Changes

"He's got an 'R' behind his name and I've got a 'D' behind mine, but that didn't mean a thing," said Don Kelly, whose apartment was next to Bean's in the Pentagon, which houses legislators in Baton Rouge not far from the Capitol. "Ron was out to do what was right. He didn't follow this philosophy or that; he'd look at something, analyze it, and then do what's best for his constituents and what's best for Louisiana."​

"He's got an 'R' behind his name and I've got a 'D' behind mine, but that didn't mean a thing," said Don Kelly, whose apartment was next to Bean's in the Pentagon, which houses legislators in Baton Rouge not far from the Capitol. "Ron was out to do what was right. He didn't follow this philosophy or that; he'd look at something, analyze it, and then do what's best for his constituents and what's best for Louisiana."​

==Senate President pro tempore==

===Senate President pro tempore===

In 1999, the Senate named Bean the President Pro Tempore, after Dennis Bagneris of New Orleans left the legislature to become a state appeals court judge.<ref name=ssenate>{{cite web|url=http://senate.la.gov/Documents/Membership/1880membership.pdf|title=Membership of the Louisiana State Senate, 1880-2020|publisher=Louisiana State Senate|accessdate=December 31, 2019}}</ref> Bean was the first Republican to hold the pro tempore post since [[Reconstruction]].

In 1999, the Senate named Bean the President Pro Tempore, after Dennis Bagneris of New Orleans left the legislature to become a state appeals court judge.<ref name=ssenate>{{cite web|url=http://senate.la.gov/Documents/Membership/1880membership.pdf|title=Membership of the Louisiana State Senate, 1880-2020|publisher=Louisiana State Senate|accessdate=December 31, 2019}}</ref> Bean was the first Republican to hold the pro tempore post since [[Reconstruction]].

"I am delighted that my peers thought enough of me to vote for me," Bean said. "I consider myself a Moderate Republican, who can get along with folks on both sides of the fence. I hope I can contribute in a positive way to the bipartisan effort in the Senate to move the state forward."​

"I am delighted that my peers thought enough of me to vote for me," Bean said. "I consider myself a Moderate Republican, who can get along with folks on both sides of the fence. I hope I can contribute in a positive way to the bipartisan effort in the Senate to move the state forward."​

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==Later years==

==Later years==

Bean lost his only son, John E. Bean (1961-2000), the victim of a traffic accident. Sherri Buffington said that Bean didn't "break down" until after he left the hospital, where he'd been "trying to take care of John's children and his daughter-in-law … I think one of the most defining statements I ever heard him make was when we were driving away and he was crying," said Buffington, after talking of how close the father and son were. "He said, 'I have to remember that for forty years I've had what some people never have in a lifetime.' That's Ron. He was always able to take a negative and make something positive out of it."​

Bean lost his only son, John E. Bean (1961-2000), the victim of a traffic accident. Sherri Buffington said that Bean didn't "break down" until after he left the hospital, where he'd been "trying to take care of John's children and his daughter-in-law … I think one of the most defining statements I ever heard him make was when we were driving away and he was crying," said Buffington, after talking of how close the father and son were. "He said, 'I have to remember that for forty years I've had what some people never have in a lifetime.' That's Ron. He was always able to take a negative and make something positive out of it."​