Clyde Holloway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theLouisiana Public Service Commission from the 4th district | |
| In office May 13, 2009 – October 16, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Dale Sittig |
| Succeeded by | Charles W. DeWitt Jr. |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's8th district | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Catherine Small Long |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Clyde Cecil Holloway (1943-11-28)November 28, 1943 |
| Died | October 16, 2016(2016-10-16) (aged 72) Forest Hill,Louisiana, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
Clyde Cecil Holloway (November 28, 1943 – October 16, 2016) was an American politician, small business owner, andRepublican politician fromLouisiana who served as a member of theU.S. House of Representatives and as one of five members of the Louisiana Public Service Commission.[1]
Clyde was born to James and Ever Holloway as the fourth of seven children. In 1968, he started the Clyde Holloway Nursery with his wife, Catherine K. Holloway.[2] The couple also operated the Forest Hill Speedway for over two decades.
Holloway first gained public attention in 1980, when he led ananti-bussing movement inRapides Parish, opposing a federal court'sdesegregation order. He led a group of white parents who seized a local elementary school that was set to be shuttered and operated it for their children.[3] Holloway told reporters that he doubted federal judgeNauman Scott "would send federal marshals" to empty the building. Prompted by local support, Holloway launched hisfirst campaign for Congress, losing toincumbentGillis Long by more than 40 percentage points.[4]
Holloway faced pushback for a public forum at which he said he would no longer urge his followers to remain calm: "If they want to burn [schools], let them go. We don't have anything left so let them do it."[5] The local daily,The Town Talk, called it a "betrayal" of his supporters and that Holloway had given "his personal go-ahead Friday night to those who think the torching of school buildings is the best solution to the desegregation mess."[6]
After failing to stop the desegregation order, Holloway and his wife launched theForrest Hill Academy, asegregation academy, in protest and ran it until its closure in 2004.[7][8]
Holloway won election toLouisiana's 8th congressional district as a Republican, and was re-elected two more times before being redistricted to the6th district and losing re-election. Holloway won the first round of votes againstRichard Baker, but lost in the runoff with 49.4% of the vote to Baker's 50.6%. He was a candidate for Governor in the 1991 jungle primary, ultimately running a distant fourth behind GovernorBuddy Roemer, State Representative and formerKu Klux Klan wizardDavid Duke, and the ultimate winner, former GovernorEdwin Edwards.
Holloway served as a member of theLouisiana Public Service Commission since 2009 and was its chairman at the time of his death. He was buried with a memorial arrangement at Forest Hill Town Hall.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's 8th congressional district 1987–1993 | Constituency abolished |