Dud Lastrapes
| William Dudley "Dud" Lastrapes, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, USA | |
|
In office 1980–1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Kenneth F. "Kenny" Bowen |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth F. "Kenny" Bowen |
| Chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party | |
|
In office 1992–1994 |
|
| Preceded by | William A. "Billy Nungesser |
| Succeeded by | Michael Gordon "Mike" Francis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 30, 1929 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Spouse(s) | Rhonda Rougelot Lastrapes (1957-1989, divorced) |
| Children |
William Dean Lastrapes (born 1958) |
| Profession | former broadcast journalist |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| First 20th century Republican mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana | |
William Dean Lastrapes (born 1958)
William Dudley Lastrapes, Jr., known as Dud Lastrapes (born November 30, 1929), is a Lafayette businessman who from 1980 to 1992 was the first Republican since Reconstruction to have served as mayor of his city, the fourth largest in Louisiana.
Prior to his three-term mayoralty tenure, Lastrapes (pronounced LA STRAPS) was a member of the Lafayette Parish School Board from 1972 to 1980. After his mayoral service, Lastrapes served a term as chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party from 1992 to 1994. In 1997, Lastrapes was appointed to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board by then Republican Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr. He served until 2008 and was ineligible to have been reappointed.
Lastrapes was originally a Democrat, but he switched his registration to Republican in 1959, when he was not quite thirty years of age. At the time, the state Republican Party had fewer than nine thousand registered members. Hence very few living Louisiana Republicans have been members of the party longer than Lastrapes.
Lastrapes was born in New Orleans to William Dudley Lastrapes, Sr. (1897–1973), and the former Gertrude Schminke (1895–1985), but he was reared in Opelousas, the seat of St. Landry Parish in south Louisiana. The senior Lastrapes owned the Opelousas Credit Bureau and published the local Legal Times. Lastrapes graduated from Opelousas High School in 1946. He then attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (previously known as Southwestern Louisiana Institute). In 1950, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and communications.
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