Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Democratic Party governors of Louisiana
People from Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana State University alumni
Louisiana lawyers
Members of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Military personnel from Louisiana
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
United States Army personnel of World War II
United States Army officers
American Methodists
American segregationists
20th-century American lawyers
People from Columbia, Louisiana
20th-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature