Changes

| religion=[[Southern Baptist]]​

| religion=[[Southern Baptist]]​

}}​

}}​

'''John David Batton''', known as '''J. D. Batton''' (February 13, 1911 &ndash; February 10, 1981),<ref name=battondies>"Former Chief, J. D. Batton, Succumbs", ''[[Minden Press-Herald]]'', February 10, 1981, p. 1.</ref> was from 1952 to 1964 the [[sheriff]] of his native Webster Parish in northwestern [[Louisiana]]. He was defeated after three terms by O. H. Haynes, Jr., a fellow [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] and the son of the former sheriff, [[O. H. Haynes, Sr.]], whom Batton had himself unseated twelve years earlier.​​

'''John David Batton''', known as '''J. D. Batton''' (February 13, 1911 &ndash; February 10, 1981),<ref name=battondies>"Former Chief, J. D. Batton, Succumbs", ''Minden Press-Herald'', February 10, 1981, p. 1.</ref> was from 1952 to 1964 the [[sheriff]] of his native Webster Parish in northwestern [[Louisiana]]. He was defeated after three terms by O. H. Haynes, Jr., a fellow [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] and the son of the former sheriff, [[O. H. Haynes, Sr.]], whom Batton had himself unseated twelve years earlier.​​

==Background==​

==Background==​

===Minden Police Chief===​

===Minden Police Chief===​

​

​

Like his father, J. D. Batton, was the Minden police chief prior to making his own first run for sheriff.<ref name=crhennigan>Teri Herren, "Deputy C. R. Hennigan: 80-years young and still upholding the law", ''Minden Press-Herald', February 5, 1986.</ref> His brother,  [[Jack Batton]], was a [[business]]man and [[rodeo]] enthusiast who served on the Minden City Council and as [[mayor]] from 1978 to 1982. At times J. D. Batton was in business with his brother.<ref name=candidacystatement/> In January 1948, while his brother was already a city council member, J. D. Batton lost a race for Webster Parish clerk of court to the incumbent Thomas Jenkins "Tom" Campbell (1895–1968). Batton received 3,037 votes to Campbell's 4,528.<ref>''Minden Herald'', January 23, 1948, p. 1.</ref> Campbell was part of a local political family<ref name="Minden Herald 1947, p. 1"/> whose current members include Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Lonnie Campbell, Jr., and the Bossier-Webster District Attorney [[Schuyler Marvin]].​

Like his father, J. D. Batton, was the Minden police chief prior to making his own first run for sheriff.<ref name=crhennigan>Teri Herren, "Deputy C. R. Hennigan: 80-years young and still upholding the law", ''Minden Press-Herald', February 5, 1986.</ref> His brother,  [[Jack Batton]], was a [[business]]man and rodeo enthusiast who served on the Minden City Council and as [[mayor]] from 1978 to 1982. At times J. D. Batton was in business with his brother.<ref name=candidacystatement/> In January 1948, while his brother was already a city council member, J. D. Batton lost a race for Webster Parish clerk of court to the incumbent Thomas Jenkins "Tom" Campbell (1895–1968). Batton received 3,037 votes to Campbell's 4,528.<ref>''Minden Herald'', January 23, 1948, p. 1.</ref> Campbell was part of a local political family<ref name="Minden Herald 1947, p. 1"/> whose current members include Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Foster Lonnie Campbell, Jr., and the Bossier-Webster District Attorney [[Schuyler Marvin]].​

​

​

After Batton's defeat for clerk of court, the position of Minden police chief opened when on March 1, 1948, Benjamin Garey Gantt (1890-1948), an [[Alabama]] native<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=ms_f-2_s&gsfn=Benjamin+Gary&gsln=Gantt&msypn__ftp=Minden%2C+Louisiana&cpxt=0&catBucket=rstp&uidh=upc&cp=0|title=Benjamin Geary Gantt|publisher=search.ancestry.com|accessdate=January 24, 2015}}</ref> who had been the chief since 1944, died suddenly of a heart attack. Gantt had been an unsuccessful candidate for sheriff a few weeks earlier in the race against the senior Haynes. Gantt's widow, whose first name was Clyde (1889-1950), briefly filled the position of police chief pending the election for a full term.<ref>"Chief of Police Appointment Made by Council", ''Minden Press'', March 12, 1948, p. 2.</ref> Not long before his death, Gantt had been one of six [[defendant]]s charged in the [[lynching]] at Dorcheat Bayou near Minden of John Jones and Albert Harris, Jr., two [[African-American]]s. The charges against Gantt were dropped because of his cooperation with federal authorities.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_qoLa8ysYUIC&pg=PA114&dq=%22Malcolm+Lafargue%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KkzeVKeMMcWuyATjyoG4Ag&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Malcolm%20Lafargue%22&f=false|title=A More Noble Cause: A.P. Tureaud and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana|publisher=[[Louisiana State University Press]]|location=[[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]|page=114|author=Rachel L. Emanuel and Alexander P. Tureaud, Jr.|date=2011|isbn=978-0-8071-3793-2|accessdate=February 13, 2015}}</ref>​

After Batton's defeat for clerk of court, the position of Minden police chief opened when on March 1, 1948, Benjamin Garey Gantt (1890-1948), an [[Alabama]] native<ref>{{cite web|url=http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&rank=1&new=1&so=3&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=ms_f-2_s&gsfn=Benjamin+Gary&gsln=Gantt&msypn__ftp=Minden%2C+Louisiana&cpxt=0&catBucket=rstp&uidh=upc&cp=0|title=Benjamin Geary Gantt|publisher=search.ancestry.com|accessdate=January 24, 2015}}</ref> who had been the chief since 1944, died suddenly of a heart attack. Gantt had been an unsuccessful candidate for sheriff a few weeks earlier in the race against the senior Haynes. Gantt's widow, whose first name was Clyde (1889-1950), briefly filled the position of police chief pending the election for a full term.<ref>"Chief of Police Appointment Made by Council", ''Minden Press'', March 12, 1948, p. 2.</ref> Not long before his death, Gantt had been one of six [[defendant]]s charged in the lynching at Dorcheat Bayou near Minden of John Jones and Albert Harris, Jr., two [[African-American]]s. The charges against Gantt were dropped because of his cooperation with federal authorities.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_qoLa8ysYUIC&pg=PA114&dq=%22Malcolm+Lafargue%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=KkzeVKeMMcWuyATjyoG4Ag&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Malcolm%20Lafargue%22&f=false|title=A More Noble Cause: A.P. Tureaud and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana|publisher=[[Louisiana State University Press]]|location=[[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]|page=114|author=Rachel L. Emanuel and Alexander P. Tureaud, Jr.|date=2011|isbn=978-0-8071-3793-2|accessdate=February 13, 2015}}</ref>​

​

​

Batton nearly won the race for police chief in the first primary in a six-candidate field. In runoff balloting, Batton defeated another Democrat, C. M. Ritchie (born c. 1897), a former deputy sheriff and former employee of the since closed Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant, 935 to 632 votes.<ref>"Batton Given High Vote for Police Chief", ''Minden Herald'', May 14, 1948, p. 1.</ref>​

Batton nearly won the race for police chief in the first primary in a six-candidate field. In runoff balloting, Batton defeated another Democrat, C. M. Ritchie (born c. 1897), a former deputy sheriff and former employee of the since closed Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant, 935 to 632 votes.<ref>"Batton Given High Vote for Police Chief", ''Minden Herald'', May 14, 1948, p. 1.</ref>​