View source for Carl Crane

{{Infobox officeholder
| name=Carl Norman Crane
| image=Carl Crane of LA.jpg 
| office=[[Louisiana]] State Representative for District 70 (East Baton Rouge Parish)<ref>At times during Carl Crane's career in the legislature, his district included parts of western Livingston Parish.</ref>
| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]-turned-[[Republican Party|Republican]] (1985)
| term_start=1982
| term_end=2008
| preceded=Frank P. Simoneaux
| succeeded=[[Franklin Foil]]
| office2=Member of the<br>East Baton Rouge City-Parish Council
| term_start2=1977
| term_end2=1982
| birth_date=October 28, 1939
| birth_place=Ponchatoula<br>
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
| residence=[[Baton Rouge]], Louisiana
| death_date=April 14, 2024 (aged 84)
| death_place=
| religion=[[Roman Catholic]]
| alma_mater=University of [[New Orleans]]
[[Louisiana State University]]
| spouse=Nancy Burns Crane<br>(married c. 1961-2022, her death)
| children=Leslie E. Crane<br>
Shawn Peter Crane
|footnotes='''Notes''':<br>
*As the former chairman of the Education Committee in the [[Louisiana]] House of Representatives, Crane worked for school vouchers to assist families with children in private or parochial schools.<br>
* Though originally a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], Crane switched parties prior to the 1987 elections and served as a [[Republican Party|Republican]] until he was term-limited in 2008 from what had become a heavily [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]] district.}}

'''Carl Norman Crane''' (October 28, 1939 &ndash; April 14, 2024)<ref name=mylife>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/carl-crane/e142536606138|title=Carl Crane|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=January 19, 2020}}</ref><ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=https://obits.theadvocate.com/us/obituaries/theadvocate/name/carl-crane-obituary?id=54932624|title=Carl Norman Crane obituary|publisher=''Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=April 22, 2024}}</ref> was the [[Republican Party|Republican]] former state representative for District 70 in East Baton Rouge Parish, [[Louisiana]], who formerly chaired the House Education Committee. Hislegislative service extended under five [[governor]]s of both parties from 1982 to 2008, when Crane was term-limited. Elected as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] in a [[special election]] in 1982, Crane switched to [[Republican Party (United States)|GOP]] affiliation to win his second full term in 1987.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://house.louisiana.gov/H_PDFdocs/HouseMembership_History_CURRENT.pdf|title=Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2024: East Baton Rouge Parish|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=January 19, 2020}}</ref>

==Background==

Crane obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of [[New Orleans]]<ref name=mylife/> and a [[Master of Arts]] from [[Louisiana State University]] in [[Baton Rouge]], fields of study not specified. He was a veteran of the [[United States Army]]. He was married to the former Nancy Burns (1940-2022), a native of Donaldsonville in Ascension Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/baton-rouge-la/nancy-crane-10831580|title=Nancy Burns Crane obituary|publisher=dignitymemorial.com|date=July 5, 2022|accessdate+April 23, 2024}}</ref> He was a [[Roman Catholic]].

==Political life==

Crane supported school vouchers to assist families with children in private or parochial schools, but the legislature has rejected the plan on the grounds that it would deprive funding from already cash-strapped public schools. He blamed the failure of vouchers on the teachers' unions and other public-school organizations who claim that vouchers will undermine public education funding. Crane incorrectly predicted that future legislatures would support school vouchers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.au.org/church-state/june-2003-church-state/au-bulletin/school-vouchers-stall-in-louisiana-legislature|title=School Vouchers Stall in Louisiana Legislature|date=June 2003|publisher=American United for Separation of Church and State|accessdate=January 19, 2020}}</ref>

Crane secured his second term in 1987 with 9,048 votes (54 percent) over three opponents, two Democrats and one "No Party" candidate. In 1988, Crane ran unsuccessfully for the office of Mayor-President of the Baton Rouge Metro-Council; he polled only 4,554 votes (4.7 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 1, 1988.</ref> The winner, [[Tom Ed McHugh]] of Zachary, defeated former Mayor [[Woodrow Wilson Dumas]], who sought a comeback for a fifth term in an all-Democratic [[general election]].<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 8, 1988.</ref>

In 1991, Crane led the nonpartisan blanket [[primary]] with 5,488 votes (39 percent) and went into a contested [[general election]] with Democrat Margaret Pereboom, who trailed with 4,366 ballots (31 percent). A third candidate, fellow Republican Steve Myers, received a crucial 4,135 votes (30 percent). Pereboom had also run in 1987. In the second balloting, Crane defeated Pereboom, 8,946 (57 percent) to 6,789 (43 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 16, 1991.</ref>

In 1995, Crane won again over Steve Myers, who had dropped the "R" label and ran as "No Party" candidate. He prevailed with 8,182 votes (55 percent) to Myers' 6,666 (45 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 21, 1995.</ref> In 1999, Crane won in the primary over Democrat Charles Moore, 8,897 (62 percent) to 5,453 (38 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretatry of State, Election Returns, October 23, 1999.</ref>

In 2003, Crane won his sixth and final term with 10,319 votes (74 percent) over two fellow Republicans, Bryce Murray, who received 2,294 votes (16 percent) and Donald Gene Luther, with 1,388 ballots (10 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 4, 2003.</ref> That same year Crane was among thirty-three legislators in both houses and parties who endorsed former House [[Speaker]] [[Hunt Downer|Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer Jr.]],  for governor. Downer finished in a weak sixth place in the primary, and the governorship ultimately went to the Democrat [[Kathleen Blanco]] of [[Lafayette]],  who went on to defeat Republican [[Bobby Jindal]], her ultimate successor in the office in 2008.

For twelve years, Crane was an assistant professor at LSU. He was recognized by the Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators for his contribution to classroom technology. Crane was an advocate for the advancement of educational reform and accountability in Louisiana. He was a co-author of the TOPS College Scholarship Program. He sat on the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commission on Education Excellence & Teacher Quality. Former Governor [[Mike Foster|Murphy James "Mike" Foster Jr.]], appointed him to the Southern Regional Education Board.<ref name=obit/>

Crane was succeeded in the House in 2008 by fellow Republican [[Franklin Foil]], who became a state senator in 2020. Foil won the general election held on November 17, 2007, when he defeated a fellow Republican [[attorney]], Pat Culbertson, 5,399 (53 percent) to 4,809 (47 percent) in a small-turnout election. Culberton had nearly won the seat outright in the October 20 primary, with 49 percent to 40 percent for Foil, a [[United States Navy]] reserve commander. A third Republican candidate, self-styled "[[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] [[conservative]]" Aidan Reynolds, also an attorney, drew only 11 percent of the vote.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20 and November 17, 2007.</ref>

Crane died at the age of eighty-four in the spring of 2024. His obituary describes Crane as "a man of tremendous personal integrity and character, determined in his dedication to the public good and devotion to his family, he will be greatly missed...we will always love you."<ref name=obit/>

==References==
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[[Category:Louisiana People]]
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[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:State Representatives]]
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[[Category:United States Army]]
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[[Category:Catholic Politicians]]
[[Category:Professors]]