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Created page with "{{Infobox officeholder | image=Hunt Downer of LA.jpg |name=Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer, Jr. |nationality=American | party=Democrat-tu..."
{{Infobox officeholder
| image=Hunt Downer of LA.jpg
|name=Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer, Jr.
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-turned-[[Republican Party|Republican]] (2001)
| office=Secretary of the<br> Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs
| term_start=2004
| term_end=2008
| governor= [[Kathleen Blanco]]<br>[[Bobby Jindal]]
| preceded=Joey Strickland
| succeeded=Lane Anderson Carson
| office2= [[Louisiana]] State Representative<br> for District 52 (Terrebonne and<br>Lafourche parishes)
| term_start2=1976
| term_end2=2004
| preceded2=Elward Thomas Brady, Jr.<br>
Morris Lottinger, Jr.
| succeeded2=[[Gordon Dove]]
| office3=[[Speaker]] of the <br>Louisiana House of Representatives
| term_start3=1996
| term_end3=2000
| preceded3=[[John Alario]]
| succeeded3=[[Charles DeWitt|Charles W. DeWitt, Jr.]]
| birth_date=April 28, 1946
| birth_place=
| occupation [[Attorey]]<br>
Army officer
| spouse=Linda Faye Lee Downer
| children=Mary Lee Downer<br>
Blair Downer
| alma_mater=Terrebonne High School<br>(Houma, Louisiana)<br>
[[Louisiana State University]]<br>
Nicholls State University<br>
Loyola University [[New Orleans]] College of Law
|branch=[[United States Army Corps of Engineers]]
|battles=[[Operation Desert Storm]]
|rank=Major General
|serviceyears=1968 to 2010
|awards=[[Bronze Star]]
Legion of Merit<br>
[[Kuwait]] Liberation Medal]]
}}
'''Huntington Blair Downer, Jr.''', known as '''Hunt Downer''' (born April 28, 1946), is a [[Republican Party|Republican]] former [[politician]] in the U.S. state of [[Louisiana]] who is the former assistant adjutant general of the state National Guard and the first ever director of the new Louisiana Veterans Affairs Department.
A former [[Speaker]] of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Houma in Terrebonne Parish in south Louisiana, Downer ran for [[governor]] in 2003 and finished in sixth place in the nonpartisan blanket [[primary]].<ref name=pvs>The Voter's Self Defense System - Vote Smart, Hunt Downer, Jr., accessed May 6, 2021.</ref>
==Background==
Downer graduated in 1964 from Terrebonne High School in Houma and first attended [[Louisiana State University]] in [[Baton Rouge]]. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Nicholls State University (then College) in Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish. He was named to ''Who's Who Among Colleges and Universities'' in 1967. In 1974, he received his law degree from Loyola University in [[New Orleans]]. He did graduate work at LSU and studied at the [[United States Army]] War College in 1999.<ref name="ng">http://www.ng.mil/ngbgomo/library/bio/downer_h.htm</ref>
While in college and law school, Downer held a number of odd jobs: oilfield roustabout from 1970 to 71, legislative assistant from 1970 to 1972, and school bus driver from 1965 to 1970.
Downer is a member of the [[Chamber of Commerce]], the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the United States Court of Military Appeals. He is married to the former Linda Faye Lee.<ref name=pvs/>In 2007, Downer was inducted into the [[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]] in Winnfield.
==Army career==
Downer joined the United States Army Reserve as an enlisted man in 1968. He obtained a commission in 1971 as a [[Second Lieutenant]] in the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]]. He then joined the Louisiana National Guard as a [[First Lieutenant]] of the [[Judge Advocate General Corps]]. In time, Downer became a Lieutenant Colonel, Brigadier General, and a [[Major General]]
He served in [[Operation Desert Storm]] from October 1990 to May 1991. Downer has won more than a dozen military awards, including the [[Bronze Star]], the Legion of Merit, and the [[Kuwait]] Liberation Medal.<ref name="ng"/>
==Legislator==
Downer was first elected as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] to the state House in the first ever nonpartisan blanket primary held on November 1, 1975. He represented District 52 (Lafourche and his native Terrebonne parishes) from 1976 until January 2004. In his penultimate term, 1996 to 2000, he was Speaker during the administration of Republican Governor [Mike Foster|Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr.]] For his second term, Governor Foster removed Downer as Speaker and replaced him with another Democrat, [[Charles DeWitt]] of Rapides Parish. Former legislator [[Ron Gomez]] of [[Lafayette]] said that Downer "did a terrific job [as Speaker] before being unceremoniously dumped by Governor Foster after the fall 1999 elections."<ref>[[Ron Gomez]], ''My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative,'' [[Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]]: Zemog Publishing, 2000, p. 182.</ref>
In 1987, Downer, as a Democrat, was named "Legislator of the Month" by the Louisiana Municipal Association. He was named "Outstanding Young Man of the Year" in 1977 by the Jaycees. He won the American Jurisprudence Award in 1971. During much of his legislative career through December 2003, Downer was affiliated with the law firm of Waitz & Downer in Houma. He has since retired from the firm.<ref name=pvs/>
In 2000, Downer endorsed the Republican presidential ticket of [[George W. Bush]] and [[Dick Cheney]]. A year later, he formally switched parties, at Bush's invitation, and announced his candidacy for governor in 2003.
==2003 Louisiana gubernatorial race==
Downer formally switched parties in 2001 and two years later announced his candidacy for governor as a Republican Three Republican gubernatorial candidates dropped out of the race early and endorsed Downer: former Governor [[David C. Treen]], then living in St. Tammany, veteran state Senator Jesse Kendrick "Ken" Hollis, Jr. (1942-2010), of Jefferson Parish, and Louisiana Public Service Commissioner [[Jay Blossman|Jack A. "Jay" Blossman, Jr.]], of Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish. However, the majority of Republican voters supported [[Bobby Jindal]], then of Baton Rouge (later a [[U.S. Representative]] from the New Orleans [[suburb]]s]].
Downer secured the endorsement of thirty-three members of the state legislature from both parties and both chambers, including Republican Representatives [[Carl Crane]] of Baton Rouge and [[Ernie Alexander]] of Lafayette as well as the Democrat [[Francis C. Thompson]] of Delhi in Richland Parish in northeast Louisiana. Yet, Downer received only 84,718 votes (6 percent) in the primary, compared to 444,389 ballots (33 percent) for Jindal. In turn, Jindal was defeated by the leading Democrat [[Kathleen Blanco]] of Lafayette in the [[general election]]. Soon after her election, Blanco appointed Downer as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, and later as her legislative director in the Office of the Governor.<ref>http://www.blancogovernor.com/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&tmp=home&cpid=28</ref>
==2010 U.S. congressional race==
In 2010, Downer was a candidate for the District 3 seat in the U.S. House vacated by Democrat [[Charlie Melancon]] in a bid to unseat [[U. S. Senator[] [[David Vitter]] for the [[United States Senate]]. He lost a party runoff on October 2, 2010, to [[conservative]] newcomer [[Jeff Landry]], who had the backing of the [[Tea Party]] movement.<ref>{{cite web|author=StephanieGrace|date=October 19, 2010|url=http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2010/10partisan_divide_comes_late_to.html|title=Partisan divide comes late to Louisiana|publisher=''The New Orleans Times-Picayune''|issue=Saint Tammany edition|page=B5|accessdate=October 10, 2010}}</ref> Landy lost his House seat after one term to [[Moderate Republican]] Charles Boustany, Jr., of Lafayette. Since 2016, Landry has been the state attorney general.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downer, Hunt}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:United States Army]]
[[Category:Operation Desert Storm]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:State Representatives]]
[[Category:Former Democrats]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Catholics]]
[[Category:Bronze Star]]
[[Category:Inductees of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]]
| image=Hunt Downer of LA.jpg
|name=Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer, Jr.
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-turned-[[Republican Party|Republican]] (2001)
| office=Secretary of the<br> Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs
| term_start=2004
| term_end=2008
| governor= [[Kathleen Blanco]]<br>[[Bobby Jindal]]
| preceded=Joey Strickland
| succeeded=Lane Anderson Carson
| office2= [[Louisiana]] State Representative<br> for District 52 (Terrebonne and<br>Lafourche parishes)
| term_start2=1976
| term_end2=2004
| preceded2=Elward Thomas Brady, Jr.<br>
Morris Lottinger, Jr.
| succeeded2=[[Gordon Dove]]
| office3=[[Speaker]] of the <br>Louisiana House of Representatives
| term_start3=1996
| term_end3=2000
| preceded3=[[John Alario]]
| succeeded3=[[Charles DeWitt|Charles W. DeWitt, Jr.]]
| birth_date=April 28, 1946
| birth_place=
| occupation [[Attorey]]<br>
Army officer
| spouse=Linda Faye Lee Downer
| children=Mary Lee Downer<br>
Blair Downer
| alma_mater=Terrebonne High School<br>(Houma, Louisiana)<br>
[[Louisiana State University]]<br>
Nicholls State University<br>
Loyola University [[New Orleans]] College of Law
|branch=[[United States Army Corps of Engineers]]
|battles=[[Operation Desert Storm]]
|rank=Major General
|serviceyears=1968 to 2010
|awards=[[Bronze Star]]
Legion of Merit<br>
[[Kuwait]] Liberation Medal]]
}}
'''Huntington Blair Downer, Jr.''', known as '''Hunt Downer''' (born April 28, 1946), is a [[Republican Party|Republican]] former [[politician]] in the U.S. state of [[Louisiana]] who is the former assistant adjutant general of the state National Guard and the first ever director of the new Louisiana Veterans Affairs Department.
A former [[Speaker]] of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Houma in Terrebonne Parish in south Louisiana, Downer ran for [[governor]] in 2003 and finished in sixth place in the nonpartisan blanket [[primary]].<ref name=pvs>The Voter's Self Defense System - Vote Smart, Hunt Downer, Jr., accessed May 6, 2021.</ref>
==Background==
Downer graduated in 1964 from Terrebonne High School in Houma and first attended [[Louisiana State University]] in [[Baton Rouge]]. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Nicholls State University (then College) in Thibodaux in Lafourche Parish. He was named to ''Who's Who Among Colleges and Universities'' in 1967. In 1974, he received his law degree from Loyola University in [[New Orleans]]. He did graduate work at LSU and studied at the [[United States Army]] War College in 1999.<ref name="ng">http://www.ng.mil/ngbgomo/library/bio/downer_h.htm</ref>
While in college and law school, Downer held a number of odd jobs: oilfield roustabout from 1970 to 71, legislative assistant from 1970 to 1972, and school bus driver from 1965 to 1970.
Downer is a member of the [[Chamber of Commerce]], the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the United States Court of Military Appeals. He is married to the former Linda Faye Lee.<ref name=pvs/>In 2007, Downer was inducted into the [[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]] in Winnfield.
==Army career==
Downer joined the United States Army Reserve as an enlisted man in 1968. He obtained a commission in 1971 as a [[Second Lieutenant]] in the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]]. He then joined the Louisiana National Guard as a [[First Lieutenant]] of the [[Judge Advocate General Corps]]. In time, Downer became a Lieutenant Colonel, Brigadier General, and a [[Major General]]
He served in [[Operation Desert Storm]] from October 1990 to May 1991. Downer has won more than a dozen military awards, including the [[Bronze Star]], the Legion of Merit, and the [[Kuwait]] Liberation Medal.<ref name="ng"/>
==Legislator==
Downer was first elected as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] to the state House in the first ever nonpartisan blanket primary held on November 1, 1975. He represented District 52 (Lafourche and his native Terrebonne parishes) from 1976 until January 2004. In his penultimate term, 1996 to 2000, he was Speaker during the administration of Republican Governor [Mike Foster|Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr.]] For his second term, Governor Foster removed Downer as Speaker and replaced him with another Democrat, [[Charles DeWitt]] of Rapides Parish. Former legislator [[Ron Gomez]] of [[Lafayette]] said that Downer "did a terrific job [as Speaker] before being unceremoniously dumped by Governor Foster after the fall 1999 elections."<ref>[[Ron Gomez]], ''My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative,'' [[Lafayette]], [[Louisiana]]: Zemog Publishing, 2000, p. 182.</ref>
In 1987, Downer, as a Democrat, was named "Legislator of the Month" by the Louisiana Municipal Association. He was named "Outstanding Young Man of the Year" in 1977 by the Jaycees. He won the American Jurisprudence Award in 1971. During much of his legislative career through December 2003, Downer was affiliated with the law firm of Waitz & Downer in Houma. He has since retired from the firm.<ref name=pvs/>
In 2000, Downer endorsed the Republican presidential ticket of [[George W. Bush]] and [[Dick Cheney]]. A year later, he formally switched parties, at Bush's invitation, and announced his candidacy for governor in 2003.
==2003 Louisiana gubernatorial race==
Downer formally switched parties in 2001 and two years later announced his candidacy for governor as a Republican Three Republican gubernatorial candidates dropped out of the race early and endorsed Downer: former Governor [[David C. Treen]], then living in St. Tammany, veteran state Senator Jesse Kendrick "Ken" Hollis, Jr. (1942-2010), of Jefferson Parish, and Louisiana Public Service Commissioner [[Jay Blossman|Jack A. "Jay" Blossman, Jr.]], of Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish. However, the majority of Republican voters supported [[Bobby Jindal]], then of Baton Rouge (later a [[U.S. Representative]] from the New Orleans [[suburb]]s]].
Downer secured the endorsement of thirty-three members of the state legislature from both parties and both chambers, including Republican Representatives [[Carl Crane]] of Baton Rouge and [[Ernie Alexander]] of Lafayette as well as the Democrat [[Francis C. Thompson]] of Delhi in Richland Parish in northeast Louisiana. Yet, Downer received only 84,718 votes (6 percent) in the primary, compared to 444,389 ballots (33 percent) for Jindal. In turn, Jindal was defeated by the leading Democrat [[Kathleen Blanco]] of Lafayette in the [[general election]]. Soon after her election, Blanco appointed Downer as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, and later as her legislative director in the Office of the Governor.<ref>http://www.blancogovernor.com/index.cfm?md=pagebuilder&tmp=home&cpid=28</ref>
==2010 U.S. congressional race==
In 2010, Downer was a candidate for the District 3 seat in the U.S. House vacated by Democrat [[Charlie Melancon]] in a bid to unseat [[U. S. Senator[] [[David Vitter]] for the [[United States Senate]]. He lost a party runoff on October 2, 2010, to [[conservative]] newcomer [[Jeff Landry]], who had the backing of the [[Tea Party]] movement.<ref>{{cite web|author=StephanieGrace|date=October 19, 2010|url=http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2010/10partisan_divide_comes_late_to.html|title=Partisan divide comes late to Louisiana|publisher=''The New Orleans Times-Picayune''|issue=Saint Tammany edition|page=B5|accessdate=October 10, 2010}}</ref> Landy lost his House seat after one term to [[Moderate Republican]] Charles Boustany, Jr., of Lafayette. Since 2016, Landry has been the state attorney general.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downer, Hunt}}
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
[[Category:United States Army]]
[[Category:Operation Desert Storm]]
[[Category:Attorneys]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:State Representatives]]
[[Category:Former Democrats]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Catholics]]
[[Category:Bronze Star]]
[[Category:Inductees of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]]