Ashton B. Collier
Ashton Blanchard Collier (February 1, 1910 â November 22, 1973)[1] was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Atlanta in Winn Parish. He served interrupted terms from 1956 to 1960 and again from 1964 to 1970, when he resigned in the middle of his third term to become, briefly, the Winn Parish tax assessor.[2]
| Ashton Blanchard Collier | |
Louisiana State Representative
for Winn Parish | |
| In office 1956â1960 | |
| Preceded by | J. Mont Breedlove |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | P. K. Smith |
| In office 1964 â June 1970 | |
| Preceded by | P. K. Smith |
| Succeeded by | William P. Floyd |
Winn Parish Tax Assessor
| |
| In office June 1, 1970 â December 3, 1970 | |
| Preceded by | John Bell |
| Succeeded by | Harper Terrill |
| Born | February 1, 1910 Atlanta, Winn Parish, Louisiana |
| Died | November 22, 1973 (aged 63) Winnfield, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Atlanta Cemetery in Atlanta, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Ida Lee Johnson Collier |
| Children | Leonard Raymon Collier, M.D.
Two grandchildren |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Allied with Governor Earl Kemp Long, Collier unseated Representative J. Mont Breedlove in the 1956 primary election for the legislative seat, 3,157 to 3,075 votes. He did not seek reelection in 1959 but instead ran unsuccessfully in a runoff election for sheriff of Winn Parish against Sanford Jordan.[3]
Collier returned to the legislature with a decisive victory in 1964. In 1967, he was pitted in a reconfigured district with Representative Sam Wilbanks of neighboring LaSalle Parish. Collier won that exchange too, 6,958 to 4,253 in the first primary. In 1970, Collier resigned from the state House to become tax assessor but served in that position only for six months.[4]
Collier died from complications of brain surgery at Winnfield General Hospital in the parish seat of Winnfield. He was survived by his wife, the former Ida Lee Johnson (1913-2001); a son, Leonard Raymon Collier, M.D. (1933-2017), who practiced medicine for more than fifty years in Winnfield and performed general, thoracic, and vascular surgeries.[5] and two grandchildren. He was a member of the Atlanta Baptist Church. Collier is interred along with his wife and son at the Atlanta Cemetery.[4]
P. K. Smith, later a prominent automobile dealer from Winnfield, held the Winn Parish House seat from 1960 to 1964. Collierâs term was completed by Dr. William P. Floyd, the winner of a 1970 special election.[2]
References
- â Ashton Blanchard Collier (1910-1973) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed June 10, 2022.
- â 2.0 2.1 Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2012. legis.state.la.us. Retrieved on October 31, 2009.
- â The Shreveport Times, December 7, 1959, p. 2-A.
- â 4.0 4.1 Ashton B. Collier obituary, Winn Parish Enterprise, November 28, 1973.
- â Obituary | Dr. Leonard R. Collier of Calvin, Louisiana | Southern Funeral Home,, accessed June 10, 2022.