Allison Kolb

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Allison Ray Kolb (November 1, 1915 -- December 23, 1973) was the Democratic auditor of Louisiana from 1952-1956, who angered many local officials in the pursuit of his job duties and was hence defeated by former Lieutenant Governor William J. "Bill" Dodd in the 1956 party primary. While he was a Democrat, Kolb was a part of the anti-Long faction in Louisiana politics. On February 6, 1968, Kolb sought a political comeback as the Republican nominee in a race to succeed retiring State Treasurer Andrew Patrick "Pat" Tugwell, Sr. (1889-1976), a member of the Long faction. Kolb was overwhelmed in the general election by Democrat Mary Evelyn Dickerson Parker, an Allen Parish native and an operative from the administrations of both former Governor Earl Kemp Long and then Governor John McKeithen.

1 Democratic campaign for auditor, 1955-1956
2 Republican campaign for treasurer, 1968
3 Kolb's obituary and legacy
4 References

[edit] Democratic campaign for auditor, 1955-1956

Kolb was a native of Colfax in Grant Parish. He was a Baton Rouge banker and businessman whom voters nominated for auditor in the 1952 Democratic primary. He was unopposed in the general election. He served under a fellow Democrat, Governor Robert F. Kennon. In 1955, Bill Dodd, after having decided against his own gubernatorial bid, announced that he would attempt to unseat Kolb in the primary held in January 1956.

In his memoirs published under the title Peapatch Politics, Dodd said with confident assurance that Kolb "would be a sitting duck for anyone who ran against him. He had alienated every local official and professional politician in Louisiana. He did it by publicizing nitpiking mistakes and suggesting that each and every sheriff, clerk of court, tax assessor, parish school superintendent, police juror (equivalent of county commissioner in Louisiana), and school board member was a crook. The news media had bragged on Allison [Kolb] while criticizing all those local officials. Allison could not have defeated Hitler, had the fuhrer been alive and running against him."

Earl Long and his wife, Blanche Revere Long (1902-1998), endorsed Dodd's candidacy against Kolb. Mrs. Long had a grudge against Kolb because, in Dodd's words, "old Allison had audited her brother and recommended that he be indicted. Her brother had purchased a lawmower through his public office and paid for it with his personal check. He did it to save a few dollars, but violated a bookkeeping rule, not any law, or even the code of ethics."

After they agreed to support Dodd for auditor, either Earl or Blanche Long, or both, enticed Wiley Douglas Fowler, Sr., a local politician from Coushatta in Red River Parish to enter the race. At first, Earl Long let Fowler speak on the platform, but Dodd said that "the public felt that I was the real Long candidate, and Fowler finally quit making our meetings. Miss Blanche threw me a couple of curves, including the printing up of some Earl Long ticket sample ballots with my number beside Fowler's name. But we caught her trick and corrected it."

Fowler lost the race, but Governor Long named him "custodian of voting machines" thereafter. The position was later called "elections commissioner," and it was abolished in 2004, with duties returned to the office of secretary of state. Long had created the post as a result of a feud that he waged with Secretary of State Wade O. Martin, Jr. (1911-1990).

Dodd sent Jack M. Dyer, a young Baton Rouge attorney and later a state representative (1960-1964), to the secretary of state's office to get photocopies of every corporation that Kolb had chartered as state auditor and on which Kolb took stock for fees and in which he became a director. Dodd found that Kolb had ordered the construction of a "semiprivate paved road" to Kolb's property. "We could find no project number. Allison got it built secretly." Dodd also challenged Kolb's involvement in the Gulf Union Corp. and the Gulf Union Holding Co. (In 1959, Dyer was Dodd's candidate for the new position of Louisiana voting machine custodian, which was won by Fowler.)

All the Long candidates were nominated in the 1956 primary. There were no runoffs because Louisiana law at the time provided for runoffs for lesser constitutional offices, including lieutenant governor, only if there was to be a second gubernatorial primary.

[edit] Republican campaign for treasurer, 1968

In 1967, Kolb switched parties and became the GOP choice for treasurer by acclamation at the state convention. With Tugwell's retirement, the only Democrat who entered the primary to succeed him was Mrs. Parker, who had originally been aided in her political development by Bill Dodd. They both had roots in Allen Parish. Over the years, however, Mrs. Parker refused to support Dodd for governor, and, in Dodd's words, undercut him whenever she could.

In his memoirs, Dodd described Mrs. Parker accordingly: "As a teacher [in Oakdale High School], I had taught her how to speak; as a legislator, I had gotten her a scholarship that gave her a college education; and as lieutenant governor, I had found her a big job in our administration. She was a wonderful speaker and a good administrator, but she must have been a born ingrate."

Mrs. Parker had also been the Louisiana welfare commissioner. She was the Democratic national committeewoman from Louisiana from 1948-1952 and was therefore a staunch party loyalist. As Dodd attested to her speaking talent, in the 1964 Democratic gubernatorial runoff primary campaign, she delivered a speech entitled "All That Glitters Is Not Gold." Though a line from Shakespeare, Mrs. Parker's speech was really a vituperative attack on the record of McKeithen's opponent, former New Orleans Mayor deLesseps Story Morrison, Sr.

Mrs. Parker ran for treasurer, with McKeithen's full support. McKeithen had defeated conservative Democratic Congressman John Richard Rarick in the primary and was unopposed in the general election for his second consecutive term, the first permitted in state history.

There was not much of a campaign for treasurer. Kolb was the only statewide Republican candidate, and voters historically will not seriously consider a minor party nominee if there is no gubernatorial candidate setting the campaign theme. Kolb claimed that his election as treasurer could bring some checks and balances to state government, which otherwise would be an all-Democratic affair.

Mrs. Parker won all 64 parishes: 337,234 (73.7 percent) to Kolb's 120,253 (26.3 percent). Kolb fared best in Lafayette Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish, where he polled 43 percent each. It was in those two parishes where Republicans had won special state legislative races in 1966 and 1967, respectively. Kolb polled 37 percent in St. Mary Parish, but elsewhere, his share of the vote was dismal.

Mrs. Parker held the treasurer's post for 19 years; she retired effective January 1, 1987. Fellow Democrat Mary Landrieu of New Orleans was elected to succeed her in a special 1987 election held at the same time as the jungle primary for a full term. Landrieu filled out Mrs. Parker's remaining months and then served two full terms as treasurer. She stepped down in 1996 and was succeeded by Democrat John Kennedy (no relation to the late president). Landrieu had run unsuccessfully for governor in the 1995 primary. In November 1996, however, she quickly revived her political fortunes with a narrow victory for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by popular Democrat J. J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. Landrieu was the first woman from Louisiana ever to be elected to the Senate.

Retiring State Republican Chairman Charlton Havard Lyons, Sr., the 1964 gubernatorial nominee, declared that he was not discouraged by Mrs. Parker's large victory over Allison Kolb. Lyons said that the GOP had "just lost one scrimmage." Lyons vowed that the Republicans would continue to be politically active until they established a two-party system in Louisiana. Kolb said that the "voice of the loyal opposition has been heard" and added that he thought a two-party format could produce checks and balances in state government.

[edit] Kolb's obituary and legacy

Kolb died in Baton Rouge General Hospital at the age of 58. Services were held at his home church, the University United Methodist Church on Christmas Eve afternoon, 1973, with Dr. Lamar Smith officiating, assisted by Dr. Benjamin Oliphint. Entombent was in the Greenoaks Mausoleum. (His old rival Dodd is buried in the Greenoaks Cemetery.) He was survived by his wife, the former Dorothy Halphen (also born 1915), four sisters, and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to the Gulf Union Corp., Kolb was associated with the Capital Bank and Trust Co., Redi-Bilt Corp., Community Bank of Lafourche, American Bank and Trust Co. of Houma, Belair Corp., and Rollins International, Inc.

He was a member of the nonpartisan Council for a Better Louisiana.

Kolb is remembered through the philanthropic Allison R. Kolb Foundation, which operates High Beam Research (highbeam.com) from Baton Rouge. In addition, the Louisiana State University College of Business Administration offers the annual Allison R. Kolb Memorial Award in the amount of $1,000 to an outstanding junior or senior who majors in banking or finance.

Kolb was the author of Louisiana's Financial Development, a Fiscal Survey, published in 1955.