John D. Travis
| John D. Travis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Louisiana State Representative for District 62 (the Florida Parishes of East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena Parish, Tangipahoa, and West Feliciana; in 2012, the district was revised to include only East Baton Rouge and the two Feliciana parishes, which had also been the pattern prior to the 1991 election.) | |
|
In office 1984 – 2000 (resigned) | |
| Preceded by | Tom McVea |
| Succeeded by | Tom McVea |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Dean Travis |
| Died |
April 21, 2016 (aged 75) Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Norma Jean LeBoeuf Travis (deceased) |
| Children |
Saraphia T. Wilson |
| Parents | Hardy D. and Quinnie Barlow Travis |
| Residence | East Feliciana Parish |
| Occupation | Government official |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
John Dean Travis (October 8, 1940 – April 21, 2016) was a Democratic politician and public official from Jackson in East Feliciana Parish, one of the Florida Parishes east of the capital city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Background
A native of Clinton, he was the son of Hardy D. Travis (1906-1985), a native of Amite County, Mississippi, and the former Quinnie Barlow (1919-2003),[1] who was born in Brookhaven in Lincoln County, Mississippi.[2]
Travis was married for more than fifty-four years to the former Norma Jean LeBoeuf (1941-2014), a native of Eunice, who worked as a purchasing agent for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. Mrs. Travis was a Roman Catholic and the daughter of Edward and Jennie Pitre. The couple has two surviving daughters, Saraphia T. Wilson and husband Josh of Denham Springs, Louisiana in Livingston Parish; and Sandra T. Allen and husband, Mitch of Lake Rosemound near St. Francisville, Louisiana in West Feliciana Parish .[3]
Political life
Travis resided in Jackson, Louisiana, where he was a member of the East Feliciana Parish School Board and the Jackson Town Council before his election in 1983 to the Louisiana House of Representatives, on which he served for more than sixteen years until he stepped down in 2000.[4]
Travis' House District 62 encompassed portions his own East Feliciana Parish as well as East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, and West Feliciana. The district office is located in Jackson.[5] In 2012, twelve years after Travis left the House, the district was reconfigured to include only parts of East Baton Rouge Parish and the two Felicianas. This had also been the alignment prior to the election of 1991.[5]
In the general election held on November 19, 1983, Travis unseat his fellow Democrat and later Republican convert, Tom McVea, who held the seat for one term. Travis polled 7,306 votes (54.3 percent) to McVea's 6,144 (45.7 percent).[6] In 1987, Travis won a second term in the nonpartisan blanket primary over two fellow Democrats and a Republican, Dorothy Goldman "Dotti" Knost (born May 1942) of Clinton.[7] He again defeated Knost in the 1991 primary. In 1995, Travis defeated the Republican Rick Guillory, 8,999 votes (59.7 percent) to 6,073 (40.3 percent).[8] Travis won his last term in the 1999 primary against the Republican Brenda Braud; he polled 8,014 votes (56.4 percent) to her 6,187 (43.6 percent). He resigned the seat a year later.[9]
After his legislative tenure, Travis became the commissioner of the state office of financial institutions.[4] Tom McVea, as a Republican, returned to the House after a seventeen-year absence with victory in a special election to succeed Travis. McVea defeated the Democrat Myron Hall, 9,161 votes (52.2 percent), to 8,385 (47.8 percent).[10]
Death
Travis died of cancer at the age of seventy-five at the Baton Rouge General - Bluebonnet ICU, surrounded by his loving family and friends. He was a member of the Second Baptist Church in Jackson, Louisiana, a congregation affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The Travises, including his parents, are interred at the Second Baptist Church Cemetery. Two current state legislators, state Senator Francis C. Thompson of Delhi and Republican Kenny Havard of St. Francisville, who holds the seat once filled by Travis, were pallbearers at the ex-lawmaker's funeral, which included Masonic graveside rites.[4]
References
- ↑ "Hardy D. Travis". Findagrave.com. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Quinnie Barlow Travis". Findagrave.com. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ↑ "Norma Jean LeBoeuf Travis". Findagrave.com. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "John D. Travis Obituary". The Baton Rouge Advocate. April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- 1 2 "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2020" (PDF). house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ↑ "State Representative: District 62 returns". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 19, 1983. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- ↑ "State Representative: District 62". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 24, 1987. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ↑ "State Representative: District 62". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 21, 1995. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ↑ "State Representative: District 62". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 23, 1999. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ↑ "State Representative: District 62". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 7, 2000. Retrieved April 25, 2016.