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Allison Kolb

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'''Allison Ray Kolb''' (November 1, 1915 -- December 23, 1973)[1] was the [[Democratic]] auditor of [[Louisiana]] from 1952-1956, who angered many local officials in the pursuit of his job duties and was hence defeated by former Lieutenant Governor William J. "Bill" Dodd in the 1956 party primary. While he was a Democrat, Kolb was a part of the anti-Long faction in Louisiana politics.
On February 6, 1968, Kolb sought a political comeback as the Republican nominee in a race to succeed retiring State Treasurer Andrew Patrick "Pat" Tugwell, Sr., a part of the Long faction. Kolb was overwhelmed in the general election by Democrat Mary Evelyn Dickerson Parker, an Allen Parish native and an operative from the administrations of both former Governor [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long ]] and then Governor [[John J. McKeithen]].
==Democratic campaign for auditor, 1955-1956==
Kolb was a native of Colfax, the seat of Grant Parish in north central Louisiana. He was a Baton Rouge attorney, banker, and businessman whom voters nominated for auditor in the 1952 Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election. He served under a fellow Democrat, Governor [[Robert F. Kennon]]. In 1955, Bill Dodd announced that he would attempt to unseat Kolb in the primary held in January 1956.
In his memoirs, Dodd claimed that Kolb "would be a sitting duck for anyone who ran against him. He had alienated every local official and professional politician in Louisiana. He did it by publicizing nitpiking mistakes and suggesting that each and every sheriff, clerk of court, tax assessor, parish school superintendent, police juror (equivalent of county commissioner in other states), and school board member was a crook. The news media had bragged on Allison [Kolb] while criticizing all those local officials. Allison could not have defeated Hitler, had the fuhrer been alive and running against him."[2]
All the Long candidates were nominated outright in the 1956 primary. There were no runoffs because Louisiana law at the time provided for runoffs for lesser constitutional offices, including lieutenant governor, only if there was also to be a second gubernatorial primary.
 
==Republican campaign for treasurer, 1968==
 
In 1967, Kolb switched parties and became the GOP choice for treasurer by acclamation at the state convention in Baton Rouge. With Tugwell's retirement, only Mrs. Parker entered the Democratic race for treasurer. She, like Dodd, had roots in Allen Parish. Over the years, however, Mrs. Parker refused to support Dodd for governor, and, in Dodd's words, undercut him whenever she could."[7]
There was not much of a campaign for treasurer. Kolb was the only statewide Republican candidate, and voters historically do not consider a minor party nominee if there is no gubernatorial candidate setting the campaign theme. Mrs. Parker won all 64 parishes: 337,234 (73.7 percent) to Kolb's 120,253 (26.3 percent). Kolb fared best in Lafayette Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish, where he polled 43 percent each. It was in those two parishes where Republicans had won special state legislative races in 1966 and 1967, respectively. Kolb polled 37 percent in St. Mary Parish, his third best showing.[10]
Mrs. Parker held the treasurer's post for nineteen years; she retired effective January 1, 1987. Fellow Democrat [[Mary Landrieu ]] of New Orleans was elected to succeed her in a special 1987 election held at the same time as the jungle primary for a full term. Landrieu filled out Mrs. Parker's remaining months and then served two full terms as treasurer. She stepped down in 1996 and was succeeded by Democrat (later Republican) John N. Kennedy (no relation to the late president). Landrieu had run unsuccessfully for governor in the 1995 primary. In November 1996, however, she revived her political fortunes with a narrow victory for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by popular Democrat [[J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. ]] Landrieu is the first woman from Louisiana ever to have been elected to the Senate.[11] Retiring State Republican Chairman [[Charlton Lyons]] of Shreveport, the 1964 gubernatorial nominee, declared that he was not discouraged by Mrs. Parker's large victory over Allison Kolb. Lyons said that the GOP had "just lost one scrimmage." Lyons vowed that the Republicans would continue to be politically active until they established a two-party system in Louisiana. Kolb said that the "voice of the loyal opposition has been heard" and added that he thought a two-party format could produce checks and balances in state government.[12]
Retiring State Republican Chairman Charlton H. Lyons, Sr., of Shreveport, the 1964 gubernatorial nominee, declared that he was not discouraged by Mrs. Parker's large victory over Allison Kolb. Lyons said that the GOP had "just lost one scrimmage." Lyons vowed that the Republicans would continue to be politically active until they established a two-party system in Louisiana. Kolb said that the "voice of the loyal opposition has been heard" and added that he thought a two-party format could produce checks and balances in state government.[12]
==Kolb's obituary and legacy==
 
Kolb founded Kolb and Rooks law office in Baton with his partner J. Taylor Rooks, who died May 3, 2006.[13]
Kolb died in Baton Rouge General Hospital at the age of fifty-eight. Services were held at his home church, the University United Methodist Church on Christmas Eve afternoon, 1973. Entombment was in the Greenoaks Mausoleum. (His old rival Dodd is buried in the overall Greenoaks Memorial Park.)[14]
Kolb was survived by his wife, the former Dorothy Marjorie Halphen (March 19, 1917 - June 3, 2007), four sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews. Mrs. Kolb, a native of the community of Omaha in Morris County in northeast [[Texas]], was the daughter of Walton Felix Halphen and the former Zepher Wood. She received bachelor of arts degrees in music and art from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She previously taught music at Kaplan High School in Kaplan in Vermilion Parish in southwestern Louisiana. Thereafter, she was a private music teacher in Baton Rouge. She was the president of the Baton Rouge Opera Guild from 1978-1980. A charter member of the Louisiana chapter of Phi Beta Phi sorority, Mrs. Kolb was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution as well as the First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge.[15]
In addition to the Gulf Union Corporation, Kolb was associated with the Capital Bank and Trust Co., Redi-Bilt Corp., Community Bank of Lafourche, American Bank and Trust Co. of Houma, Belair Corp., and Rollins International, Inc. He was a member of the nonpartisan Council for a Better Louisiana.[16]
Kolb is remembered through the philanthropic Allison R. Kolb Foundation, which was formed to help deserving students obtain a higher education. He foundation also operates High Beam Research (highbeam.com) from Baton Rouge.[17] LSU's College of Business Administration offers the annual Allison R. Kolb Memorial Award in the amount of $1,000 to an outstanding junior or senior who majors in banking or finance.[18]
In 1955, Kolb wrote ''Louisiana's Financial Development, a Fiscal Survey. '' [19] 
==References==
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