J. E. Jumonville Jr.

John Enoul Jumonville Jr. (born December 30, 1942) is a horse breeder from Ventress in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana,^[1] who served as a Democrat in the Louisiana State Senate for District 17 from 1976 to 1992.^[2]

Background

Jumonville graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business. He is affiliated with the non-denominational Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge.^[3]

Jumonville began raising horses as a teenager on his family's farm-ranch. He is also retired from the oil, natural gas, and insurance industries. As a state senator, he promoted the interests of the state’s booming horse industry. He and wife, the former Beverly "Bunny" Callais (born August 1944), live on their ranch at Ventress, on which they reared their three sons, J. E. "Tres" III, Dutch, and Clayton Jumonville.^[4]As of July 2013, Jumonville either in his own name or in partnership with his family had bred 202 winners from 331 starters, who earned more than $8.49 million.^[4]

Political life

In 1976, Jumonville succeeded his father, J. E. Jumonville Sr., in the state Senate. He served until 1992, having been unseated in the general election held on November 16, 1991, by the Democrat, later Republican convert, Thomas A. Greene, a veterinarian from Maringouin in Iberville Parish. Greene defeated Jumonville by 685 votes, 25,523 (50.7 percent) to 24,838 (49.3 percent).^[5]In 1995, Greene defeated Jumonville again in a two-candidate primary race, 24,851 (57.6 percent) to 18,289 (42.4 percent).^[6]

In 1986, Jumonville ran for the United States Senate seat vacated by the retiring Russell B. Long. He finished in fifth place with 52,072 votes (4.4 percent), three votes behind the fourth-place candidate, fellow Democrat Sherman A. Bernard, the four-term Louisiana state insurance commissioner.^[7]Victory ultimately went to John Breaux, the Democrat from Crowley, who defeated the Republican Henson Moore of Baton Rouge in the subsequent general election. In 1988, Jumonville ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana's 8th congressional district seat, since disbanded; victory ultimately went to the freshman Republican Clyde C. Holloway of Rapides Parish.^[8]

In 2003, Jumonville was one of seventeen candidates for governor of Louisiana. He polled only 13,410 votes (1.25 percent).^[9] Victory went to his fellow Democrat Kathleen Blanco. A "Draft Jumonville" movement was launched in 2007 to convince him to run for Louisiana Secretary of State, but he never filed for the office,^[3] and victory went to the Republican Jay Dardenne, later the lieutenant governor and now Commissioner of Administration under Governor John Bel Edwards.

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