Robert J. Barham
| Robert Jocelyn Barham | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries | |
|
In office January 2008 – January 11, 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Bryant Hammett |
| Succeeded by | Charlie Melancon |
| Louisiana State Senator for District 33 (Claiborne, Morehouse, Union, and West Carroll parishes) | |
|
In office 1994–2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Willie E. Crain |
| Succeeded by | Mike Walsworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 25, 1949 Monroe, Louisiana, USA |
| Political party | Democrat-turned-Republican (c. 2002) |
| Spouse(s) | Melba Pipes Barham |
| Relations | Edwards Barham (brother) |
| Children |
Robert Erle Barham |
| Parents | Erle McKoin and Rosalie Smith Barham |
| Residence |
Oak Ridge Morehouse Parish Louisiana |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Louisiana National Guard |
| Rank | Promoted to Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Robert Erle Barham
Rebecca Barham
Robert Jocelyn Barham (born January 25, 1949) is an American large-scale farmer from Morehouse Parish in northern Louisiana who served for all eight years under former Governor Bobby Jindal as the secretary of his state's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. He is a Republican former member of the Louisiana State Senate for District 33 (Claiborne, Morehouse, Union, and West Carroll parishes), all of which border Arkansas in the northeastern section of his state.
In an interview published on January 1, 2008, Barham listed his major LDWF issues would be coastal restoration and controlling invasive aquatic vegetation in lakes and waterways: "We'll be on the front lines of coastal restoration. It's a huge project. It's going to have an impact on fisheries, oyster leases, the environment — but we have no choice. We have to do it."
Though he left Wildlife and Fisheries in January 2016, Barham has returned to employment by state government. Later in the same month, he was named director of state parks and historic sites under new Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, a friend with whom Barham worked in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010.
Barham was born in Monroe to Erle McKoin "Ninety" Barham (1916–1976) and Rosalie Smith Barham (1913–1999). He grew up on the family plantation in Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish along with older brother, the late Erle Edwards Barham, who held this same Senate seat as a Republican from 1976 to 1980. Edwards Barham was the first Republican elected to the Louisiana Senate since Reconstruction. Edwards and Robert Barham were cousins of the late Democratic State Senator Charles C. Barham, who represented an adjoining district based about Ruston from 1964 to 1972 and again from 1976 to 1988.
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