Ernest S. Clements
| Ernest S. Clements | |
|---|---|
| Louisiana State Senator for Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Davis parishes | |
|
In office 1936–1944 |
|
| Preceded by | Clement M. Moss |
| Succeeded by |
James O. Dolby |
| Louisiana Public Service Commissioner from District 2 | |
|
In office 1956–1974 |
|
| Preceded by | E. P. Roy |
| Succeeded by | Thomas E. Powell (revised District 4) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 17, 1898 |
| Died | May 17, 1987 (aged 89) |
| Political party | Gubernatorial candidate, 1944 |
| Spouse(s) | Rene Clements |
| Residence | Oberlin, Allen Parish, Louisiana, USA |
James O. Dolby
Ernest S. Clements (April 17, 1898 – May 17, 1987) was a seemingly unlikely member of the Long political faction in Louisiana in a career which spanned thirty-eight years from the 1930s to the 1970s. The pious, introverted Clements did not fit the public image of the no-holds-barred, extroverted Long man. William J. "Bill" Dodd, a long-time observer of Louisiana politics and a Clements friend, described him as "zealous and a fine orator in the old-school style . . . [but] so humorless, straitlaced, and self-righteous that none of us, from Earl (Earl Kemp Long) on down to the sound-truck drivers, could keep from playing tricks on him."
Clements served in the Louisiana State Senate from 1936 to 1944, when he gave up the seat, won by Gilbert Franklin Hennigan, to launch a quixotic campaign for governor. Most of his fellow Longites were openly supporting an elderly attorney and former U.S. representative, Lewis L. Morgan of Covington in St. Tammany Parish. Clements polled only 20,404 votes in the Democratic primary. The winner that year was Jimmie Davis, a popular singer and occasional actor.
In 1948, Governor Earl Long named Clements head of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, a plum political prize. Clements, however, had expected to be named to head the highway department, a patronage distributor, and he was known for placing demanding "deadheads" on the state payroll. These are individuals who collect government checks for doing little or no productive labor. Bill Dodd said that Earl Long told Clements: "Ernest, you ain't gonna take over that highway business. You ain't got sense enough to handle it. I'm willing to put you in charge of them coons and possums [Wildlife and Fisheries]. You can take it or leave it!" So Clements, unsurprisingly but offended at Long's high-handed attitude, accepted the appointment.
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