A. A. Fredericks
| Albert Asa Fredericks | |
 | |
Louisiana State Senator for Natchitoches and Red River parishes
| |
| In office 1932 – 1948 | |
| Preceded by | H. L. Hughes |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Lloyd F. Wheat |
President of
Northwestern State University | |
| In office 1934 – 1941 | |
| Preceded by | William W. Tison |
| Succeeded by | Joe Farrar |
Member of the Louisiana State Board of Education
| |
| In office 1948 – 1966 | |
| Born | February 22, 1891 Clear Lake Community Natchitoches Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Died | October 22, 1975 (aged 84) |
| Resting place | American Cemetery in Natchitoches Louisiana |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Marjorie Jackson May Fredericks (married 1922-1975, his death) |
| Children | Emily May Fredericks Wofford |
| Residence | Natchitoches, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Northwestern State University |
| Occupation | Educator |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Albert Asa Fredericks, known as A. A. Fredericks (February 22, 1891 – October 22, 1975), was an educator and a Democratic politician from Natchitoches, Louisiana, who was affiliated with the powerful Earl Kemp Long political faction.
Beginning in 1932 he served four terms in the Louisiana Senate, and then in a variety of political appointee positions, including twice as Governor Long's executive secretary, during two long-separated terms; as Commissioner of Public Welfare, and as a member of the Louisiana State Board of Education.
Background
Fredericks was born in the Clear Lake Community in Natchitoches Parish to Nolberry Frederick (1857-1893), who died at the age of thirty-six when A. A. was two ears of age, and the former Emily Cannon Bryant (1862-1904). His father died when A. A. was two years of age, and his mother succumbed when he was thirteen. The parents are interred at Clear Lake Cemetery in Natchitoches Parish. It is unclear why Nolberry is referred to on his grave marker as "Frederick," and A. A. used the name "Fredericks." Either the name on the tombstone lacks a final "S," or A. A. later added the "S" to his name.[1]
A. A. was educated in local schools and at Northwestern State University, then known as the Louisiana State Normal College, which trained teachers. In 1912, Fredericks obtained his teaching certificate. From 1912 to 1913, at the age of twenty-one, he was a principal of a two-room school in the Sharp Community in Rapides Parish. He taught at rural Gorum in Natchitoches Parish from 1913 to 1914. In 1917, he earned his Bachelor of Arts at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.[2]
Fredericks worked as the county agent for the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service for East and West Feliciana parishes. In 1918, he was the state dairy agent for the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. He returned to Northwestern State under appointment director of rural education, serving from 1919 to 1934. During this period, he also completed in 1925 a Master of Arts degree at LSU In 1934, Fredericks was appointed as the NSU president and served until 1941.[2]
Political career
Fredericks was long active in the Democratic Party, the only effective party in the state after disfranchisement of African Americans at the turn of the 20th century. In 1932, he was elected as the state senator for Natchitoches and neighboring Red River Parish, a position that he held for four consecutive terms. At the time state Senate districts were not numbered, as there was no "one-man, one-vote" requirement. He was the president of his alma mater during a large portion of his term in the Senate.[2]
When Fredericks left the part-time Senate position in 1948, he was elected to the Louisiana State Board of Education that year, another part-time public service position. He retained this role until 1966. After Governor Long was elected, whom Fredericks had supported, Long appointed him as his executive secretary, with service from 1948 to 1950.[2]
In 1950, Long appointed Fredericks as the Louisiana State Commissioner of Public Welfare, a position that he retained until the governor's tenure ended in 1952. Fredericks was so highly regarded by Long that the governor invited him back in 1959 as his executive secretary in the last two years of his last term, 1959 to 1960.[3] Fredericks was also a special agent of the Kansas City Southern Railroad from 1946 to 1973.[2] The KCS also employed former Lieutenant Governor James Edward "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr., of New Orleans.
Fredericks was long active in the Democratic Party at both state and national levels. Governor John J. McKeithen, an ally of the Longs, appointed Fredericks to the Louisiana Educational Television Authority (Public Broadcasting Service). In the 1960s, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson named him to the National Council on Aging.[2]
Family and legacy
On August 22, 1922, Fredericks married the former Marjorie Jackson May, the daughter of Thomas Wilson May of Cherry Valley in Cross County in eastern Arkansas, and the former Georgie Ware Jackson. The couple had one daughter, Emily May Fredericks Wofford (born 1927).[2]
Fredericks was a member and vestryman of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchitoches. He died at the age of eighty-four. A. A. and Marjorie Fredericks are interred at the American Cemetery in Natchitoches.[2]
The A. A. Fredericks Auditorium and the A. A. Fredericks Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at Northwestern State University are named in Fredericks' honor.
The A.A. Fredericks Collection in the Eugene P. Watson Memorial Library at NSU contains campaign items collected between 1914 and 1964.
References
- ↑ Nolberry Frederick. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on December 19, 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Fredericks, Albert Asa. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography: Louisiana Historical Association. Retrieved on December 19, 2019.
- ↑ William J. "Bill" Dodd, Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics (Baton Rouge: Claitors Publishing, 1991).
