B. F. O'Neal, Jr.

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Benjamin Franklin "Ben" O'Neal, Jr., (June 23, 1922 -- April 29, 2004) was a Shreveport businessman and a pioneer in the development of the modern Republican Party in Louisiana. O'Neal was a member of the Caddo Parish Police Jury (now the Caddo Parish Commission) from 1964-1968 and the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1972-1988.

He was born in Shreveport to Benjamin F. O'Neal, Sr., (1889-1968) and the former Abbie Hendrick. O'Neal's grandfather, also B.F. O'Neal, of Benton, the seat of Bossier Parish, was the U.S. marshal for the Western District of Louisiana. The grandfather was a delegate to the 1900 Republican National Convention, which renominated President William McKinley and then New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt for vice president. The grandfather died in New Orleans in 1910, while he was visiting a son. Hence, unlike most Louisiana Republicans, who were former Democrats, O'Neal came from an old Republican family.

O'Neal graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Thereafter, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps Reserve. After he completed flight training, he became an instructor in the pilot training program and, later, he was assigned duty as a pilot for the commander of the Western Flying Training Command.

He returned to Shreveport after World War II and entered the real estate business with his father in the firm known as "B.F. O'Neal & Son, Realtors." In 1960, he was elected president of the Shreveport-Bossier Board of Realtors and was named "Realtor of the Year." He was a vice president of the National Association of Realtors and was a member of the "Build America Better" Committee.

1 Caddo Parish Police Jury
2 Four terms in the state legislature
3 O'Neal's obituary
4 References

[edit] Caddo Parish Police Jury

O'Neal was elected to the police jury (now called the Caddo Parish Commission) in the March 3, 1964, general election. He was aided in his victory by coattails provided by the Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlton Havard Lyons, Sr., of Shreveport. He and Owen Adams of Greenwood, later of Houston, Texas, were the first two Republicans to serve on the police jury since Charles T. Beaird (1922-2006), who had been elected in 1956.

On the police jury, O'Neal worked for equalization of tax assessments, which resulted in most parish homeowners having their assessments lowered from 40 percent to 25 percent. He was chairman of the special committee responsible for the development of an industrial park on the site of the former Caddo Parish Penal Farm.

[edit] Four terms in the state legislature

In 1968, O'Neal first ran at-large for the state legislature but was defeated when the Democrats swept the state and local offices in Caddo Parish, except for Police Juror Owen Adams, who retained his seat. Still, O'Neal led the GOP legislative ticket with 13,709 votes that year.

In 1972, aided again by coattails from the Republican gubernatorial candidate, David C. Treen, O'Neal was elected to the state legislature in a single-member district. O'Neal polled 7,065 votes (54.9 percent) in a race against Democratic nominee Gard Wayt, a Shreveport insurance executive, who drew 5,606 votes (43.6 percent). (The American Party choice, Maud C. Walton, received 193 ballots or 1.5 percent.)

O'Neal was one of only four Republicans in the 105-member body at that time. His GOP colleagues included Arthur W. "Art" Sour, Jr., also of Shreveport, who upset Democratic incumbent Frank Fulco, Sr. Sour polled 5,564 votes (53.2 percent) to Fulco's 4,886 (46.8 percent). Sour served until 1992, having been defeated in the 1991 primary.

The other Republican lawmakers were Clark Gaudin of Baton Rouge, who polled 6,949 votes (51 percent) to Democrat Lillian Walker's 6,645 (49 percent) and Charles D. Lancaster, Jr., who defeated Democrat Calvin P. "Chuck" Lee in a Jefferson Parish contest, 6,018 (53.3 percent) to Lee's 5,281 (46.7 percent). Gaudin had won the House seat in a special 1967 election, lost it in 1968, and rebounded with his 1972 victory. Lancaster was defeated after a single term in 1975 but returned to victory in 1979.

O'Neal, meanwhile, was unopposed in the first-ever jungle primary of 1975. At that time, 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.

He was also reelected without opposition in 1979, when Treen won the governorship. O'Neal was elected to his fourth and final term in 1983. He retired from the House in 1988. He was succeeded by his fellow conservative Republican, a young attorney, and later judge, Roy Brun.

O'Neal was a member of the Education Commission of the States, the American Legislative Council, the National Conference of State Legislators, the Council for National Policy, and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI). His favorite hobby was hunting on his family farm.

[edit] O'Neal's obituary

O'Neal was mortally injured in an automobile accident on April 4, 2004. He died 25 days later. Survivors included his wife, Nancy Johns O'Neal (born 1925), and their children, Jane O'Neal de Bessonet (born 1950) of Baton Rouge, Dr. Barron Johns O'Neal (born 1952) of Shreveport, Lisa O'Neal Childs (born 1955) of Shreveport, and Mary O'Neal Johnson of Jackson, Mississippi, and twelve grandchildren.

A memorial service was held on May 1, 2004, at St. Marks' Episcopal Cathedral in Shreveport, with the Very Reverend M.L. Agnew, Jr., dean of the cathedral, officiating. Pallbearers included Charlton H. Lyons, Jr., (son of the late Republican gubernatorial candidate) and former Caddo Parish legislative colleague Bruce Lynn. Honorary pallbearers included Judges Tom Stagg and Roy Brun, both of Shreveport.

Preceded by At-large membership (D)	Louisiana State Representative from District 5 (Shreveport) Benjamin Franklin "Ben" O'Neal, Jr. (R) 1972–1988	Succeeded by Roy L. Brun (R)