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==Personal life==
Laborde was born to Dr. Emeric M. LaBorde (1901–1969), a Marksville [[dentist]], and the former Minnie L. Neck (1899–1994). As students at Marksville High School, Laborde in 1943 defeated Edwin Edwards for senior class president.<ref name=adtt>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070318/COMMUNITIES/703160358|author=Philip Timothy|title=Ex-governor Edwin Washington]] Edwards tops list of colorful parish politicians|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk''|date=March 18, 2007|accessdate=December 19, 2009}}</ref> In his first year in the House as an Edwards floor leader in 1972, Laborde balked at Edwards' call for a $1 billion tax increase. "And, oh man, did I catch hell. When I got back home, Edwin had put the word out, and everyone was calling me. Let me tell you, it was mighty uncomfortable. I couldn't wait for him to call a special session, so I could get back there and get that tax passed," Laborde said in a 2007 interview with ''The Alexandria Daily Town Talk.''<ref name=adtt/>
After graduation from Marksville High School, Laborde enrolled at his father's ''alma mater,'' [[Roman Catholic]]-affiliated Loyola University in [[New Orleans]], where at the age of eighteen he played on the 1945–1946 Loyola national championship [[basketball]] team.<ref name=hoffame>{{cite web|url=https://lapoliticalmuseum.com/inductees.php|title=Political Hall of Fame: Raymond J. Laborde|publisher=Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame|accessdate=November 3, 2019}}</ref> He graduated from Loyola in 1949 and then launched his Raymond's Department Store at 317 North Main Street in Marksville.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://giving.loyno.edu/s/1135/giving.aspx?sid=1135&gid=1&pgid=653|title=Alumni Donors, 1934–1949|publisher=giving.loyno.edu|accessdate=December 19, 2009; no longer on-line}}</ref> He was later a captain in the Louisiana National Guard.<ref name=adtt/>
In 1954, the 27-year-old Laborde ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Marksville but narrowly lost to Edgar Coco (1905–1970), scion of a prominent local family. Four years later, Laborde unseated Coco. From 1962 to 1963, he was president of the Louisiana Municipal Association.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lma.org/Past%20Presidents/LMA_PP_Pics.htm|title=Past presidents of the Louisiana Municipal Association|publisher=lma.org|accessdate=December 19, 2009; no longer on-line}}</ref>
He ran in the 1963–1964 election cycle for the since defunct position of custodian of voting machines (later elections commissioner), an office unique to Louisiana when created in the late 1950s by Governor [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]]. Laborde was defeated in the runoff election by the one-term [[incumbent]], [[Douglas Fowler]] of Coushatta in Red River Parish in northwestern Louisiana. At the time, candidates for statewide constitutional offices were often affiliated with gubernatorial tickets. Laborde ran with the slate headed by former New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison (1912-1964), a ticket which included later state Senator [[Claude B. Duval]] of Houma in Terrebonne Parish for lieutenant governor and State Representative Jack M. Dyer of [[Baton Rouge]] for insurance commissioner. All were defeated with the election of [[John J. McKeithen]] as govror and Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock (1915-1987) as lieutenant governor.
After his initial election to the legislature, Laborde rarely faced serious opposition. In the 1983 primary, in which Edwards returned for a third nonconsecutive term by unseating [[Republican Party|Republican]] Governor [[David C. Treen]], Laborde prevailed over fellow Democrat Johnny Bennett, 10,633 votes (59.3 percent) to 7,346 (40.7 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=562199|title=Louisiana State House District 28|publisher=ourcampaigns.com|accessdate=November 3, 2019}}</ref> Though considered a strong Edwards ally, he was Speaker Pro Tempore in the Treen administration and later Ways and Means chairman under Governor [[Buddy Roemer]], who defeated Edwards in the 1987 primary.<ref name=nyt/>
