Len Lacy
John Lenard Lacy, known as Len Lacy (September 8, 1900 – June 7, 1998), was a farmer, cattleman, landowner, and businessman from Castor in Bienville Parish, Louisiana,who served from 1964 to 1968 as a Democratic state representative for his native Bienville Parish.[1]
| John Lenard "Len" Lacy | |
Louisiana State Representative
for Bienville Parish | |
| In office 1964 – 1968 | |
| Preceded by | C. L. McCrary |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Sallie Williams Lacy |
Member of Bienville Parish School Board
| |
| In office January 6, 1931 – May 12, 1964 | |
| Born | September 8, 1900 Castor, Bienville Parish, Louisiana |
| Died | June 7, 1998 (aged 97) Monroe, Louisiana |
| Resting place | New Ebenezer Cemetery in Castor, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Sallie Williams Lacy |
| Children | Doris Lacy Barnes (deceased)
Billie L. Ainsworth |
| Occupation | Farmer; Cattleman; Businessman Notes:
|
| Religion | United Methodist |
Biography
Lacy was born into a pioneer Bienville Parish family in the Ebenezer community south of Castor. His grandfather was one of the first educators in Bienville Parish. His father was Henry Rufus Lacy, Sr. (1870–1956); his mother,s Mattie Lacy (1870-1946). An older brother, W. S. Lacy (1894-1918), died at the age of twenty-four. His younger brother, Henry Rufus Lacy, Jr. (1902–1969), was a Castor merchant known throughout the area as Rufus Lacy.[2][3]
Prior to his legislative service, Lacy was for thirty-three years a member of the elected Bienville Parish School Board, headquartered in the parish seat of Arcadia. He served from January 6, 1931, until May 1964, when he assumed his legislative seat.
Lacy was the last person to have represented only Bienville Parish in the legislature. Until 1968, each parish regardless of its population had been guaranteed a seat in the 105-member Louisiana House. Bienville was thereafter combined with neighboring Jackson Parish to the east. Edgerton L. "Bubba" Henry, a Democrat originally from Jonesboro in Jackson Parish, defeated Lacy in the 1967 primary, and in 1972, Henry began an eight-year stint as the Speaker of the Louisiana House. Democrat Jamie Fair of Castor succeeded Henry in the seat in 1980 and served a single term until 1984.[1]
In 1970, The Shreveport Times named Lacy one of the most influential persons in Bienville Parish because many who sought guidance in business or politics came to him for advice. His great public interest was in rural development.[2]
Family and death
Lacy was married to the former Sallie Williams (June 23, 1905 – January 12, 1999),[4] who succeeded her husband as a school board member, having served from August 1964 until her retirement on December 14, 1972.[5]
The Lacys had three daughters. Doris Lacy Barnes (1925-2020), was married to Orrice Russell Barnes (1921–1996), an native of Pocatello, Idaho, whom she met at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. Until his death, they operated the Barnes Western Auto dealership in Newellton in Tensas Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Doris Barnes was an active community figure known for her zeal for public libraries and the garden club. Orrice and Doris Barnes are interred at Legion Memorial Cemetery in Newellton.[6] The youngest daughter, Carolyn L. Carrow (1934-2000), was married to Guy Elmer Carrow (1931-2018), an engineer originally from North Carolina; the Carrows are interred in Bartlesville in Washington County, Oklahoma.[7] Surviving daughter Billie L. Ainsworth and her husband, William G. Ainsworth, reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma[2]
There were six Lacy grandchildren, residing at the time of their grandfather's death in five states. The grandchildren include two physicianns, John Russell Barnes (born 1952), of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and David Lacy Barnes (born 1954), of Monroe; Terry Ainsworth Evans of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Martha Ainsworth Healey of Edmond, Oklahoma, Stephen C. Carrow of Tulsa, and T. Scott Carrow of Jacksonville, Florida.[2] A seventh grandson, William Anderson Barnes died at the age of nine months in 1961.[8] Lacy also had ten great-grandchildren.[2] Lacy died in a Monroe hospital. He and his wife are interred at the New Ebenezer Cemetery south of Castor.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2024. Louisiana House of Representatives. Retrieved on May 4, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 John Len Lacy obituary, The Shreveport Times, June 8, 1998, obtained through Theresa A. Douglas, Public Information Specialist, Office of Public Information, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
- ↑ John Len Lacy. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 22, 2020.
- ↑ Graves at New Ebenezer Cemetery, Castor, Louisiana
- ↑ Statement of Bienville Parish School Board, May 13, 2008.
- ↑ Doris Lacy Barnes. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 25, 2020.
- ↑ Carolyn Lacy Carrow. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 25, 2020.
- ↑ William Anderson Barnes. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on May 25, 2020.