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==Defender of the Longs==

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Bussie recalled having been born in poverty in the community of Montrose in Natchitoches Parish to Christopher "Chris" Bussie and the former Fannie LaCaze.<ref name=obit/> The senior Bussie was a unionized employee of the Texas Pacific Railroad.<ref name=stimes>{{cite web|url=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20110905/NEWS01/110905005/Victor-Bussie-labor-leader-dead-92|title=Victor Bussie, Labor leader dead at 92|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=September 9, 2011}}</ref> Bussie had a brother and five sisters, one of whom, Authree B. Gorrell of [[Austin]], [[Texas]], was still living as of 2011. At some point, the Bussies headed south to Rapides Parish because another sister, Fannie Mae Bussie Heard (1924–2009) of [[Shreveport]], was born in the Boyce community. Fannie Heard was one of the first female [[Certified Public Accountant]]s in northwestern Louisiana, having also been licensed to practice in [[California]] and [[Nevada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/shreveporttimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=127847620|title=Obituary of Fannie Mae Bussie Heard|publisher='The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=June 3, 2009}}</ref> Bussie was half [[Native Americans|Choctaw Indian]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070808154804/http://www.blueskywaters.com/page_96.htm|title=Reclaiming the Past: Louisiana Native Americans Seek Federal Recognition|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate Magazine'' in Blueskywaters.com|author=Sarah Sue Goldsmith|date=June 16, 1996|accessdate=August 22, 2019}}</ref> Bussie recalled his childhood and desire to obtain a public education:

My mother and father struggled to send us to school because of the high cost of school books. There finally came a time when they could no longer afford to buy books for seven children. We children were told that we could no longer attend school.<ref name=autogenerated3>[http://www.hueylong.com/perspectives/share-your-stories.php Share Your Huey Long Stories]</ref>

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That very same year, [[Governor]] [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], persuaded the state legislature to fund schoolbooks for all children attending public schools.

Not only did that mean that my brother and sisters and I could finish our education but also thousands of other children could as well. My family never forgot Huey Long and became longtime political supporters of the Long family.<ref name=autogenerated3/></blockquote>

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In 1959, as AFL-CIO president, Bussie checked himself into a mental health facility in [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], Texas, as a ruse for the planned confinement of Governor [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]], who was committed by his wife, Blanche Revere Long and Long's [[nephew]], [[U.S. Senator]] [[Russell Long]]. "It’s hard to believe that I was involved in it. It was a mess. He (Long) could have easily sued me, but that never occurred to me. He was a friend, and I just tried to help as best I could."<ref name=blum>Jordan Blum, "Bussie helped strengthen unions in Louisiana," ''The Baton Rouge Advocate,'' October 20, 2008, p. 1A.</ref>

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In 1959, as AFL-CIO president, Bussie checked himself into a mental health facility in [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], Texas, as a ruse for the planned confinement of Governor [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]], who was committed by his wife, Blanche Revere Long and Long's [[nephew]], [[U.S. Senator]] [[Russell Long]]. "It’s hard to believe that I was involved in it. It was a mess. He (Long) could have easily sued me, but that never occurred to me. He was a friend, and I just tried to help as best I could."<ref name=blum>Jordan Blum, "Bussie helped strengthen unions in Louisiana," ''The Baton Rouge Advocate,'' October 20, 2008, p. 1A.</ref>

==Bussie in Shreveport==

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After service in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]], Bussie joined the Shreveport Fire Department and became a leader in the firefighters' union. He became chief of the Fire Prevention Bureau and the president of the Central Trades and Labor Council. [[James C. Gardner]], who served as [[mayor]] of Shreveport from 1954 to 1958, described Bussie as "well-spoken" and his "polite and reasonable manner made him widely sought as the 'labor member' of various civic boards." As a second assistant chief, a position Bussie obtained without waiting for civil service seniority, his signature was required on all certificates of occupancy for commercial buildings, a position of considerable power.<ref>[[James C. Gardner]], ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport,'' Vol. I, [[Sarah Hudson-Pierce]]"s Ritz Publications, p. 303.</ref> Some in the business community accused Bussie of requiring work beyond the municipal building or fire code regulations in order to create more employment within the building trades. To check Bussie, officials activated, as permitted by the city charter, a building code board of appeals to prevent abuses.<ref> ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, pp. 304–305.</ref>

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After service in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]], Bussie joined the Shreveport Fire Department and became a leader in the firefighters' union. He became chief of the Fire Prevention Bureau and the president of the Central Trades and Labor Council. [[James C. Gardner]], who served as [[mayor]] of Shreveport from 1954 to 1958, described Bussie as "well-spoken" and his "polite and reasonable manner made him widely sought as the 'labor member' of various civic boards." As a second assistant chief, a position Bussie obtained without waiting for civil service seniority, his signature was required on all certificates of occupancy for commercial buildings, a position of considerable power.<ref>[[James C. Gardner]], ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport,'' Vol. I, [[Sarah Hudson-Pierce]]"s Ritz Publications, p. 303.</ref> Some in the business community accused Bussie of requiring work beyond the municipal building or fire code regulations in order to create more employment within the building trades. To check Bussie, officials activated, as permitted by the city charter, a building code board of appeals to prevent abuses.<ref>''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, pp. 304–305.</ref>

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Early in 1955, Bussie, acting through the Central Trades and Labor Council during his lunch hour, called a strike of waitresses at Brocato's Restaurant in Shreveport when the company declined to rehire a fired waitress. In retaliation, Shreveport Public Safety Commissioner [[J. Earl Downs]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ritzpublications.com/1954-58-shreveport-city-council.html|author=Mary Jimenez|title=The $19 million solution: Bond election sets up 1950's Shreveport for growth|date=March 6, 2005|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=June 27, 2013}}</ref> the older brother of an influential state Senator, Crawford Hugh "Sammy" Downs (1911-1985) of [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]], demoted Bussie to the rank of captain and assigned him to a fire station. Bussie took unpaid leave and appealed Downs' decision to the Fire and Police Civil Service Board. After fourteen sessions and fifty hours of testimony, the civil service board voted 4–1 to uphold the demotion, with the lone dissenter being the firefighters' representative. Bussie announced that he would appeal to the courts. Meanwhile, he became the state AFL-CIO president for the remainder of his working career and lived in Baton Rouge. No action was ever taken by the courts in Bussie's appeal.<ref> ''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, pp. 321–322.</ref>

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Early in 1955, Bussie, acting through the Central Trades and Labor Council during his lunch hour, called a strike of waitresses at Brocato's Restaurant in Shreveport when the company declined to rehire a fired waitress. In retaliation, Shreveport Public Safety Commissioner [[J. Earl Downs]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ritzpublications.com/1954-58-shreveport-city-council.html|author=Mary Jimenez|title=The $19 million solution: Bond election sets up 1950's Shreveport for growth|date=March 6, 2005|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|accessdate=June 27, 2013}}</ref> the older brother of an influential state Senator, Crawford Hugh "Sammy" Downs (1911-1985) of [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]], demoted Bussie to the rank of captain and assigned him to a fire station. Bussie took unpaid leave and appealed Downs' decision to the Fire and Police Civil Service Board. After fourteen sessions and fifty hours of testimony, the civil service board voted 4–1 to uphold the demotion, with the lone dissenter being the firefighters' representative. Bussie announced that he would appeal to the courts. Meanwhile, he became the state AFL-CIO president for the remainder of his working career and lived in Baton Rouge. No action was ever taken by the courts in Bussie's appeal.<ref>''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, pp. 321–322.</ref>

Gardner said that the demotion "turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to Bussie and the labor movement in Louisiana ... He was extremely effective as the Louisiana leader of organized labor and brought a level of influence for labor in Baton Rouge that it had not previously enjoyed.<ref>''Jim Gardner and Shreveport'', Vol. I, p. 322.</ref>

==Bombing of Bussie residence==

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On July 19, 1966, Bussie's Baton Rouge residence in the Kenilworth subdivision was bombed, but there were no injuries. Jules R. Kimble, a then 24-year-old proclaimed former member of the [[Ku Klux Klan]], who also claimed to have been the heir to a nonexistent fortune, told police that he had overheard three Klansmen plot the bombing of both the Bussie residence and that of Viola Logan, an [[African American]] teacher in Port Allen in West Baton Rouge Parish. Kimble said the plot was hatched in Kimble's [[New Orleans]] home but that he declined to participate in the execution of the plans. It was theorized that the bombing was inspired by Klansmen who favored a state grant-in-aid program to benefit white private academies which would soon mushroom in predominantly black sections of Louisiana with the arrival of court-mandated school [[Segregation|desegregation]]. Kimble was eventually booked with aggravated assault, impersonating a police officer, and carrying a concealed weapon before such was legal.

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==On boards and commissions==

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Ever with an eye toward friendly relations with the media, Bussie once invited the ''Morning Advocate'' managing editor, Margaret Richardson Dixon (1908-1970), to address the AFL-CIO convention. He also maintained a highly visible public image for himself. Bussie served two four-year terms on the [[Democratic National Committee]].<ref name=obit/> President [[John F. Kennedy]] asked Bussie to pressure Senator Russell Long, whom Bussie had known since boyhood, to push [[Medicare]] through a Senate committee that Long chaired.<ref name=stimes/> However, Medicare was not enacted until 1965, by which [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] succeeded Kennedy.

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At the time of his death, Bussie was still a member of the Baton Rouge Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board.<ref name=obit/>

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Bussie filed suit against Lowenthal and Boeing alleging that the statements were false and were made with actual malice. Bussie alleged that as such the statements damaged his reputation and held him up to public contempt and ridicule and caused him embarrassment, humiliation, mental suffering, and anxiety. Lowenthal claimed that the statements had been made to her while she was attending a cocktail party given by the Louisiana delegation to the National Conference of State Legislators.<ref name=bussiesues/>

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However, Bussie lost his suit because as a public figure he could not prove that the defendants made their statement with "actual malice" or "a reckless disregard for the truth.<~~refname~~=bussiesues/><ref>''New York Times Co. v. Sullivan,'' 376 U.S. 254, 84 S.Ct. 710, 11 L.Ed.2d 686 (1964).</ref>

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However, Bussie lost his suit because as a public figure he could not prove that the defendants made their statement with "actual malice" or "a reckless disregard for the truth.<ref name=bussiesues/><ref>''New York Times Co. v. Sullivan,'' 376 U.S. 254, 84 S.Ct. 710, 11 L.Ed.2d 686 (1964).</ref>

==Campaigning against right-to-work==

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In the 1976 legislative session, right-to-work was again passed by a nearly all Democratic body, a reflection of the growing presence of LABI, which sought to reverse what it claimed had been "[[socialism]]" in the heyday of Bussie's influence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://centrallapolitics.blogspot.com/2007/09/labi-says-that-cheap-labor-and-low-rent.html|title=Central La. Politics: LABI Says That Cheap Labor And Low Rent Shacks Are Louisiana's Economic Development Selling Points?|publisher=Centrallapolitics|date=September 2007; no longer on-line.}}</ref> Bussie convinced state Senator Gaston Gerald of East Baton Rouge Parish, the chairman of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, to work against right-to-work. Gerald hence proposed a state constitutional amendment on the issue, which would have raised the legislative bar for passage and required voter approval.<ref>"Bussie maneuvering work bill's death," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' June 14, 1976, p. 1.</ref>

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Still Bussie thereafter never wavered in his call to repeal the Louisiana right-to-work law, which he called "right-to-work-for-less." Supporters of the measure, however, insist that it merely protects employees' freedom to refuse to pay compulsory "fees" to a union which they do not wish to join. Twenty-one other states, including all southern states, have such laws.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0019-7939(199001)43%3A2%3C258%3AGPUBAL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-E|title=Gumbo Politics: Unions, Business and Louisiana Right-to-Work Legislation|author=William Canak and Berkeley Miller|publisher=Sage Publications in jstor.org|date=January 1990|pages 258-271|accessdate=August 22, 2019}}</ref>

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==In retirement==

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Bussie's first wife, from whom he was [[divorce]]d, was the former Gertrude Mae "Gertie" Foley (October 15, 1918 – September 16, 2005), who died in Round Rock in [[suburban]] Williamson County, Texas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1940usfedcen&indiv=try&h=120812142|title=Victor V. Bussie|publisher=Ancestry.com|accessdate=August 22, 2019}}</ref> His second wife was the former Frances "Fran" Martinez Nolan (born May 6, 1935), herself a political activist, who in the 1980s was a member of the [[Democratic National Committee]].<ref>"November primary gets nod," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' June 2, 1983, p. 1.</ref> Fran Bussie's parents were John O. Martinez (1906–1990) and Althea Olivia Williams Martinez (1914–2003) of New Orleans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ancestry.com/search/?name=Althea+Williams_Martinez&event=_baton+rouge-east+baton+rouge-louisiana-usa_34148&birth=1914|title=Althea Williams Martinez|publisher=Ancestry.com|accessdate=August 22, 2019}}</ref> Her brothers are Tony and Johnny Martinez.<ref name=obit/>

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In 1994, along with the late U.S. Senator [[Allen J. Ellender]], Bussie was among the second round of public figures inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.<ref>City of Winnfield, Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame.</ref> Bussie received the "Racial Justice Award" given annually by the Baton Rouge Young Women's Christian Association. In 1998, Bussie and former Governor [[John J. McKeithen]] were among recipients named "Living Legends" by the Louisiana [[Public Broadcasting Service]].

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In 1997, Bussie received an honorary degree from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, and other such honorary degrees followed. Then Southeastern President Sally Clausen described Bussie as "an individual who has distinguished himself through his quiet but steadfast work for the underprivileged and his strong stand for justice. He has been a lifelong supporter of education, serving as an advocate for quality instruction and a voice of support for higher education... ".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/bl12-3.htm|title=ByLion|date=December 3, 1997|publisher=Southeastern Louisiana University|accessdate=August 22, 2019}}</ref>

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[[Bob Mann]], LSU communications professor, said that Bussie was more influential than many governors. "I can't think of anyone who wielded so much power for such an extended period of time." Mann described Bussie as "a living, breathing treasure trove of Louisiana's political history" but "so soft-spoken and modest." Mann said that over the years Bussie was just doing his job: “It was his job to place labor in the most powerful positions he could,” Mann said. “He wielded a lot of power, but he did it in a soft-spoken and respectful way.”

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Even LABI's [[Ed Steimel]], ~~Bussie’s~~ top rival in political organization, had tremendous respect for the labor president. Many businesspeople felt organized labor was running the state,” Steimel said of his being recruited by LABI to take on the AFL-CIO in the 1970s. "But we were never really anti each other, and we’ve become closer since."

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Even LABI's [[Ed Steimel]], Bussie's top rival in political organization, had tremendous respect for the labor president. Many businesspeople felt organized labor was running the state,” Steimel said of his being recruited by LABI to take on the AFL-CIO in the 1970s. "But we were never really anti each other, and we’ve become closer since."

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Bollinger Shipyards CEO Donald "Boysie" Bollinger, who sat next to Bussie on the UL System board, said he initially saw Bussie as a Louisiana "icon," who as an aggressive union lobbyist "represented everything that I was opposed to." But Bollinger added that, after getting to know Bussie, they became friends, and he respected Bussie's passion for education and worker safety. Sibal Holt, the first black female president of an AFL-CIO state branch, said Bussie was “the champion of workers” of all colors and sexes. "I sort of viewed him as an octopus with tentacles reaching all over. But he was as sincere as the day is long."

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Bollinger Shipyards CEO Donald "Boysie" Bollinger, who sat next to Bussie on the UL System board, said he initially saw Bussie as a Louisiana "icon," who as an aggressive union lobbyist "represented everything that I was opposed to." But Bollinger added that, after getting to know Bussie, they became friends, and he respected Bussie’s passion for education and worker safety. Sibal Holt, the first black female president of an AFL-CIO state branch, said Bussie was “the champion of workers” of all colors and sexes. "I sort of viewed him as an octopus with tentacles reaching all over. But he was as sincere as the day is long."

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Critics have said Bussie's and his colleagues’ involvement in so many areas of government amounted to a power grab to keep unions influential. Bussie is emphatic that he only wanted to serve his state as much as he could: "It may sound corny, but that’s just the way I lived." He is proud of serving on all the boards without ever accepting any per diem payments or salaries.

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Critics have said ~~Bussie’s~~ and his colleagues’ involvement in so many areas of government amounted to a power grab to keep unions influential. Bussie is emphatic that he only wanted to serve his state as much as he could: "It may sound corny, but that’s just the way I lived." He is proud of serving on all the boards without ever accepting any per diem payments or salaries.

T. Wayne Parent, the [[Russell Long|Russell B. Long]] Professor of Political Science at LSU and formerly a young staffer at the State Capitol, said that he was often mesmerized watching Bussie lobby the legislature. Lawmakers would look toward Bussie when certain bills came up, and the labor president would nod "Yes" or "No." Parent said that Bussie "really did represent the quiet strength labor can have behind the scenes."

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Sally Clausen, the state commissioner of higher education after she left Southeastern State University, saw Bussie as her political guide. Clausen remembers Bussie’s small, "dungeon-like" office. Yet people would flock to him as soon as he entered a room. "I’ve never known someone as altruistic and humble, and still so powerful," she said.

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Bussie said he had a good relationship with every governor from Earl Long to [[Mike Foster|Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.]], with the exception of Democrat-turned-Republican [[Buddy Roemer]]. Bussie remained close to former Governor Edwin Edwards. A few years before his incarceration, Edwards flew in from a vacation to attend ~~Bussie’s~~ 1997 retirement dinner. "I said, ‘Well Edwin, that’s the first time you ever paid for anything out of your own money,’" Bussie joked.

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Sally Clausen, the state commissioner of higher education after she left Southeastern State University, saw Bussie as her political guide. Clausen remembers Bussie's small, "dungeon-like" office. Yet people would flock to him as soon as he entered a room. "I’ve never known someone as altruistic and humble, and still so powerful," she said.

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Bussie said he had a good relationship with every governor from Earl Long to [[Mike Foster|Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.]], with the exception of Democrat-turned-Republican [[Buddy Roemer]]. Bussie remained close to former Governor Edwin Edwards. A few years before his incarceration, Edwards flew in from a vacation to attend Bussie's 1997 retirement dinner. "I said, ‘Well Edwin, that’s the first time you ever paid for anything out of your own money,’" Bussie joked.

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Bussie died of complications from stomach cancer at the age of ninety-two at Baton Rouge General Medical Center-Bluebonnet on the Sunday before [[Labor Day]] 2011. In 1989, Bussie had heart by-pass surgery, and in 1993, he lost a kidney to cancer.<ref name=stimes/>

Bussie was survived by his second wife, "Fran" Bussie of Baton Rouge, who was formerly married to Michael Quinn Nolan, Sr. He had two surviving daughters from his first marriage to the former Gertrude Foley: Deanna Love, of Wimberley, Texas, and Carolyn B. Huff and husband David, of Round Rock, Texas; stepchildren Tara Nolan Messenger and husband Terry and Michael Quinn Nolan, Jr. (1960–2013), until his death the owner and president of Healthcare Management Companies, all of Baton Rouge; six grandchildren, and three step-grandchildren. Services were held on September 9. 2011, at the First [[United Methodist]] Church in Baton Rouge. Interment was at Resthaven Gardens of Memory Cemetery on the Jefferson Highway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theadvocate/obituary.aspx?n=michael-quinn-nolan-jr&pid=162300809#fbLoggedOut|title=Michael Quinn Nolan, Jr., obituary|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Morning Advocate''|accessdate=January 14, 2013}}</ref><br><ref name=obit/>

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==References==

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[[Category:World War II]]

[[Category:United States Navy]]

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[[Category:United Methodists]]

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[[Category:United Methodists]]

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