J. E. Jumonville, Jr.

John Enoul Jumonville, Jr.
Louisiana State Senator for District 17 (Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana parishes)
In office 1976–1992
Preceded by	J. E. Jumonville, Sr.
Succeeded by	Thomas A. Greene
Born	December 30, 1942 Place of birth missing
Political party	Democrat
Spouse(s)	Beverly Ruth Callais "Bunny" Jumonville (married c. 1968)
Children	J. E. "Tres" Jumonville, III Dutch C. Jumonville Clayton Templet Jumonville
Residence	Ventress, Pointe Coupee Parish Louisiana, USA
Alma mater	Louisiana State University
Occupation	Horse breeder; rancher Businessman
Religion	Non-denominational Christian

John Enoul Jumonville, Jr., known as J. E. Jumonville, Jr. (born December 30, 1942), is a horse breeder from Ventress, a rural census-designated place in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, who served as a Democrat state senator for District 17 from 1976 to 1992.

Background

Jumonville graduated from Louisiana State University in the capital city of Baton Rouge with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business. He is affiliated with the non-denominational Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge.

Jumonville began raising horses as a teenager on his family's farm-ranch. He is also retired from the oil, natural gas, and insurance industries. As a state senator, he promoted the interests of the state's booming horse industry. He and wife, the former Beverly "Bunny" Callais (born August 1944), live on their ranch, Jumonville Farms, at Ventress, on which they reared their three sons, J. E. "Tres," III, Dutch, and Clayton Jumonville. As of July 2013, Jumonville either in his own name or in partnership with his family had bred 202 winners from 331 starters, who earned more than $8.49 million.

In 2013, Jumonville was honored for his then fifty years of horse beeeding by the American Quarter Horse Association at the organization's annual meeting in Amarillo, Texas. In 2019, Jumonville was inducted into the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association Hall of Fame.

Political life

In 1976, Jumonville succeeded his father, J. E. Jumonville, Sr., in the state Senate. He served until 1992, having been unseated in the general election held on November 16, 1991, by the Democrat, later Republican convert, Thomas A. Greene, a veterinarian from Maringouin, in Iberville Parish. Greene defeated Jumonville by 685 votes, 25,523 (50.7 percent) to 24,838 (49.3 percent). In 1995, Greene defeated Jumonville again in a two-candidate primary race, 24,851 votes (57.6 percent) to 18,289 (42.4 percent).

In 1986, Jumonville ran for the United States Senate seat vacated by the retiring Russell Long, son of Huey Pierce Long, Jr.. He finished in fifth place with 52,072 votes (4.4 percent), three votes behind the fourth-place candidate, fellow Democrat Sherman Albert Bernard, Sr. (1925-2012), then the four-term Louisiana state insurance commissioner. Victory ultimately went to John Breaux, the Democrat from Crowley in Acadia Parish, who defeated the Republican William Henson Moore of Baton Rouge in the subsequent general election. In 1988, Jumonville ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana's 8th congressional district seat, since disbanded; victory ultimately went to the freshman Republican Clyde Holloway of south Rapides Parish.

In 2003, Jumonville was one of seventeen candidates for governor of Louisiana, but he polled only 13,410 votes (1.25 percent). Victory went to his fellow Democrat Kathleen Blanco. A "Draft Jumonville" effort was launched in 2007 to convince him to run for Louisiana Secretary of State, but he never filed for the office, and victory went to the Republican John L. "Jay" Dardenne, a former state senator and lieutenant governor who is now the state commissioner of administration.