Changes

Bankston became involved in a dispute in 1959 with [[Governor]] [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]] which led to Bankston's dismissal as the director of the State Department of Hospitals. Long's estranged wife, [[Blanche Long|Blanche Revere Long]], had committed her husband to the mental institution Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish. Long ordered Bankston, an otherwise loyal supporter, to discharge him, but Bankston refused because he believed that Long needed treatment; his recent behavior had been erratic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,825730,00.html |title=Invictus?|publisher=''[[Time magazine|Time]]''|date=undated}}</ref> With the affirmation of Lieutenant Governor [[Lether Frazar]], and state Attorney General [[Jack P. F. Gremillion]], Long fired Bankston and replaced him with a pliable supporter, who immediately took steps to release the governor from the hospital. During this confrontation, Bankston was also at the time at odds with his political ally, state Senator [[B. B. "Sixty" Rayburn]], a political powerhouse from Bogalusa in Washington Parish, who remained steadfast to Long.<ref>''Inside Northside Magazine,'' October/November 2003; material no longer on-line</ref>​

Bankston became involved in a dispute in 1959 with [[Governor]] [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]] which led to Bankston's dismissal as the director of the State Department of Hospitals. Long's estranged wife, [[Blanche Long|Blanche Revere Long]], had committed her husband to the mental institution Southeast Louisiana Hospital in Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish. Long ordered Bankston, an otherwise loyal supporter, to discharge him, but Bankston refused because he believed that Long needed treatment; his recent behavior had been erratic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,825730,00.html |title=Invictus?|publisher=''[[Time magazine|Time]]''|date=undated}}</ref> With the affirmation of Lieutenant Governor [[Lether Frazar]], and state Attorney General [[Jack P. F. Gremillion]], Long fired Bankston and replaced him with a pliable supporter, who immediately took steps to release the governor from the hospital. During this confrontation, Bankston was also at the time at odds with his political ally, state Senator [[B. B. "Sixty" Rayburn]], a political powerhouse from Bogalusa in Washington Parish, who remained steadfast to Long.<ref>''Inside Northside Magazine,'' October/November 2003; material no longer on-line</ref>​

In June 2007, a joint resolution of the state legislature congratulated Bankston on his 100th birthday. The legislators described Bankston as a "political icon" and a "mover and shaker with nearly seventy years of experience in the public arena."<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/10306762.html|author=Jared Janes|title=Bankston honored on 100th birthday|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=October 8, 2007}}</ref>

In June 2007, a joint resolution of the state legislature congratulated Bankston on his 100th birthday. The legislators described Bankston as a "political icon" and a "mover and shaker with nearly seventy years of experience in the public arena."<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/10306762.html|author=Jared Janes|title=Bankston honored on 100th birthday|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=October 8, 200; no longer on-line}}</ref>

==Background==

==Background==