Wade O. Martin, Sr.
| Wade Omer Martin, Sr. | |
 | |
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner for former District 2
| |
| In office 1932 – 1956 | |
| Succeeded by | E. P. Roy, Sr. (interim for Ernest Clements) |
|---|---|
| In office 1912 – 1920 | |
| In office 1924 – 1928 | |
| Born | March 4, 1885 Arnaudville, St. Landry Parish |
| Died | August 10, 1956 (aged) 71) |
| Resting place | St. Francis Regis Catholic Cemetery in Arnaudville |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Alice Mills Martin |
| Children | Wade O. Martin, Jr.
Dr. Murphy Patrick Martin, Sr. |
| Alma mater | Louisiana State University |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Wade Omer Martin, Sr. (March 4, 1885 – August 10, 1956), was a Louisiana planter, educator, and Democratic politician allied with the faction loyal to Governor and U.S. Senator Huey Pierce Long, Jr. Martin's longest tenure was as the former District 2 member of the then three-member Louisiana Public Service Commission, a regulatory body on which he served for twenty-four years, beginning with his election in 1932 and until his death in office. After Long's assassination, Martin attempted to run for governor in 1935 but was unable to mount a serious campaign.[1]
Biography
Martin was born in Arnaudville in St. Landry Parish to Dr. G. W. Martin and the former Ida Gilbeau. He attended public schools and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He organized the LSU Dramatic Club, edited the yearbook, The Gumbo, and was the assistant editor of the student newspaper, The Reveille. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture and was later a teacher and a coach. He also managed a large plantation and operated a sawmill.[1]
In 1912, at the age of twenty-seven, he was elected sheriff of St. Martin Parish. He served two terms until 1920 and was elected again for two terms in 1924 and 1928, when he also supported Huey Long for governor. [1] Sheriff Martin hired Drauzin Angelle as chief deputy, a position that Angelle held from 1924 until his death in 1958. Angelle became a political power broker in the Fifth Ward of St. Martin Parish through the chief deputy's position. [2]Angelle's grandson, Paul Hardy, a Democrat-turned-Republican, is a former state senator, gubernatorial candidate in 1979, and the lieutenant governor from 1988 to 1992.
Martin left the sheriff's office when he was elected to the PSC, while simultaneously as vice president and then president of the National Association of Railway and Utilities Commission (1942–1944). He was the chairman of Louisiana Flood Control and Waterway Conservation from 1930 until his death. He was also an officer of the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association. He was chairman of the National Commission on Use of Waterways and the Vermilion Navigation Association. He supported the dredging of the Intracoastal Canal.[1]
Martin, Sr., played a role in getting his son, Wade O. Martin, Jr., elected secretary of state in the 1943-1944 election cycle. After Martin, Sr.'s, death, Earl Long quarreled with the conservative Martin, Jr., with legislative concurrence, removed the voting machine and insurance sections of the secretary of state's office to two separate departments.[3]
On April 24, 1907, Martin married the former Alice Mills, the daughter of Patrick Mills and the former Justine Fanguy. In addition to Wade, Jr., the couple had another son, Dr. Murphy Patrick Martin, Sr. (1913-1998), [4] the long-time public health officer for St. Martin, Iberia, and Lafayette parishes. First-born daughter Leona Alice "Tootie" Martin of St. Martinville (1908-2000) was married to James E. Guirard (1903-1887). A second daughter, Jeanne (1915-2002) of Baton Rouge (1915-2002) was the wife of Douglass Svendson (1908–1963).[1]
Martin was a member of the St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church in St. Martinville, Louisiana, and the Catholic men's organization, the Knights of Columbus. He and Mrs. Martin and son Wade, Jr., are interred at St. Francis Regis Catholic Cemetery in Arnaudville.[1] Upon Martin's death, Governor Earl Kemp Long appointed E. P. Roy, Sr., as the interim commissioner. Then former state Senator Ernest Clements of Oberlin in Allen Parish, a Long ally, was elected to the first of his three terms on the PSC in the 1956 Democratic primary.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography: Louisiana Historical Association. Retrieved on June 2, 2020.
- ↑ Angelle, Drauvin. A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography: Louisiana Historical Association. Retrieved on June 2, 2020.
- ↑ Bill Dodd, Peapatch Politics: the Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics (Baton Rouge: Claitor's, 1991).
- ↑ Murphy Patrick Martin, Sr.. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on June 2, 2020.
