J. D. Batton
| John David "J. D." Batton | |
|---|---|
| Sheriff of Webster Parish, Louisiana | |
|
In office July 1, 1952 – May 1, 1964 |
|
| Preceded by | O. H. Haynes, Sr. |
| Succeeded by | O. H. Haynes, Jr. |
| Chief of Police of Minden, Louisiana | |
|
In office July 1, 1948 – July 1, 1952 |
|
| Preceded by | Mrs. Benjamin Garey Gantt (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Otis F. Minter, Sr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 13, 1911 Minden, Webster Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Died | February 10, 1981 (aged 69) Minden, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Minden |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Maxine Evans Batton |
| Relations | Jack Batton (brother) |
| Children |
Roger Evans Batton |
| Alma mater | Tyler Commercial College |
| Occupation |
Law-enforcement officer |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Roger Evans Batton
John Willis Batton
Law-enforcement officer
John David Batton, known as J. D. Batton (February 13, 1911 – February 10, 1981), was from 1952 to 1964 the sheriff of his native Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. He was defeated after three terms by O. H. Haynes, Jr., a fellow Democrat and the son of the sheriff, O. H. Haynes, Sr., whom Batton had himself unseated twelve years earlier.
Born in the parish seat of Minden, Batton was the older of two sons of James Bryant Batton (1880-1939) and Nolie K. Batton (1881-1971). Batton graduated in 1929 from Minden High School and for a year thereafter attended Tyler Commercial College in Tyler, Texas.
Batton's father, J. B. Batton, a native of rural Dubberly in south Webster Parish, was a former Webster Parish deputy sheriff, a two-term Minden police chief, and an unsuccessful candidate for sheriff in an all-Democratic special election conducted on June 6, 1933. Held barely a month after a devastating tornado struck the city on May 1, the election was required to replace Sheriff Arthur Montgomery Hough (1873-1933), who died on May 7 of influenza.
As the chief deputy under Sheriff Hough, the senior O. H. Haynes won the special election in which 80 percent of registered voters cast ballots. His bare majority, 50.8 percent of the vote, negated the need for a runoff election. The runner-up in the race, with 22.2 percent, was Louie A. Jones (1900-1965), the assistant superintendent of the Louisiana State Police and personal bodyguard of Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr., and subsequently the warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in West Feliciana Parish. Another candidate, J. D. Huckaby, was the president of the Webster Parish Police Jury. J. Bryant Batton finished last in the race with 7.8 percent of the ballots cast; he won a plurality only in his native Dubberly. Haynes, Sr., held the sheriff's position for nineteen years.
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