T. C. Brister

T. C. Brister
Louisiana State Representative for Rapides Parish
In office 1940–1944
Preceded by	At-large members: W. T. Bradford Richmond C. Hathorn Jesse F. Lucas
Succeeded by	At-large members: Carl B. Close C. H. "Sammy" Downs John R. Hunter, Jr.
In office 1948–1952
Preceded by	At-large members: Carl B. Close C. H. "Sammy" Downs John R. Hunter, Jr.
Succeeded by	At-large members: Cecil R. Blair James R. Eubank Lloyd George Teekell H. N. Goff
Louisiana State Representative from Rapides and Grant parishes
In office 1968–1972
Preceded by	At-large delegation: Robert J. Munson Larry Parker William P. Polk
Succeeded by	Single-member district: Richard S. Thompson
Personal details
Born	1907 Place of birth missing
Died	November 26, 1976
Resting place	Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville, Louisiana
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Emma Holston Brister
Children	Willie B. Stookey Arrie D. Brister Geneva Brister Smith Ira Dee Brister
Residence	Pineville, Louisiana
Alma mater	Completed third year of high school
Occupation	Woodcutter; Businessman

T. C. Brister (1907^[1] – November 26, 1976)^[2] was a businessman from Pineville, Louisiana, who served as a Democrat for three non-consecutive terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives during the administrations of Governors Sam H. Jones, Earl Kemp Long, and John McKeithen, respectively.^[3]

Career and family

A former woodcutter^[4] and the owner of a hardware and sporting goods store in Pineville,^[5] T. C. (the "T.C." stood for nothing.) Brister represented Rapides Parish from 1940 to 1944 and 1948 to 1952, when he served alongside Lawrence T. Fuglaar and W. George Bowdon, Jr., later the mayor of Alexandria.^[3]

In 1942, Brister, new to the House, was one of only five representatives to vote against Governor Jones's proposal for a volunteer state guard. The bill was introduced by freshman member deLesseps "Chep" Morrison, later the mayor of New Orleans and a three-time unsuccessful candidate for governor, and supported by Bill Dodd of Allen Parish, later the lieutenant governor and state education superintendent. Brister explained that he opposed the measure not because of opposition to the Jones administration but because he believed the Federal Bureau of Investigation was better suited for handling such wartime security issues.^[6]

In his final term from 1968 to 1972, by which time he had retired from his business, Brister represented both Rapides and Grant parishes. He served along with W. K. Brown and R. W. "Buzzy" Graham,^[3] an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Alexandria in 1973 against John K. Snyder.

Brister and his wife, the former Mary Louise Blum, had three daughters, Margaret Brister Allen, Marleen Brister Gough, and Kathleen Brister Martin.

Brister died the day after Thanksgiving Day in 1976. He is interred at Greenwood Memorial Park in Pineville.^[2]

References

1. "T.C. Brister". search.ancestry.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
2. "T. C. Brister". findagrave.com. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
3. "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2016: Rapides Parish" (PDF). house.Louisiana.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
4. "T. C. Brister". search.ancestry.com. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
5. "Former solon from Pineville to seek office". Lake Charles American-Press. June 14, 1967. p. 36. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
6. Jerry Purvis Sanson. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. 1999. pp. 87–88. ISBN 0-8071-2308-0. Retrieved September 30, 2014.