John T. David

John Thomas David, Sr. (August 30, 1897–April 5, 1974)^[1] was the Democratic mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, from 1946-1955. After scandal forced him from the mayor's office, he remained the chief of the Minden Volunteer Fire Department (1934–1971) and served three terms as well on the Webster Parish Police Jury from 1956-1968 (equivalent to county commission in other states). As mayor, David sought to increase available housing in the post-World War II era when military personnel returned home, married, and started families.

Mayoral races

Mayor J. Frank Colbert, a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, did not seek reelection in 1946. David and three other candidates, insurance agent Castle O. Holland (1895–1981), former Mayor David William Thomas, and businessman Homer D. Acklen, hence entered the Democratic primary. Holland, who had been a member of the United States Marine Corps during World War I, was active in the American Legion, the Minden Chamber of Commerce, and the Lions Club. He was later named president of the former People's Bank and Trust Company in Minden. Holland led David in the primary by 19 votes, and the two entered a May 7 runoff election, in which David prevailed, 1,064-844.^[2] Once in office, David and the new streets and parks commissioner, Jack Batton, a future mayor, procured council passage of a plan to blacktop eight miles of dirt streets in the city. The project began with the link from Bayou Avenue to the Minden Cemetery. That initial phase was completed in three months.^[3]

In 1950, David narrowly won his third term as mayor in a runoff, again, against banker C.O. Holland, 1,172 to 1,039 votes.^[4] A 27-year-old attorney, A. Eugene Frazier, had been eliminated in the first round of primary voting.^[5] In 1952, David again was a narrow winner for another two-year- mayoral term. In the primary, David led A. Eugene Frazier, who made a second mayoral bid, this time on a platform calling for flouridation of municipal water, and another young lawyer, Henry G. Hobbs. The tabulations were 1,257 to 1,171 to 296, respectively.^[6] In the runoff election on May 13, David defeated Frazier, 1,593 to 1,250.^[7]

On July 1, 1954, David was sworn in to his fifth two-year term as mayor. He had defeated by 87 votes businessman and furniture store owner Paul Wallace (1896–1969),^[1] a former member of the Minden City Council. The tally in the April 6 Democratic primary was, 1,437 (51.6 percent) to 1,350 (48.4 percent).^[8] In his last race for mayor, David ran an advertisement in the local newspaper proclaiming himself as "Fair, Courteous, Impartial, Independent."^[9] David advocated a four-year term for the office of mayor, a change approved by the Louisiana State Legislature.^[10]

On February 23, 1955, David resigned as mayor when the Louisiana Supreme Court upheld his conviction of two misdemeanors for illegal liquor sales in his Minden drugstore, a common practice known as bootlegging in a prohibition city. Judge James E. Bolin, Sr., sentenced David to a $600 fine and 120 days at the Webster Parish Penal Farm. His resignation was confirmed in a February 23, 1955, letter to then Governor Robert F. Kennon, ironically himself a former mayor of Minden.^[11] The penal farm is managed by the police jury, the body to which David was elected in 1956, 1960, and 1964. In his first term on the police jury, David served from the former Ward 4 with Leland G. Mims, W. Nick Love, and Claude R. Huckaby.^[12]

David had been allied with pro-Long elements within the Democratic Party but had not been an open enemy of the hometown Governor Kennon, then a leader of the anti-Long faction of the dominant party. Anti-Long elements in Minden sought to remove David as mayor, and the state police raid which netted David in November 1954 proved fortuitous from their standpoint.^[13] Paul Wallace ran in the special election to complete David's term but was again defeated. Businessman Jasper Goodwill prevailed over Wallace, 944 (52.4 percent) to 858 (47.6 percent).^[14]

On April 7, 1962, David attempted a comeback in the Democratic primary for mayor but lost to incumbent Frank T. Norman, 1,536 to 578. A third candidate, W.O. Cook, polled 236 votes.^[15]

Personal life

In addition to his David Drugs, he operated David Furniture in Minden and was part-owner with Harold Martin Turner (1911–1988) of the former Southern Kitchen Restaurant in Minden. He was a member of the Emmanuel Baptist Church on the Homer Road in Minden. David and his wife, the former Irma Mizell (February 5, 1903—September 29, 1989),^[1] had a son, John T. David, Jr. (November 12, 1922—September 15, 1991), a corporal during World War II.^[16]

John David, Jr., and wife, Yvonne David, had four children, Mayor David's grandchildren: Johnny Ross David (born 1943),^[17] Dinah David Garcia (born 1947), Sally Irene David (born 1957), and Joe David, and six great-grandchildren. He also had two brothers, Larkin C. David (February 16, 1902—July 12, 1988)^[1] and J.B. David, and five sisters. John David's niece, Leatrice David West, was the daughter-in-law of Minden department store owner H.O. West. David died in Minden Medical Center and was interred in the family plot at the Minden Cemetery.^[18]

References