Randle T. Moore
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Randle Thomas Moore (born 1874 in Mooringsport, Louisiana, died 1957 in Shreveport) was an eminent figure in the development of northwestern Louisiana during the latter part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.
Moore's first business foray was the organization of the Sabine Lumber Co. in Zwolle in 1901. This interest in lumber was the direct result his marriage to Susan Martha Frost, the daughter of Enoch Wesley Frost, who had earlier founded the Frost-Trigg Lumber Co., and later the Frost-Johnson Lumber Co.. Moore later served as president on the board of the company after the convalescence and subsequent death of his father-in-law. He had other business interests, including the then fledgling Kansas City Southern Railway, the Louisiana and Arkansas railroad. In addition, he founded, owned and ran the Commercial Building Company until 1956. He was also the vice president of both the City Savings Bank and Trust and the newly founded Commercial National Bank.
Moore was also an important civic leader. He served as a member of the board of trustees of Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, the president of the Shreveport chapter of the Boy Scouts of America, the president of the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce and director of the Shreveport Young Men's Christian Association.
Moore may not have been the most savory individual. In T. Harry Williams's biography, Huey Long</>, the author quotes Long as having referred to "Randle 'Sonofabitch' Moore." The comment may have stemmed from the fact that Moore, rather early in Long's career, threw him against the dark wall of an alley next to the Commercial National Bank with a knife to the stomach, having assured Long that if Long ever did anything to jeopardize the power of Moore's bank, the next time the two met, only one would leave the alley.
[edit] Reference
T. Harry Williams, Huey Long (1969)
