Art Sour

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Arthur W. "Art" Sour, Jr., (November 6, 1924 -- January 10, 2000) was a Shreveport businessman and a pioneer in the development of a competitive Republican Party in Louisiana. Sour served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972-1992.

He was born in Shreveport to Arthur W. Sour, Sr., (1895-1972) and Adele Sour (1897-1977). He graduated from C.E. Byrd High School. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was wounded in action. He earned his livelihood in the oil and real estate business.

1 Running for the Louisiana legislature
2 Defeating Frank Fulco
3 Melissa Flournoy retires Sour
4 References

[edit] Running for the Louisiana legislature

Sour first ran for the legislature in 1964 and again in 1968 but was defeated by Democrats in multi-district races. He was part of the Caddo Parish slate supporting Republican Charlton Havard Lyons, Sr., of Shreveport for governor in 1964. Then he ran in 1968 on a ticket headed locally by incumbent State Representative Taylor W. O'Hearn. O'Hearn and all the Republican candidates except one seeking reelection to the parish police jury [county commission in other states] were defeated that year.

[edit] Defeating Frank Fulco

When a single-member district plan took effect with the general election ofMarch 1972, Sour, who was committed to the gubernatorial candidacy of fellow Republican David C. Treen of Jefferson Parish, upset the Democrat Frank Fulco, Sr., to win the first of his five terms in the legislature. Sour, in District 6, defeated Fulco, 5,564 (53.2 percent) to 4,886 (46.8 percent). Shreveport political observers said that Fulco had ignored his fellow Catholic Sour, already a two-time loser for the legislature, and concentrated instead on lining up commitments to become the next Speaker of the House, a position which ultimately went to Fulco's fellow Democrat, E.L. "Bubba" Henry of Jonesboro in Jackson Parish. Other Republicans elected with Sour were B.F. O'Neal, Jr. of Shreveport, Clark Gaudin of Baton Rouge, and Charles D. Lancaster, Jr. of Metairie in Jefferson Parish.

In 1975, when Sour was reelected, he had only four Republican colleagues, and one of those, A.J. McNamara of Jefferson Parish, was actually elected as a Democrat but switched affiliation in 1977.

In the October 24, 1987, jungle primary, Sour had a close call. He defeated Democrat Greg Barro by only 77 votes. Sour received 5,744 votes (50.3 percent) to Barro's 5,667 (49.7 percent). That election provided a warning to Sour, who was a leading conservative among the Republicans in northwest Louisiana.

Sour, like his Louisiana legislative colleague Louis E. "Woody" Jenkins was a member of the Council for National Policy, a conservative alternative to the Council on Foreign Relations. The CNP, which meets in Washington, was begun by either Texas billionaire Nelson Bunker Hunt or Virginia direct-mail operative Richard Viguerie as a potential balance to the CFR. CNP members included the conservative spokespersons Phyllis Schlafly and Paul Weyrich.

[edit] Melissa Flournoy retires Sour

In the October 19, 1991, jungle primary, when Edwin Washington Edwards was staging his fourth-term comeback as governor, Sour was upset by the Democrat Melissa Scott Flournoy (born 1961), 9,728 (58 percent) to 7,151 (42 percent). It was a high turnout election, and Sour got more raw votes that year than in any previous election. Yet he lost with the smaller percent. Flournoy served only a single term.

Services for Sour were held on January 12, 2000, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, where Sour was a member, with Father Peter Mangum officiating. Survivors included his wife, the former Mary Margaret Hodge (born 1928, originally from Ruston; two sons, Edwin W. Sour (born 1950) and John Michael Sour (born 1953), both of Shreveport; a daughter, Stacy Sour of Denver, Colorado; four sisters, a brother, and three grandchildren.

Preceded by Frank Fulco, Sr., (D), then at-large	Louisiana State Representative from District 6 (Shreveport) Arthur W. Sour, Jr. (R) 1972–1992	Succeeded by Melissa Flournoy (D)