Wayne Waddell
| Leo Wayne Waddell | |
Louisiana State Representative
for District 5 (Caddo Parish) | |
| In office 1997 – August 1, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Louis Brun |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Alan Seabaugh |
| In office August 2010 – 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Forrest Dunn |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Gahagan Carmody, Jr. |
Caddo Parish Commissioner
| |
| Born | October 14, 1948 Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana |
| Died | October 3, 2025 (aged 76) Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Entombed at Resthaven Gardens of Memory in Baton Rouge |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Marie Simpson Waddell (married 1971-2025, his death) |
| Children | Gregory Leo "Greg" Waddell Riley Waddell |
| Alma mater | Clifton Ellis Byrd High School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Leo Wayne Waddell, known as Wayne Waddell (born October 14, 1948 – October 3, 2025) was a Shreveport businessman and a Republican former state representative for District 5 in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. He ran unopposed in the 2007 nonpartisan blanket primary but resigned before he completed his third term in the body to become the director of the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport.
Background
Waddell graduated from Clifton Ellis Byrd High School in Shreveport and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then known as Northeast Louisiana University. He was the president of Louisiana Moulding & Supply, Inc. since 1980, the owner of KD Plastics since 1995, and Waddell's Gallery of Distinction since 1970. Over that time, his businesses became the destinations for fine art and framing in the region. Known for his exceptional eye for color and design, he greatly valued the long-term relationships he built with his employees, business associates, and his customers.[1]
Alongside his professional career, Waddell was a member of Shreveport Rotary International and the Shreveport Symphony. Married to the former Susan Marie Simpson (born January 31, 1948), he has two sons, Gregory Leo "Greg" Waddell and Riley Waddell.[1]
Political life
Mrs. Waddell, also a Republican, is a former Caddo Parish Justice of the Peace.[2][3] Wayne Waddell was also a JP for nearly two years prior to his legislative service. He is also a former member of the elected Caddo Parish Commission, formerly known as the police jury, on which he served for the term from 1992 to 1996.
Waddell first won his position as a state representative in a special election runoff held on December 13, 1997, to replace Shreveport representative-turned-Judge Roy Brun. He defeated fellow Republican and former Caddo Parish School Board member, the conservative Judy Boykin, supported by the Christian Coalition. Waddell polled 2,710 votes (54 percent) to Boykin's, 2,278 (46 percent). In the legislature, he served on the Health and Welfare committee, House Legislative Services Council, Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay, House Special Committee on Disaster Planning, and the Middle and North Louisiana Subcommittee. He has been vice chair of the Louisiana Rural Caucus. Waddell brought early voting to Louisiana, empowering parish clerks of court to permit voting in shopping centers and public buildings where voters congregate. Previously, Louisiana had more restrictive absentee voting, which required an excuse to cast a ballot prior to the election. Waddell supported a plan to exempt Louisiana residents from owing state income taxes on retirement payments.
On August 1, 2010, Waddell resigned from the legislature to assume the position of director of the state Exhibit Museum in Shreveport.[4] The museum directorship was vacated by Forrest Dunn, himself a former member of the Louisiana House. Waddell was succeeded in his former office by Republican attorney Alan Seabaugh.
In addition to the Shreveport museum, Waddell was the regional state administrator under former Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, in which capacity he oversaw six other state museums. From 2010 through 2015, he secured $8 million from the Louisiana capital outlay budget for three construction projects, one of which is the covering for the museum courtyard. Waddell has also stressed fundraising and interactive and educational experiences for museum visitors and visitors. State Senator Greg Tarver, a Democrat, said that Waddell "knows how to go out and beg for money, and you literally have to beg ... It is not an easy task. And, he gives you information you need to know so (you) can make an intelligent decision about money.”[5]
Early in 2020, Waddell was removed from the museum position by Kyle Ardoin, Schedler's successor as secretary of state. No reason was cited for his removal. He was succeeded by another former state representative, and fellow Republican, Thomas Gaughan Carmody, Jr. (born 1961, also of Shreveport.
His obituary does not explain if he relocated to Baton Rouge or why he is entombed in Baton Rouge, rather than Shreveport.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Leo Wayne Waddell obituary. The Shreveport Times (October 5, 2025).
- ↑ Elected Officials (la.gov), Caddo Parish officials, accessed April 29, 2021.
- ↑ Waddell, Susan, Justice of the Peace. merchantcircle.com. Retrieved on April 29, 2021.
- ↑ Staff at the Louisiana Exhibit Museum. friendsoflsem.org. Retrieved on July 11, 2011.
- ↑ Maggie Martin (February 9, 2016). Wayne Waddell legacy list: $8 million for three construction projects for Louisiana State Exhibit Museum. The Shreveport Times. Retrieved on April 29, 2021.
