Edwin Edward Willis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | James R. Domengeaux |
| Succeeded by | Patrick T. Caffery |
| Member of theLouisiana State Senate from Lafayette Parish | |
| In office 1948–1948 | |
| Preceded by | Two-member district: Edward P. Burguieres |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Trappey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1904-10-02)October 2, 1904 Arnaudville, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | October 24, 1972(1972-10-24) (aged 68) |
| Resting place | St. Michael's Cemetery in St. Martinville, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Estelle Bulliard Willis |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | St. Martinville High School Loyola University New Orleans College of Law |
| Occupation | Attorney;Planter |
Edwin Edward Willis (October 2, 1904 – October 24, 1972) was anAmericanpolitician andattorney from theU.S. state ofLouisiana who was affiliated with theLong politicalfaction.[1] ADemocrat, he served in theLouisiana State Senate during 1948 and in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1969.[2]
Willis was born in 1904 inArnaudville, Louisiana, Louisiana of Joseph Olinder Willis and Julia Marie Hardy, the youngest of 11 children.[3][4][5][2]
Willis received his law degree fromLoyola University in 1926 and was admitted to the bar that same year.[6]
From 1926 to 1936, Willis was a law lecturer.[7]
Willis's papers from 1949 to 1969 are conserved at theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette.[7][8]
Willis served on theU.S. House of Representatives' Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) from 1957 to 1968, becoming chair of the committee in 1963 following the death ofFrancis E. Walter.[9]
In 1965 and 1966, Willis lead an inquiries into theKu Klux Klan as chair of HUAC.[4][10] These investigations led to seven Klan leaders, includingRobert Shelton being cited forContempt of Congress. Shelton was found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison, plus a $1,000 fine. Three other Klan leaders, Robert Scoggin,Bob Jones, and Calvin Craig, pleaded guilty.[11] Scoggin and Jones were each sentenced to one year in prison, while Craig was fined $1,000. The charges against the others were later dropped.[9]
On February 27, 1964, at Willis's direction, the director of theHouse Committee on Un-American Activities sent a letter to then US representativeGerald Ford with a report alleging two appointees of thecongressional investigation into the assassination ofJohn F Kennedy Jr., attorneyNorman Redlich and advocateMark Lane, were affiliated withCommunist organizations.[12]
In 1965, the attorney forRobert Shelton of the United Klans of American, Shelton's attorney, met with Congressman Edwin E. Willis, Chair of theHouse Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), who was leading a congressional investigation into KKK activities at the time. At this meeting, the attorney told Willis that two weeks before the 1963assassination of John F. Kennedy Shelton had been offered the services ofLee Harvey Oswald and that Oswald had already been involved in some bombings in Alabama.[13]
After an FBI investigation into these claims, Assistant Director of the FBIDeke DeLoach, contacted Willis to inform him that the FBI had determined that the information Shelton had provided to him about Oswald was not factual citing testimony from an FBI informant mentioned by Shelton as having been present for this meeting that the meeting had never happened.[13]
In 1966 Willis suffered a series of stokes, which contributed to his defeat by his successorPatrick Caffery in the 1968 Democratic primary.[5] Willis left office in 1969.[14]
Willis died inSt. Martinville,Louisiana, on October 24, 1972 and was interred inSt. Martin of Tours Catholic Cemetery.[14]
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromLouisiana's 3rd congressional district 1949–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Two-member district: Edward P. Burguieres Cornelius P. Voorhies | Louisiana State Senator from Lafayette Parish 1948–1948 | Succeeded by Bernard Trappey |
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