Ben Bagert
| Ben Bagert | |
|---|---|
Ben Bagert
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| Louisiana State Representative from District 24, later District 98 (Orleans Parish) | |
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In office 1970–1984 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas A. Early Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Garey Forster |
| Louisiana State Senator from District 4 (Orleans Parish) | |
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In office 1984–1992 |
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| Preceded by | Michael H. O'Keefe Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Marc Morial |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bernard John Bagert Jr. January 10, 1944 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democrat-turned-Republican |
| Alma mater |
Jesuit High School Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans College of Law |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Bernard John Bagert Jr. (born January 10, 1944), known as Ben Bagert, is an American attorney based in New Orleans who formerly served in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature. Bagert's peers have consistently voted him as a “Top Lawyer” in the New Orleans area in a variety of fields. He enjoys the highest possible rating conferred by Martindale-Hubbell for ethical standards and legal ability.
As a legislator, he was known as a politician who did not follow structured party dogma. A cultural and economic conservative with a pro-environment orientation, he was the first Louisiana legislator to warn of "Louisiana's tragic loss of wetland habitat." He consistently opposed taxes and the expansion of government programs and enacted bills to reform the "welfare laws" then in effect. Bagert, who maintained an active litigation law practice while the legislature was not in session, authored Louisiana Code of Evidence in 1988, Senate Bill 155 which became Act 515 of 1988.
In 1990, Bagert mounted a Republican challenge to entrenched incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston Jr. of Shreveport. The controversial former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke also entered the race as a Republican. Although Duke was opposed by the Louisiana Republican Party, he gathered immense media attention and significant support from traditionally Democratic and union voters, which made him a serious candidate. At the time, Republican and Democratic candidates for Congress ran simultaneously in Louisiana's nonpartisan blanket primary.
As the election drew near, it became apparent to Bagert that he would run third and that Duke might defeat Johnston in the anticipated runoff election. Asserting that the election of Duke would set back emerging conservative principles for many years, Bagert withdrew from the race two days before the election to make it less likely that Duke would enter a runoff election.
In 1991, Bagert did not seek reelection to the Louisiana State Senate and instead ran as the Republican choice for Attorney General in an unsuccessful bid to succeed the retiring William J. "Billy" Guste Jr. also of New Orleans. Oddly David Duke was again at the top of the Republican ticket in the race for governor that year against Edwin Edwards. He returned full-time to his successful law practice. He has been elected several times to Republican Party office and the Republican State Central Committee and has been a delegate to the National Republican Convention. Bagert was the lawyer for Robert Dole and Elizabeth Dole in each of their unsuccessful presidential campaigns.
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Wikipedia