William Atkins (Louisiana politician)

William B. Atkins, Sr.
Louisiana State Senator for District 32 (Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, LaSalle, Rapides, and Tensas parishes)
In office 1984–1988
Preceded by	Dan Richey
Succeeded by	Steve Thompson
Louisiana State Representative for District 21 (Catahoula, Concordia, and Tensas parishes)
In office 1980–1984
Preceded by	Dan Richey
Succeeded by	Al Ater
Personal details
Born	June 20, 1947 Place of birth missing
Political party	Democratic
Children	Including: William Atkins, Jr.
Residence	Jonesville Catahoula Parish Louisiana, USA
Alma mater	Northwestern State University
Occupation	Businessman

William B. Atkins, Sr. (born June 20, 1947),^[1] is a businessman from Jonesville in Catahoula Parish in northeastern Louisiana, who served for single terms, consecutively, in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1980 to 1984^[2] and the Louisiana State Senate from 1984 to 1988.^[3]

A Democrat, Atkins succeeded District 21 Representative Dan Richey, then of Ferriday in Concordia Parish, who left the House after one term to run successfully for the District 32 seat in the state Senate. Then in the 1983 primary election Atkins unseated Richey after one term in the Senate by a huge margin, 28,724 (64.6 percent) to 15,776 (35.5 percent). This was the same election in which former Governor Edwin Edwards staged his comeback against Republican David C. Treen.^[4] Four years later, Steve D. Thompson, a real estate agent from Winnsboro in Franklin Parish then unseated Atkins after a single Senate term in the 1987 primary. Thompson received 21,576 votes (50.27 percent) in a four-candidate field. Atkins trailed with 15,988 (37.3 percent), nearly the same total that Richey had polled in 1983. No runoff election was required because Thompson received an outright majority of the votes cast.^[5]

Atkins attended Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.^[6]He formerly owned the Miss-Lou Truck Stop, Inc., in Vidalia in Concordia Parish, which was incorporated in 1994 but is inactive.^[7] He owns the Miss Lou Internet Service at 521 Main Street in Natchez, Mississippi.^[8]

Since leaving the legislature, Atkins has contributed to a former House colleague, Francis C. Thompson, now a state senator, who ran unsuccessfully in 1996 against Republican John Cooksey for Louisiana's 5th congressional district seat in the United States House of Representatives.^[9]

References

1. "William Atkins, June 1947". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
2. "Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2016: Concordia Parish" (PDF). house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
3. "Membership of the Louisiana State Senate, 1880-2011" (PDF). legis.state.la.us. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
4. "Louisiana primary election returns, October 22, 1983". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
5. "Primary election returns, October 24, 1987". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
6. "William B. Atkins". intelius.com. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
7. "Miss-Lou Truck Stop, Inc". bizapedia.com. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
8. "Miss Lou Internet Service". miss-lou-internet-service.natchez.ms. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
9. "JONESVILLE, Louisiana (LA) Political Contributions by Individuals". city-data.com. Retrieved December 15, 2014.