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| − | {{Infobox person | + | {{Infobox officeholder |
| | |name=Herman Farr | | |name=Herman Farr |
| | |birth_date=November 11, 1917 | | |birth_date=November 11, 1917 |
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| | |death_place=[[Shreveport]], [[Louisiana]] | | |death_place=[[Shreveport]], [[Louisiana]] |
| | |spouse=Bruetta Dupree Farr | | |spouse=Bruetta Dupree Farr |
| − | |religion=[[Baptist]] [[clergy]]man | + | |religion=[[Baptist]] |
| | + | |occupation=[[Clergy]]man<br> |
| | + | [[Civil rights]] activist |
| | |party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]] | | |party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]] |
| | + | |office=Member of the<br>Shreveport City Council |
| | + | |term_start=1978 |
| | + | |term_end=1982 |
| | + | |preceded=Former commission form of government |
| | + | |succeeded=Joe Shyne |
| | }} | | }} |
| − | '''Herman Farr''' (November 11, 1917 – June 6, 2008)<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/shreveporttimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=111278249|title=Rev. Herman Farr obituary|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|date=June 10, 2008|accessdate=May 12, 2017}}</ref> was an [[African-American]] clergyman who was among the first three members of his race to serve on the city council in [[Shreveport]], the largest city in North [[Louisiana]]. Farr served a single four-year term from 1978 to 1982, under the single-member district mayor-council format, which that year replaced the former at-large city commission government. His black colleagues were Hilry Huckaby, Jr., and Gregory Tarver, later a member of the Louisiana State Senate for Caddo Parish. | + | '''Herman Farr''' (November 11, 1917 – June 6, 2008)<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/shreveporttimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=111278249|title=Rev. Herman Farr obituary|publisher=''The Shreveport Times''|date=June 10, 2008|accessdate=May 12, 2017}}</ref> was an [[African-American]] [[clergy]]man who was among the first three members of his race to serve on the city council in [[Shreveport]], the largest city in North [[Louisiana]]. Farr served a single four-year term from 1978 to 1982, under the single-member district mayor-council format, which that year replaced the former at-large city commission government. His black colleagues were Hilry Huckaby, Jr., and Gregory Tarver, later a member of the Louisiana State Senate for Caddo Parish. |
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| − | The mayor during Farr's term on the council was William Thomas "Bill" Hanna (1930-2016). Former Mayor James C. Gardner (1924-2010) was a member of the founding city council with Farr. In 1982, when John Brennan Hussey was elected mayor, Farr was defeated for reelection by his fellow black Democrat, Joe Shyne, who in 2008 still represented historically black District E on the legislative body. | + | The mayor during Farr's term on the council was William Thomas "Bill" Hanna (1930-2016). Former Mayor James C. Gardner (1924-2010) was a member of the founding city council with Farr. In 1982, when John Brennan Hussey was elected mayor, Farr was defeated for reelection by his fellow black Democrat, Joe Shyne, who in 2008 still represented historically black District E on the council. |
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| | Farr was a member and former president of the Shreveport chapter of the interest group, the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]], through which he vowed to fight for justice and [[civil rights]]. In his June 17 tribute to Farr, Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover, the first African American to serve in the high executive position since [[Reconstruction]], said that Farr "never backed-down from a fight; he had a kind forgiving heart and a quick smile: He would be literally ready to go to war one minute, and a minute later he was all smiles. [He] never held a grudge. Shreveport has lost a great public servant. [His] life is worthy of emulation. He has set a very high bar for all citizens. ... In his youth, Farr was a boxer. He came to Shreveport in 1964 and was the pastor of the historically black Upper Zion and Oak Hill Baptist churches.<ref name=obit/> According to the archives of ''The Shreveport Times,'' Farr "quickly made his mark when he refused to go to the balcony — the [then] Negro section — at the Strand Theatre. He led his wife [Bruetta Dupree Farr] through the front door, and a policeman was called, but the officer stood back and watched. From then on, blacks sat downstairs in the [since restored and historic] movie theater.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forward-now.com/2015/03/07/making-shreveport-a-progressive-inclusive-and-great-city/|title=Making Shreveport a Progressive, Inclusive Great City|date=March 7, 2015|author=Willie Bradford|accessdate=May 12, 2017}}</ref> | | Farr was a member and former president of the Shreveport chapter of the interest group, the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]], through which he vowed to fight for justice and [[civil rights]]. In his June 17 tribute to Farr, Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover, the first African American to serve in the high executive position since [[Reconstruction]], said that Farr "never backed-down from a fight; he had a kind forgiving heart and a quick smile: He would be literally ready to go to war one minute, and a minute later he was all smiles. [He] never held a grudge. Shreveport has lost a great public servant. [His] life is worthy of emulation. He has set a very high bar for all citizens. ... In his youth, Farr was a boxer. He came to Shreveport in 1964 and was the pastor of the historically black Upper Zion and Oak Hill Baptist churches.<ref name=obit/> According to the archives of ''The Shreveport Times,'' Farr "quickly made his mark when he refused to go to the balcony — the [then] Negro section — at the Strand Theatre. He led his wife [Bruetta Dupree Farr] through the front door, and a policeman was called, but the officer stood back and watched. From then on, blacks sat downstairs in the [since restored and historic] movie theater.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forward-now.com/2015/03/07/making-shreveport-a-progressive-inclusive-and-great-city/|title=Making Shreveport a Progressive, Inclusive Great City|date=March 7, 2015|author=Willie Bradford|accessdate=May 12, 2017}}</ref> |