Jack Breaux
| Jack Louis Breaux, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Zachary, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, USA | |
|
In office 1966–1980 |
|
| Preceded by | Stanley M. Noble |
| Succeeded by | Jessie Pendergest, III |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 6, 1926 Carencro, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana |
| Died | January 26, 1980 (aged 53) Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Resting place | Azalea Rest Cemetery in Zachary, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Breaux was the first Republican since Reconstruction to have been elected to the office of mayor in the state of Louisiana. |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Ellis Breaux |
| Children |
Dr. Jack Breaux, Jr. |
| Alma mater | University of Louisiana at Lafayette |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Dr. Jack Breaux, Jr.
Jack Louis Breaux, Sr. (November 6, 1926 – January 26, 1980) was the Republican mayor of Zachary, Louisiana, in East Baton Rouge Parish for nearly fourteen years — from his first election in 1966 until his death of a brain tumor. He was also the first member of his party since Reconstruction to head the municipal government of a Louisiana city.
Breaux (no relation to Democratic U.S. Senator John Breaux) was elected as a part-time mayor in the spring of 1966. In 1978 the Zachary municipal charter was altered to provide for a full-time mayor, and Breaux (pronounced BRO) was again chosen to lead his community.
Breaux was born in Carencro, (Lafayette Parish), where his father, Lawrence L. Breaux, had been mayor. He graduated from Carencro High School and thereafter served in the United States Navy in World War II. After the war, he attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then the University of Southwestern Louisiana, from 1947 to 1950. He moved to Zachary in 1951. He was an industrial and labor relations supervisor at Copolymer Rubber and Chemical Corp., until his retirement to become Zachary's full-time mayor in 1978.
Using a door-to-door campaign approach, Breaux was elected mayor on June 14, 1966, by a 15-vote margin, 353 to 338, to unseat incumbent Democrat Stanley M. Noble. When Breaux became mayor, Zachary had a population of about 4,000; the 2000 census showed the count at just under 12,000.
Under the Breaux administration, Zachary was named the "most progressive" city in Louisiana. Mayor Breaux initiated the expansion and improvement of many city projects and programs, including the widening of state Highway 64. As mayor, Breaux led the drive for annexation of several outlying areas of the city. In his last race for mayor, he cited his achievements as improvements in roads, water, and the city drainage system.
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