Changes

==Political organizing==

==Political organizing==

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In 1954, Courtney was named chairman of the New Orleans branch of the group called Ten Million Americans Mobilizing For Justice, a defender of [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[Joseph McCarthy]] of [[Wisconsin]], who was [[Censure|cemsured]] by his fellow senators for his investigations into communist subversion of the U.S. government. That same year, Courtney lost a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[primary]] race for the New Orleans City Council, when deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr. (1912-1964), a moderate who still endorsed segregation, was finishing his second term as the [[mayor]]. One of the winners in that council election was the future Lieutenant Governor [[Jimmy Fitzmorris|James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr.]]

In 1954, Courtney was named chairman of the New Orleans branch of the group called Ten Million Americans Mobilizing For Justice, a defender of [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[Joseph McCarthy]] of [[Wisconsin]], who was [[Censure|cemsured]] by his fellow senators for his investigations into communist subversion of the U.S. government. That same year, Courtney lost a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[primary]] race for the New Orleans City Council, when [[Chep Morrison|deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr.]], a moderate who still endorsed segregation, was finishing his second term as the [[mayor]]. One of the winners in that council election was the future Lieutenant Governor [[Jimmy Fitzmorris|James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr.]]

[[File:Phoebe Courtney.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Phoebe Courtney]]

[[File:Phoebe Courtney.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Phoebe Courtney]]

==Rallying for a conservative party==

==Rallying for a conservative party==

In October 1959, Kent and Phoebe Courtney sponsored a two-day meeting in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], which included a banquet to honor [[Robert Welch]] of [[Massachusetts]], the founder of the [[anti-communism|anticommunist]] [[John Birch Society]]. [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]], columnist and publisher of ''[[National Review]]'' [[magazine]] attended the meeting and for a time was a confidant of Welch.<ref name=ourcampaigns/> Three years later, Buckley was one of the founders of the Conservative Party of New York under whose label he ran in 1965 for mayor of [[New York City]] but lost out to the liberal Republican U.S. Representative (and later Democrat) John Vliet Lindsay (1921-2000). By the middle 1960s, Buckley had become a critic of the JBS and those espousing "conspiracies" which he said marginalize conservatives in the electorate as a whole.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1995/12/the-conservative-1960s/376506/|title=The Conservative 1960s: From the perspective of the 1990s, it's the big political story of the era|publisher=''Atlantic Monthly'' magazine|author=Matthew Dallek|date=December 1995|accessdate=August  15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/06/william-f-buckley-john-birch-society-history-conflict-robert-welch/|title=William F. Buckley and John Birch Society: History of Conflict with Robert Welch|publisher=''[[National Review]]''|author=Alvin Felzenberg|date=June 20, 2017|accessdate=August 17, 2019}}</ref>

In October 1959, Kent and Phoebe Courtney sponsored a two-day meeting in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], which included a banquet to honor [[Robert Welch]] of [[Massachusetts]], the founder of the [[anti-communism|anticommunist]] [[John Birch Society]]. [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]], columnist and publisher of ''[[National Review]]'' [[magazine]] attended the meeting and for a time was a confidant of Welch.<ref name=ourcampaigns/> Three years later, Buckley was one of the founders of the Conservative Party of New York under whose label he ran in 1965 for mayor of [[New York City]] but lost out to the liberal Republican U.S. Representative (and later Democrat) [[John V. Lindsay]]. By the middle 1960s, Buckley had become a critic of the JBS and those espousing "conspiracies" which he said marginalize conservatives in the electorate as a whole.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1995/12/the-conservative-1960s/376506/|title=The Conservative 1960s: From the perspective of the 1990s, it's the big political story of the era|publisher=''Atlantic Monthly'' magazine|author=Matthew Dallek|date=December 1995|accessdate=August  15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/06/william-f-buckley-john-birch-society-history-conflict-robert-welch/|title=William F. Buckley and John Birch Society: History of Conflict with Robert Welch|publisher=''[[National Review]]''|author=Alvin Felzenberg|date=June 20, 2017|accessdate=August 17, 2019}}</ref>

The 1959 gathering proposed the creation of a new party on grounds that establishment [[Republican Party|Republicans]] were unwilling to oppose Democratic policies with sufficient vigor to make a difference and hence would not offer [[conservative]] voters sufficient choices in [[general election]]s. The rally for a new party was further promoted by columnists Thomas J. Anderson (1910-2002) of Pigeon Forge,  [[Tennessee]], Medford Bryan Evans (1907-1989), a professor at [[Northwestern State University]] in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]], Louisiana; Republican Governor  J. Bracken Lee (1999-1996) of [[Utah]], and [[Dan Smoot]], a native of [[Missouri]] and an investigative conservative journalist and former [[FBI]] agent.​

The 1959 gathering proposed the creation of a new party on grounds that establishment [[Republican Party|Republicans]] were unwilling to oppose Democratic policies with sufficient vigor to make a difference and hence would not offer [[conservative]] voters sufficient choices in [[general election]]s. The rally for a new party was further promoted by columnists Thomas J. Anderson (1910-2002) of Pigeon Forge,  [[Tennessee]], Medford Bryan Evans (1907-1989), a professor at [[Northwestern State University]] in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]], Louisiana; Republican Governor  J. Bracken Lee (1999-1996) of [[Utah]], and [[Dan Smoot]], a native of [[Missouri]] and an investigative conservative journalist and former [[FBI]] agent.​

==Candidate for governor and presidential elector in Louisiana==

==Candidate for governor and presidential elector in Louisiana==

On April 19, 1960, Courtney was the [[Governor|gubernatorial]] nominee of the Louisiana States Rights Party. He received 12,515 votes (less than 2.5 percent) of the ballots cast. The winner was Democratic former Governor [[Jimmie Davis]], elected to his second nonconsecutive term. Also in that  general election was a conservative Republican nominee, [[Francis Grevemberg]], a former Democrat and a former superintendent of the Louisiana State Police who had conducted raids against organized crime in the 1950s.​<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, April 19, 1960.</ref>

On April 19, 1960, Courtney was the [[Governor|gubernatorial]] nominee of the Louisiana States Rights Party. He received 12,515 votes (less than 2.5 percent) of the ballots cast. The winner was Democratic former Governor [[Jimmie Davis]], elected to his second nonconsecutive term. Also in that  general election was a conservative Republican nominee, [[Francis Grevemberg]], a former Democrat and a former superintendent of the Louisiana State Police who had conducted raids against organized crime in the 1950s.​<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, April 19, 1960.</ref>

 

Kent Courtney's younger brother, Cy David Francis Courtney (1924-1995), a New Orleans lawyer, had been an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor on December 5, 1959, on a segregationist intra-party ticket with gubernatorial hopeful [[William Rainach]], a state senator from Claiborne Parish. Cy Courtney lost out to fellow Democrat Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock (1915-1987), a conservative from Franklin in St. Mary Parish.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, December 5, 1959.</ref> As a member of a third party, Kent Courtney could not vote for his brother in the then closed Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in 1959 but would have been able to have done so under the nonpartisan blanket primary, which began on November 1, 1975.​

Kent Courtney's younger brother, Cy David Francis Courtney (1924-1995), a New Orleans lawyer, had been an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor on December 5, 1959, on a segregationist intra-party ticket with gubernatorial hopeful [[William Rainach]], a state senator from Claiborne Parish. Cy Courtney lost out to fellow Democrat Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock (1915-1987), a conservative from Franklin in St. Mary Parish.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, December 5, 1959.</ref> As a member of a third party, Kent Courtney could not vote for his brother in the then closed Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in 1959 but would have been able to have done so under the nonpartisan blanket primary, which began on November 1, 1975.​

In the general election held on November 8, 1960, Kent Courtney was a presidential elector of the States Rights Party; so was future Republican U.S. Representative and Governor [[David C. Treen]] and the fiery conservative, Leander Henry Perez, Sr. (1891-1969), the longstanding political boss of Plaquemines Parsh near New Orleans. The Democratic ticket of [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] nevertheless handi

In the general election held on November 8, 1960, Kent Courtney was a presidential elector of the States Rights Party; so was future Republican U.S. Representative and Governor [[David C. Treen]] and demagogic segregationist, [[Leander Perez]], the longstanding political boss of Plaquemines Parsh near New Orleans. The Democratic ticket of [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] nevertheless handi

==Courtney and Goldwater==

==Courtney and Goldwater==

In July 1960, Courtney organized a "Goldwater for President" rally in Chicago on the eve of the [[Republican National Convention]]. He hoped to derail the certain nomination of [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]] as the presidential nominee. Courtney considered Nixon too [[liberal]] and soon grew disillusioned with Goldwater as well because he perceived the [[Arizona]] senator as too accommodating to the moderates in the Republican Party. In January 1964, Mrs. Courtney wrote about her husband's  meeting with Goldwater after the senator announced his presidential candidacy. According to Phoebe, "Kent told Goldwater that on the basis of the strong anti-communist position contained in his opening announcement that their ''Independent American'' newspaper would support him.​ As early as 1961, Phoebe Courtney had urged Goldwater to quit the GOP and to campaign as an independent conservative in the 1964 presidential election, advice not taken.

In July 1960, Courtney organized a "Goldwater for President" rally in Chicago on the eve of the [[Republican National Convention]]. He hoped to derail the certain nomination of [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]] as the presidential nominee. Courtney considered Nixon too [[liberal]] and soon grew disillusioned with Goldwater as well because he perceived the [[Arizona]] senator as too accommodating to the moderates in the Republican Party. In January 1964, Mrs. Courtney wrote about her husband's  meeting with Goldwater after the senator announced his presidential candidacy. According to Phoebe, "Kent told Goldwater that on the basis of the strong anti-communist position contained in his opening announcement that their ''Independent American'' newspaper would support him.​ As early as 1961, Phoebe Courtney had urged Goldwater to quit the GOP and to campaign as an independent conservative in the 1964 presidential election, advice not taken.

In 1962, Goldwater endorsed the reelection of Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]] and U.S. Senator Jacob Koppel Javits (1904-1986), two pillars of the liberal establishment which Goldwater was trying to dismantle. The endorsements did not sit well with Courtney and others in the "Radical Right."<ref>{{cite web|url=

In 1962, Goldwater endorsed the reelection of Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]] and U.S. Senator [[Jacob Javits]], two pillars of the liberal establishment which Goldwater was trying to dismantle. The endorsements did not sit well with Courtney and others in the "Radical Right."<ref>{{cite web|url=

https://www.nytimes.com/1962/07/19/archives/reelection-of-javits-favored-by-goldwater.htm|title=Reelection of Javits Favored by Goldwater|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=July 19, 1962|page=16|accessdate=August 17, 2019}}</ref>

https://www.nytimes.com/1962/07/19/archives/reelection-of-javits-favored-by-goldwater.htm|title=Reelection of Javits Favored by Goldwater|publisher=''The New York Times''|date=July 19, 1962|page=16|accessdate=August 17, 2019}}</ref>

In 1962, the Courtneys published ''America's Unelected Rulers,'' a book which claims that the private [[Council on Foreign Relations]], of which Richard Nixon was a member, exists to promote the goal of world government.​<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.slideshare.net/RareBooksnRecords/americas-unelected-rulerskentandphoebecourtney1962188pgspol|title=America's Unelected Rulers|publisher=SlideShare.net|accessdate=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

In 1962, the Courtneys published ''America's Unelected Rulers,'' a book which claims that the private [[Council on Foreign Relations]], of which Richard Nixon was a member, exists to promote the goal of world government.​<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.slideshare.net/RareBooksnRecords/americas-unelected-rulerskentandphoebecourtney1962188pgspol|title=America's Unelected Rulers|publisher=SlideShare.net|accessdate=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

IN 1968, Courtney again refused to support Richard Nixon in the presidential election opposite [[Hubert Humphrey]]. Instead, he worked instead in the American Independent Party campaign waged by  former Governor [[George Wallace]] of [[Alabama]].​ He served on the AIP nation committee from 1969 to 1970.<ref name=ourcampaigns/>

In 1968, Courtney again refused to support Richard Nixon in the presidential election opposite [[Hubert Humphrey]]. Instead, he worked instead in the American Independent Party campaign waged by  former Governor [[George Wallace]] of [[Alabama]].​ He served on the AIP nation committee from 1969 to 1970.<ref name=ourcampaigns/>

In 1969, Courtney exposed the [[Black Panthers]] in his CSA publication, ''The Black Panthers: an expose of a communist front which is engaging in guerrilla warfare against high school and universities.'' In this book, he claimed that the Panthers were working to foster international communism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/black-panthers-an-expose-of-a-communist-front-which-is-engaging-in-guerrilla-warfare-against-high-schools-and-universities/oclc/745563284|title=The Black Panthers: an expose of a communist front which is engaging in guerrilla warfare against high schools and universities|publisher=Conservative Society of America|location=[[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]], Louisiana|date=1969|accessdate=August 16, 2019}}</ref>

In 1969, Courtney exposed the [[Black Panthers]] in his CSA publication, ''The Black Panthers: an expose of a communist front which is engaging in guerrilla warfare against high school and universities.'' In this book, he claimed that the Panthers were working to foster international communism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/black-panthers-an-expose-of-a-communist-front-which-is-engaging-in-guerrilla-warfare-against-high-schools-and-universities/oclc/745563284|title=The Black Panthers: an expose of a communist front which is engaging in guerrilla warfare against high schools and universities|publisher=Conservative Society of America|location=[[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]], Louisiana|date=1969|accessdate=August 16, 2019}}</ref>

Courtney was active in the White Citizens Council, which published a journal called ''The Citizen: A Journal of Fact and Opinion,'' of which former Professor Medford Evans was the managing editor from an office in [[Jackson]], [[Mississippi]]. Courtney and Evans agreed that it would be most difficult to [[Segregation|integrateg]] white and black society. Evans further said that [[African Americans]] even under segregation were far better off economically  in  the United States than in their ancestral homelands. To Evans, integration was pushed by communists to bring about world conflict. The White Citizens Councils were organized to fight the [[Segregation|desegregation]] of public schools, once the [[United States Supreme Court]] in 1954 issued the unanimous opinion, ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]''.​<ref> A Methodist Declaration of Conscience on Racial Segregation, Archives.livedtheology.org; no longer on-line.</ref>

Courtney was active in the White Citizens Council, which published a journal called ''The Citizen: A Journal of Fact and Opinion,'' of which former Professor Medford Evans was the managing editor from an office in [[Jackson]], [[Mississippi]]. Courtney and Evans agreed that it would be most difficult to [[Segregation|integrateg]] white and black society. Evans further said that [[African Americans]] even under segregation were far better off economically  in  the United States than in their ancestral homelands. To Evans, integration was pushed by communists to bring about world conflict. The White Citizens Councils were organized to fight the [[Segregation|desegregation]] of public schools, once the [[United States Supreme Court]] in 1954 issued the unanimous opinion, ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]''.​<ref> A Methodist Declaration of Conscience on Racial Segregation, Archives.livedtheology.org; no longer on-line.</ref>

​Kent and Cy Courtney were a strong proponent of staunchly conservative Democratic Congressman John Richard Rarick (1924-2009) of St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish. In 1967, Rarick ran for governor but finished far behind his opponent, the incumbent,  [[John J. McKeithen]]. For Kent Courtney to have been able to vote for either Rarick in 1967 or his brother Cy in 1959, he would have had to have still been a registered Democrat.  

​Kent and Cy Courtney were a strong proponent of staunchly conservative Democratic U.S. Representative [[John Rarick]] of St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish. In 1967, Rarick ran for governor but finished far behind his opponent, the incumbent,  [[John J. McKeithen]]. For Kent Courtney to have been able to vote for either Rarick in 1967 or his brother Cy in 1959, he would have had to have still been a registered Democrat.  

In that same election, [[Ned Touchstone]], a [[Shreveport]]/[[Bossier City]] bookstore owner and figure in the "Radical Right," unsuccessfully challenged the second-term bid of Louisiana Education Superintendent [[Bill Dodd]].<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' November 6, 1967, p. 1.</ref> a major figure in the Democratic establishment at that time.​

In that same election, [[Ned Touchstone]], a [[Shreveport]]/[[Bossier City]] bookstore owner and figure in the "Radical Right," unsuccessfully challenged the second-term bid of Louisiana Education Superintendent [[Bill Dodd]].<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' November 6, 1967, p. 1.</ref> a major figure in the Democratic establishment at that time.​

Sometimes prior to 1973, Courtney relocated to [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]] to serve as an aide to Democrat-turned-Republican Mayor [[Ed Karst]]. Though Karst was originally from New Orleans and like Courtney attended Tulane, records do not clearly reveal how the two became politically connected. Karst vacated the mayoral office in June 1973 as [[John K. Snyder]] began the first of his two nonconsecutive terms in the office. As mayor, Karst had not been particularly known for conservative policy issues. Karst later left the GOP; he first returned to the Democratic Party, then he became an Independent.

Sometimes prior to 1973, Courtney relocated to [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]] to serve as an aide to Democrat-turned-Republican Mayor [[Ed Karst]]. Though Karst was originally from New Orleans and like Courtney attended Tulane, records do not clearly reveal how the two became politically connected. Karst vacated the mayoral office in June 1973 as [[John K. Snyder]] began the first of his two nonconsecutive terms in the office. As mayor, Karst had not been particularly known for conservative policy issues. Karst later left the GOP; he first returned to the Democratic Party, then he became an Independent.

Kent Courtney surfaced again in 1976, when, running as an  independent in the general election, he challenged the reelection of Democratic [[U.S. Representative]] [[Gillis  Long]] of Alexandria, who represented the since disbanded 8th congressional district. A third-party conservative, Dr. Samuel Ralph "S. R." Abramson (1917-1997 ) of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish, had challenged Long four years earlier, but Long prevailed in a three-way race with 68.6 percent of the ballots cast. In 1976, Courtney polled 6,526 votes, or 5.8 percent against Long, more than 11,000 votes fewer than Abramson had received in 1972. No Republican filed for the 1976 congressional race in the 8th district<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 7, 1972 and November 2, 1976.</ref>

Kent Courtney surfaced again in 1976, when, running as an  independent in the general election, he challenged the reelection of Democratic [[U.S. Representative]] [[Gillis  Long]] of Alexandria, who represented the since disbanded 8th congressional district. A third-party conservative, Dr. Samuel Ralph "S. R." Abramson (1917-1997) of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish, had challenged Long four years earlier, but Long prevailed in a three-way race with 68.6 percent of the ballots cast. In 1976, Courtney polled 6,526 votes, or 5.8 percent against Long, more than 11,000 votes fewer than Abramson had received in 1972. No Republican filed for the 1976 congressional race in the 8th district.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 7, 1972 and November 2, 1976.</ref>

The Courtneys had a son, Kent, Jr. (born June 12, 1953), a multi-media producer in New Orleans and a Democrat who formerly resided in [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/kent-courtney/schoolmusic|title=Kent Courtney|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=August 15, 2019}}</ref> In the early 1970s, the Courtneys divorced. Phoebe relocated to Littleton in Arapahoe County, [[Colorado]], where she continued to publish "Tax Fax" pamphlets, which excoriate the high cost of government and the impact on declining purchasing power. She authored ''Beware Metro and Regional Government!'' (1973) and ''Gun Control Means People Control'' (1974).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL634785A/Phoebe_Courtney|title=Phoebe Courtney|publisher=Openlibrary.org|accessdate=April 15, 2019}}</ref>​ She is interred at Littleton Cemetery; she was a few months older than her husband and outlived him by a year.

The Courtneys had a son, Kent, Jr. (born June 12, 1953), a multi-media producer in New Orleans and a Democrat who formerly resided in [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/kent-courtney/schoolmusic|title=Kent Courtney|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=August 15, 2019}}</ref> In the early 1970s, the Courtneys divorced. Phoebe relocated to Littleton in Arapahoe County, [[Colorado]], where she continued to publish "Tax Fax" pamphlets, which excoriate the high cost of government and the impact on declining purchasing power. She authored ''Beware Metro and Regional Government!'' (1973) and ''Gun Control Means People Control'' (1974).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL634785A/Phoebe_Courtney|title=Phoebe Courtney|publisher=Openlibrary.org|accessdate=April 15, 2019}}</ref>​ She is interred at Littleton Cemetery; she was a few months older than her husband and outlived him by a year.