Richard Burford
| Richard Terry "Richie" Burford | |
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| Louisiana State Representative for District 7 (Caddo, DeSoto, and Sabine parishes) |
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In office January 14, 2008 – January 11, 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Beverly G. Bruce |
| Succeeded by | Larry Bagley |
| Member of DeSoto Parish Police Jury | |
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In office 1996–2008 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | August 19, 1946 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Occupation | Beef and dairy farmer |
| Burford is the first Republican since Reconstruction to represent a part of DeSoto Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives. | |
Richard Terry Burford, known as Richie Burford (born August 19, 1946), is a beef and dairy farmer from Stonewall, Louisiana, who is a Republican former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 7, which encompasses southern Caddo, DeSoto, and Sabine parishes in the northwestern portion of the state. Burford is the first Republican to represent DeSoto Parish in the state legislature since Reconstruction.
In 2015, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Louisiana State Senate in District 38 to succeed the term-limited Republican Sherri Smith Cheek Buffington. A second Republican defeated in the Senate race was the conservative Cloyce Clark, who had vowed "New Conservative Leadership" had he been elected.
Prior to his legislative service, which began on January 14, 2008, Burford was one of eleven members of the DeSoto Parish Police Jury (the parish governing council), having represented District 3 since 1996. He is a member of the DeSoto Parish Chamber of Commerce.
As a legislator, Burford pledged to support Blueprint Louisiana, a group which proposes reforms in the way Louisiana conducts its state government and promotes high technology and economic development. It is chaired by former State Representative Sean Reilly, an officer of Lamar Advertising Company in Baton Rouge.
In the general election held on November 17, 2007, Burford defeated Democrat Kenny Ray Cox of Mansfield, 4,993 (63 percent) to 2,990 (37 percent) to win the House seat. In October 20 jungle primary, Burford and Cox led three other candidates, Republican Dennis Freeman, the since deceased mayor of Logansport in DeSoto Parish, and Democrats Hilda Fair Rives and John G. Russell, a bank executive. Burford succeeded term-limited Democrat Beverly G. Bruce, who was first elected in District 7 in 1995, when she defeated the Republican Tommy Gene Armstrong, 7,027 (53 percent) to 62,35 (47 percent). Bruce ran without opposition in both 1999 and 2003.
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