Bruce M. Bolin

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Bruce Martin Bolin
Louisiana State Representative from District 10 (Webster Parish)
In office 1979 – 1990
Preceded by	R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
Succeeded by	Eugene Eason
Judge, 26th Judicial District Court of Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office  1991
Born	1950 Minden, Webster Parish, Louisiana, USA
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Third wife: Michelle Bolin
Children	Brooke Courtney Pierce Page Gammon Bolin Hope Bolin
Occupation	Attorney
(1) Bolin and his father, James E. Bolin, each held the positions of Louisiana state representative and judge of the 26th Judicial Court – thirty-eight years apart. (2) Though Bolin's House seat switched to Republican after his resignation to become judge, the Democrats promptly regained the position in the general election of November 16, 1991, and have held it since that time.

Bruce Martin Bolin (born 1950) is a current Louisiana state district court judge who was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1979 to 1990. Bolin holds court in the 26th Judicial District (Division E) based in Benton, the seat of Bossier Parish. He is a native of Minden, the seat of neighboring Webster Parish.

Bolin was born to James E. Bolin, Sr. (1914-2002) and the former Mary Eloise Martin (1913-2007). He was reared in Minden and graduated in 1968 from Minden High School, where he was a basketball manager and golfer.^[1] Bolin procured his legal credentials from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. His brother, James E. Bolin, Jr. (born 1941), is a practicing attorney in Shreveport. He also has two sisters, Beth Bolin Falk and Becky Bolin Maupin.^[2]

Bolin practiced law and served on the indigent defender board in Minden. On November 7, 1978, he ran in the special election for the District 10 seat in the Louisiana House vacated by R. Harmon Drew, Sr. Drew, a former Minden city judge, was again elected to that post in the September 16 jungle primary and had therefore resigned his House seat. Bolin led the balloting over three opponents, including Archillea Gust "Ike" Kirkikis (1926-2004),^[3]a Greek American businessman from Minden who also served for four terms on the Webster Parish Police Jury, the parish governing council; outgoing Minden Mayor Jacob E. "Pat" Patterson, and private forester William "Bill" Zachry, Jr. (born 1943), the most politically conservative of the four candidates. Bolin led the field, with 5,580 votes (47.2 percent) to Kirkikis's 2,789 (23.6 percent), Patterson's 2,687 (22.7 percent), and Zachry's 773 (6.5 percent). Patterson's son, Ricky Patterson (1951-1978),^[3] was shot to death on November 6, election-eve.^[4]

In the runoff held on December 16, Bolin prevailed, 2,698 (59.5 percent) to Kirkikis' 1,833 (40.5 percent). He hence took office on January 1, 1979, for the fifteen months remaining in Drew's unexpired term.^[5]

Bolin's father had held the same House seat from 1940-1944. Bolin served as representative for nearly a dozen years; he was unopposed for his last term in 1987. He resigned late in 1990, when he was elected to the state district judgeship. The senior Bolin had held that post too -- from 1952-1960.^[6]

Bolin was elected to full terms later in 1979, 1983, and in 1987, when he was unopposed for the third full term which he did not complete.

The House seat temporarily reverted to a Republican, Eugene Eason of Springhill in northern Webster Parish, who filled the remaining months of Bolin's term.^[7] Eason was promptly retired in the general election held on November 16, 1991 by another Democrat, educator Everett Doerge of Minden.^[8]

In his current position, Judge Bolin has on occasion served as judge pro tempore by special appointment of the Louisiana Supreme Court.^[9]

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Political offices
Preceded by R. Harmon Drew, Sr.	Louisiana State Representative from District 10 (Webster Parish) Bruce Martin Bolin 1979–1990	Succeeded by Eugene Eason