C. L. McCrary
| Curtis Lavell McCrary, Sr. | |
Louisiana State Representative
for Bienville Parish | |
| In office 1960–1964 | |
| Preceded by | Fletcher S. Sutton |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Len Lacy |
| Born | October 28, 1905 Arcadia, Bienville Parish |
| Died | September 24, 1989 (aged 83) |
| Resting place | Arcadia Cemetery |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Ida May McCrary |
| Children | Curtis McCrary, Jr. Philip R. McCrary |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Curtis Lavell McCrary "Slick," Sr., known as C. L. McCrary' (October 28, 1905 – September 24, 1989), was a businessman from Arcadia, Louisiana, who represented Bienville Parish, as a Democrat in his state's House of Representative] for a single term from 1960 to 1964.[1] His service corresponded with the administration of Governor Jimmie Davis, a native of nearby Jackson Parish in North Louisiana.
In 1956, McCrary ran in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Lorris Wimberly of Arcadia, the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, who left the legislature after lengthy service to join the administration of Governor Earl Kemp Long as the director of the Louisiana Department of Public Works. McCrary lost to Fletcher Sutton, the then mayor of Gibsland, 2,030 votes to 1,784, in a runoff contest[2] but rebounded to claim the seat for a full term in 1960. In 1964, McCrary was succeeded by another Democrat, businessman Len Lacy of Castor, a member of the Bienville Parish School Board, who also held the seat for one term. Lacy was the last person to have represented only Bienville Parish in the legislature. Until 1968, each parish regardless of its population had been guaranteed a seat in the 105-member Louisiana House. Bienville was thereafter combined with Jackson Parish. E. L. "Bubba" Henry, a Democrat from Jonesboro in Jackson Parish, defeated Lacy in the 1967 primary, and in 1972, Henry began an eight-year stint as the Louisiana House Speaker[1] and also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1979.
McCrary and his wife, the former Ida Louise May (1908-1997), a native of rural Eros in Jackson Parish, had three sons, Curtis, Jr. (1932-2021), and wife Jackie of Arcadia, Philip R. McCrary and wife Sue of Monroe, and the late Dr. Robert McCrary and wife Donna of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The McCrarys are interred at Arcadia Cemetery.[3][4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2016. house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved on January 30, 2015.
- ↑ Sutton elected state representative. The Ringgold Record (October 19, 1956). Retrieved on January 30, 2015.
- ↑ Ida May McCrary obituary. Monroe News Star (November 7, 1997). Retrieved on January 30, 2015.
- ↑ C L McCrary (1905-1989) - Find a Grave Memorial, accessed June 10, 2022.