John H. Overton

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John Holmes Overton (September 17, 1875 – May 14, 1948) was an attorney and Democratic United States representative and U.S. senator from Louisiana. His nephew, Overton Brooks, was also a congressman -- from the Shreveport-based Fourth District of Louisiana.

Born in Marksville, the seat of Avoyelles Parish, Overton was the youngest son of Judge Thomas Overton and the former Laura Waddill. He graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge in 1895, from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1897, and was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1898.

He established a law practice with four partners in Alexandria and was the city attorney as well. He was a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors. In 1905, he married the former Ada Ruth Dismukes of Natchitoches, and they had three daughters, Katherine (born 1910), Mary Elizabeth (born 1912), and Ruth (born 1916), and a son, John H. Overton, Jr., (1914-1946).

In 1918, Overton ran for the U.S. Senate but was defeated by the incumbent Joseph E. Ransdell, an Alexandria native living in Lake Providence, the seat of East Carroll Parish. Overton charged irregularities in the outcome of the election. Overton went on to become a staunch supporter of Huey Pierce Long, Jr., and served as Long's counsel in the latter's impeachment proceedings.

He entered Congress by appointment even though the United States Constitution requires special elections to fill vacancies. Overton filled the Eighth District U.S. House seat vacated by the death of Representative James B. Aswell of Natchitoches. He served in the House for slightly less than one term: from May 12, 1931, to March 3, 1933.

In 1932, he ran successfully for the U.S. Senate. He defeated the incumbent Edwin S. Broussard of New Iberia for the Democratic senatorial nomination, then equivalent to election in Louisiana. This time, Broussard charged fraud and voter irregularities. A Senate investigating committee held two weeks of hearings in February 1933. Overton was nevertheless seated without opposition on the then first day of the congressional session, March 4.

Overton was reelected in 1938 and 1944, as has been traditional with incumbent Democratic senators in Louisiana. His committee memberships included Appropriations, Manufactures, Commerce, and Irrigation and Reclamation.

He was a segregationist; he opposed an amendment to the Selective Service Act of 1940 that allowed the voluntary enlistment of minorities, on the grounds that it could lead to mixed units. He was quoted in 1947 as having said that "the Democratic South stands for white supremacy".

Overton's last term was cut short by his death at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. His remains were buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Pineville in Rapides Parish. His house in Alexandria was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. In 1998, Overton was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.

[edit] References

• "John Holmes Overton" A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, Vol. II (1988), p. 623
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Alexandria Daily Town Talk, May 15, 1948
• Alcee Fortier, Louisiana (1909)
• T. Harry Williams, Huey Long (1969)
• New Orleans Times-Picayune, February 26, 1933; November 5, 1944
• http://www.cityofwinnfield.com/museum.html

Preceded by James B. Aswell	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 8th congressional district 1931–1933	Succeeded by Cleveland Dear
Preceded by Edwin S. Broussard	United States Senator (Class 3) from Louisiana 1933–1948 Served alongside: Huey Long,Rose McConnell Long,Allen J. Ellender	Succeeded by William C. Feazel