George P. Broussard
| George Patout Broussard, Sr. (Louisiana veterinarian) | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 17, 1916 New Iberia, Louisiana |
| Died | August 30, 1977 New Iberia, Louisiana |
| Political Party | Democrat |
| Spouse | Flora Therese Schwing Broussard (married 1947-1977, his death) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
George Patout Broussard, Sr. (September 17, 1916 – August 30, 1977), was a decorated World War II United States Army officer, the son and nephew of United States senators, and a veterinarian from his native New Iberia, Louisiana, who conducted research on the diseases of anaplasmosis and brucellosis.
Contents
Background
Broussard is descended from an influential Democrat family of Iberia Parish in the sugar-producing region of South Louisiana. His parents were Senator Edwin Sidney Broussard, I, and the former Marie Clair Patout (1878-1945), for whom he and his oldest brother received their middle names. He was a paternal nephew of U.S. Senator Robert F. Broussard of New Iberia and a paternal grandson of Jean Dorville Broussard (1832-1920) and the former Anastasie Elizadie Gondoulin (1834-1898), both of New Iberia. He had five siblings, the oldest of whom, Felix Patout Broussard (1906-1982), was the manager of the St. Mary Sugar Cooperative in Jeanerette in Iberia Parish.[1] The youngest sibling was the New Iberia farmer Eugene D. Broussard, Sr. (1917-2008).[2][3]
The Broussards consider themselves Cajun, a reference to their Acadian heritage. While family members are most prevalent in Vermilion Parish, there remains a significant concentration as well in Iberia, Lafayette, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, and Orleans parishes.[4]
Broussard was educated in Washington, D.C., during the time his father was a senator, and then New Iberia Senior High School and Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, where he obtained his D.V.M. degree.[5]
On June 21, 1947, Broussard married the former Flora Therese Schwing (born December 1923), who survives him.[6] A Republican, Mrs. Broussard is the daughter of John Elmer Schwing (1877-1946), an attorney and banker, and the former Anna Blanchet (1890-1981). There are six Broussard sons: George P., Jr. (born 1949), Edwin S., III (born 1951), Thomas S. (born 1953), Daniel S. (born 1954), Kenneth J. S. (born 1961), and Benedict Jacques (born 1963).[5][7]
Career
On June 29, 1941, Broussard was activated as a first lieutenant in the Fourth Corps Cavalry at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was subsequently stationed in the Pacific Theater of Operations in New Caledonia and later at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He was discharged on December 13, 1945, at the rank of major. He received the Bronze Star medal in the battles of Guadalcanal and the Coral Sea and the Asiatic–Pacific Theater Ribbon.[5]
In 1946, after the war, Broussard resumed his practice of veterinary medicine in New Iberia, where he was mentored for a time by Dr. J. Arthur Goodwin (1877-1962).[8] In the fall of 1947, he was called upon to examine a new colt sired by a 12-year-old work mule in St. Martinville, Louisiana. He determined that only three such cases of a mule siring a colt had then occurred. The colt seemed normal except for its peculiar shaped head. Just prior to the birth of the colt, the mule had pulled a sugar cane wagon. This unusual birth attracted national attention.[9][10]
Because of his work with anaplasmosis and brucellosis, Broussard became a world-renowned cattle practitioner[8] and in particular demand by the owners of livestock, dairy cattle, horses, and mules. During most of his practice, Broussard worked with two other veterinarians, Harold A. Reaux (1921-2009), a New Iberia native who worked his way through the Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine in Alabama,[11] and Albert Alonzo Woodburn (1921-1999), a native of Tampa, Florida, and a sergeant in World War II.[12] The three did not consider themselves competitors. In time, after Broussard's death the nature of the business shifted to house pets, rather than commercial animals, for which there was less need because of tractors and other technological advancements in agriculture.[8]
Dr. Broussard was affiliated with the American and Louisiana veterinary medical associations and was a member of the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Board of Examiners. He was president of the Iberia Cattleman's Association, the vice president of the Attakapas Historical Association, and active in the Boy Scouts of America.[5][7]
Death
Broussard was active in the St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in New Iberia. He died at the age of sixty in New Iberia and is entombed there with military honors at the Holy Family Cemetery and Mausoleum.[5][7]
References
- ↑ Felix Patout Broussard. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Eugene D. Broussard, Sr.. Findagrave from Lafayette Daily Advertiser (November 2, 2008). Retrieved on January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Elsie Babineaux Broussard (wife of Eugene D. Broussard, Sr.) in New Iberia, Louisiana. bizapedia.com (April 15, 2014). Retrieved on January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Warren A. Perrin (2004). Acadian Redemption: From Beausoleil Broussard to the Queen's Royal Proclamation. Opelousas, Louisiana: Andrepont. ISBN 978-0970407313.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "George Patout Broussard", A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, Vol. 1 (1988), publication of the Louisiana Historical Association, p. 114.
- ↑ Flora Broussard, December 1923. Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 21, 2017.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Maj. George Patout Broussard. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 21, 2017.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sarah Blanchard (January 27, 2014). The big & small of it: Vet care focus changes from livestock to house pets. The Daily Iberian. Retrieved on January 26, 2017.
- ↑ Work Mule Turns Up With Horse Colt. Mexico Ledger (November 18, 1947). Retrieved on January 26, 2017.
- ↑ Louisiana Work Mule Turns up with Horse Colt. Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune (November 17, 1947). Retrieved on January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Harold A. "Doc" Reaux. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Sgt. Albert Alonzo Woodburn. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on January 25, 2017.
