Jimmy Fitzmorris
| Jimmy Fitzmorris | |
|---|---|
| 46th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana | |
|
In office May 9, 1972 – March 10, 1980 |
|
| Governor | Edwin W. Edwards |
| Preceded by | Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock |
| Succeeded by | Bobby Freeman |
| President of the Louisiana State Senate (ex officio) | |
|
In office 1972–1976 |
|
| Preceded by | Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock |
| Succeeded by | Michael H. O'Keefe |
| New Orleans City Councilman | |
|
In office 1954–1966 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 15, 1921 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Lopez Fitzmorris (married 1945-1995, her death) |
| Children | Lisa Fitzmorris Clement |
| Occupation | Railroad executive |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1942-1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
James Edward "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr. (born November 15, 1921), is a New Orleans businessman and civic leader who was the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 1972 to 1980. He was the first full-time lieutenant governor in state history, and in his first term, prior to implementation of the Constitution of 1974, he was the last lieutenant governor whose duties included presiding over the Louisiana State Senate.
In 1979, he ran third in the nonpartisan blanket primary for governor. In 1983, he was unsuccessful is his effort to regain the lieutenant governor's office.
Fitzmorris was born in New Orleans to James Edward Fitzmorris, Sr., and the former Romolia E. Hanning. He graduated from Jesuit High School and attended Loyola University of New Orleans in 1946, but did not graduate. In 1940, at the age of eighteen, Fitzmorris went to work for the Kansas City Southern Railroad as a messenger boy. He was in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 and rose from the rank of private to major.
In 1945, he married the former Gloria Lopez (July 7, 1923–July 1995), and they had a daughter, Lisa Marie, who is now married to Bruce Clement. He has two granddaughters, Madeline Gloria and Meredith Rose Clement.
By 1946, not only had he returned to KCS, but he had entered management and was recognized as one of the youngest railroad executives in the nation. Fitzmorris, who served as vice president of the KCS Railroad for many years, is currently serving as a consultant to the railroad providing more than sixty years of experience.
Fitzmorris was a Democratic member of the New Orleans City Council from 1954 to 1966. In his first term, his colleagues included his subsequent opponent for mayor, Victor Schiro, and A. Brown Moore, a World War II decorated veteran who ran for lieutenant governor in 1956. Fitzmorris represented District 6 from 1954 to 1962 and was the councilman at-large from 1962 to 1966. In the election of 1965, Fitzmorris challenged incumbent Mayor Schiro in the Democratic primary and appeared to have a strong chance of success. One of the other candidates, Gerald J. Gallinghouse, later the crusading U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, withdrew from the race to support Fitzmorris, who also carried the endorsement of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Former Louisiana state senator, secretary of state, and insurance commissioner James H. "Jim" Brown maintains that Fitzmorris would have unseated Schiro had not Hurricane Betsy struck New Orleans on September 10, 1965. The storm changed the dynamics of the race, as the media depicted U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson with Mayor Schiro offering repeated personal assistance to hurricane victims, Brown explained. Fifty people died, and thousands of homes were destroyed. The mere challenger, Councilman Fitzmorris, was by virtue of his position nearly outside the loop. "But such is politics, and after it's over you learn to laugh it off, which I did," Fitzmorris said, of Hurricane Betsy and the dashing of his mayoral hopes.
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Wikipedia