Changes

Wellborn Jack<br>

Wellborn Jack<br>

[[Jasper K. Smith]]  

[[Jasper K. Smith]]  

|succeeded=Single-member district:<br>Arthur William "Art" Sour, Jr.

|succeeded=Single-member district:<br>[[Art Sour|Arthur William "Art" Sour, Jr.]]

|office2=Caddo Parish Police Jury<br> (later Caddo Parish Commission)

|office2=Caddo Parish Police Jury<br> (later Caddo Parish Commission)

|term_start2=1936

|term_start2=1936

Fulco was born in tiny Paincourtville in Assumption Parish in southLouisiana, to Rosario Fulco and the former Concetta Russo, both natives of [[Sicily]]. He was the twelfth of thirteen children. The Fulcos moved to Shreveport in 1909, where Frank was educated in the public schools. He graduated from Clifton Ellis Byrd High School in 1928. He attended [[Tulane University]] in [[New Orleans]], at which he was a member of the [[boxing]] team. In 1934, Fulco married the former Josie Tritico (1914–2001) of [[Lake Charles]] in Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana. The marriage lasted until Fulco's death; Josie died two years later.<ref>Frank Fulco, Sr., obituary, ''Shreveport Times,'' August 22, 1999.</ref>

Fulco was born in tiny Paincourtville in Assumption Parish in southLouisiana, to Rosario Fulco and the former Concetta Russo, both natives of [[Sicily]]. He was the twelfth of thirteen children. The Fulcos moved to Shreveport in 1909, where Frank was educated in the public schools. He graduated from Clifton Ellis Byrd High School in 1928. He attended [[Tulane University]] in [[New Orleans]], at which he was a member of the [[boxing]] team. In 1934, Fulco married the former Josie Tritico (1914–2001) of [[Lake Charles]] in Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana. The marriage lasted until Fulco's death; Josie died two years later.<ref>Frank Fulco, Sr., obituary, ''Shreveport Times,'' August 22, 1999.</ref>

Fulco was a co-founder of Standard Printing Company, which published community newspapers throughout the state, including the ''Broadmoor News,'' which served his own Shreveport neighborhood.<ref name="ReferenceB">Frank Fulco, Sr., obituary, ''Shreveport Times,'' August 22, 1999.</ref> Fulco resided at 148 Pennsylvania Street in Broadmoor.<ref>William McCleary, "The Broadmoor Neighborhood: One of Shreveport's Older Communities", ''[[North Louisiana History]]'', Vol. XLII (Winter-Spring 2011), p. 5.</ref>

Fulco was a co-founder of Standard Printing Company, which published community newspapers throughout the state, including the ''Broadmoor News,'' which served his own Shreveport neighborhood.<ref name="ReferenceB">Frank Fulco, Sr., obituary, ''The Shreveport Times,'' August 22, 1999.</ref> Fulco resided at 148 Pennsylvania Street in Broadmoor.<ref>William McCleary, "The Broadmoor Neighborhood: One of Shreveport's Older Communities", ''[[North Louisiana History]]'', Vol. XLII (Winter-Spring 2011), p. 5.</ref>

==Italian-American causes==

==Italian-American causes==

==Political career==

==Political career==

In 1936, Fulco was elected for a single four-year term to the Caddo Parish Police Jury, renamed in 1984 as the Caddo Parish Commission, the governing board of the parish. Fulco, at twenty-seven, was the youngest member of the body. One of his colleagues, [[Earl Williamson]], of Vivian in north Caddo Parish would serve on the board for some forty years. Like Fulco, Williamson was alled with the Long faction.

In 1936, Fulco was elected for a single four-year term to the Caddo Parish Police Jury, renamed in 1984 as the Caddo Parish Commission, the governing board of the parish. Fulco, at twenty-seven, was the youngest member of the body. One of his colleagues, [[Earl Williamson]], of Vivian in north Caddo Parish would serve on the board for some forty years. Like Fulco, Williamson was allied with the [[Earl Long|Long]] faction.

Fulco's legislative tenure coincided with the administrations of [[Governor]]s [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]], [[Jimmie Davis]], and [[John J. McKeithen]]. Elected in 1956 and 1960, Fulco won his third term as part of a Caddo Parish five-member at-large delegation in the [[general election]] held on March 3, 1964. Fulco finished fourth among the five winners. Two [[Republican Party|Republicans]], [[Morley Hudson]] and [[Taylor W. O'Hearn]], led the field, followed by Democrats [[Algie D. Brown]], Fulco, and future state senator and later four-term [[U.S. Senator]] [[J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.]] Eliminated was the sixth-place candidate, veteran Representative Wellborn Jack, a Shreveport attorney. Fulco jokingly declared that "the elephant trampled us" but predicted that he could work well with both Hudson and O'Hearn despite their different parties. The Hudson and O'Hearn victories were attributed that year in part to the coattails of GOP [[Governor|gubernatorial]] nominee [[Charlton Lyons]] of Shreveport.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 3, 1964.</ref><ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' March 4, 1964, p. 1.</ref>

Fulco's legislative tenure coincided with the administrations of [[Governor]]s [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]], [[Jimmie Davis]], and [[John J. McKeithen]]. Elected in 1956 and 1960, Fulco won his third term as part of a Caddo Parish five-member at-large delegation in the [[general election]] held on March 3, 1964. Fulco finished fourth among the five winners. Two [[Republican Party|Republicans]], [[Morley Hudson]] and [[Taylor W. O'Hearn]], led the field, followed by Democrats [[Algie D. Brown]], Fulco, and future state senator and later four-term [[U.S. Senator]] [[J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.]] Eliminated was the sixth-place candidate, veteran Representative Wellborn Jack, a Shreveport attorney. Fulco jokingly declared that "the elephant trampled us" but predicted that he could work well with both Hudson and O'Hearn despite their different parties. The Hudson and O'Hearn victories were attributed that year in part to the coattails of GOP [[Governor|gubernatorial]] nominee [[Charlton Lyons]] of Shreveport.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 3, 1964.</ref><ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' March 4, 1964, p. 1.</ref>

Fulco regarded himself as a special legislative ally of fire fighters, [[educator]]s, and police officers. During his tenure, he authored or co-authored bills which were instrumental in establishing Louisiana State University in Shreveport, the historically black Southern University at Shreveport, and the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport. He pushed for the creation of LSU for many years before it was finally authorized by the legislature in 1966 and opened in 1967. Then LSUS Chancellor Vincent Marasla termed Fulco "an outstanding community servant who loved Shreveport and the people of Shreveport."<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Fulco regarded himself as a special legislative ally of fire fighters, [[educator]]s, and police officers. During his tenure, he authored or co-authored bills which were instrumental in establishing Louisiana State University in Shreveport, the historically black Southern University at Shreveport, and the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport. He pushed for the creation of LSU for many years before it was finally authorized by the legislature in 1966 and opened in 1967. Then LSUS Chancellor Vincent Marasla termed Fulco "an outstanding community servant who loved Shreveport and the people of Shreveport."<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In 1966, Fulco introduced legislation to extend homestead exemptions to veterans of the [[Vietnam War]] and the [[Cold War]]. He worked to build a school for the mentally retarded in northwestern Louisiana, to license out-of-state salespeople operating within Louisiana, and to eliminate the double [[sales tax]] paid by out-of-state residents who relocate to Louisiana and must relicense their vehicles.<ref>Harry Taylor, "Legislators support med bonds," ''Shreveport Journal,'' May 1966.</ref>

In 1966, Fulco introduced legislation to extend homestead exemptions to veterans of the [[Vietnam War]] and the [[Cold War]]. He worked to build a school for the mentally retarded in northwestern Louisiana, to license out-of-state salespeople operating within Louisiana, and to eliminate the double [[sales tax]] paid by out-of-state residents who relocate to Louisiana and must relicense their vehicles.<ref>Harry Taylor, "Legislators support med bonds," ''Shreveport Journal,'' May 1966.</ref>

==Losing to Art Sour==

==Losing to Art Sour==

Fulco was defeated for a fifth term in 1972, in the newly-drawn single-member District 6 seat, by the strongly [[conservative]] Republican Arthur W. Sour, Jr. (1924-2000), of Shreveport. Sour received 5,564 votes (53.2 percent) to Fulco's 4,886 (46.8 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, February 1, 1972.</ref> Fulco and Sour were both Catholics and both Byrd High School graduates.

Fulco was defeated for a fifth term in 1972, in the newly-drawn single-member District 6 seat, by the strongly [[conservative]] Republican [[Art Sour|Arthur William Sour, Jr.]], of Shreveport. Sour received 5,564 votes (53.2 percent) to Fulco's 4,886 (46.8 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, February 1, 1972.</ref> Fulco and Sour were both Catholics and both Byrd High School graduates.

In the campaign, Fulco seemed to ignore Sour's candidacy because the Republican had lost House races in 1964 and 1968. Reports surfaced that Fulco was instead attempting to line up commitments to become the new House Speaker, but he instead lost his seat in an unusually strong Republican year in Caddo Parish. Sour had benefited from the election popularity of GOP gubernatorial nominee [[David C. Treen]], who carried Shreveport in his first race for governor. The speaker's position instead went to Fulco's fellow Democrat, [[E. L. "Bubba" Henry]], then of Jonesboro in Jackson Parish in north Louisiana, a 1979 gubernatorial candidate and later a long-term resident of [[Baton Rouge]]. The position had opened after the Democratic primary runoff in which [[incumbent]] [[John Sidney Garrett]] of Haynesville in Claiborne Parish was unseated by the [[business]]woman Louise Brazzel Johnson (1924-2002) of Bernice in Union Parish.<ref>''The Shreveport Times,'' February 3, 1972.</ref>

In the campaign, Fulco seemed to ignore Sour's candidacy because the Republican had lost House races in 1964 and 1968. Reports surfaced that Fulco was instead attempting to line up commitments to become the new House Speaker, but he instead lost his seat in an unusually strong Republican year in Caddo Parish. Sour had benefited from the election popularity of GOP gubernatorial nominee [[David C. Treen]], who carried Shreveport in his first race for governor. The speaker's position instead went to Fulco's fellow Democrat, [[E. L. "Bubba" Henry]], then of Jonesboro in Jackson Parish in north Louisiana, a 1979 gubernatorial candidate and later a long-term resident of [[Baton Rouge]]. The position had opened after the Democratic primary runoff in which [[incumbent]] [[John Sidney Garrett]] of Haynesville in Claiborne Parish was unseated by the [[business]]woman Louise Brazzel Johnson (1924-2002) of Bernice in Union Parish.<ref>''The Shreveport Times,'' February 3, 1972.</ref>