Roger F. Villere, Jr.

Roger F. Villere Jr.
Villere in New Orleans in June 2011.
Louisiana Republican Party State Chairman
In office 2004 – Current
Preceded by	Patricia Phillips “Pat” Brister
Personal details
Born	Roger Francis Villere Jr. (1949-08-16) August 16, 1949 (age 68) New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, USA
Spouse(s)	Donna Gunckel Villere
Children	Roger F. Villere III Mark Charles Villere Jacques Philip Villere
Residence	Metairie, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Alma mater	Archbishop Rummel High School
Occupation	Businessman

Roger Francis Villere Jr. (pronounced Villeree; born August 16, 1949) is an independent businessman from Metairie in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans, who has been chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party continuously since his election in March 2004 by the GOP State Central Committee. He succeeded Pat Brister of St. Tammany Parish, the first woman to have been the state GOP chairman, who served from 2000 to 2004.

In 2010 he ran in a special election to fill the seat of lieutenant governor after Mitch Landrieu was elected as mayor of New Orleans. Villere made a weak showing in a crowded field, and he was criticized by some opponents for running while serving as party chairman. Republican Jay Dardenne won the primary and the position.

A native of New Orleans, Villere is one of seven children born to Roger Villere Sr. (1911–1996), and the former Ursula Wattigny (born November 30, 1918), a schoolteacher and graduate of the defunct St. Mary's Dominican College in New Orleans. The Roman Catholic family moved to the nearby suburb of Metairie in 1955, when Roger was six years of age. Mrs. Villere was recognized on the floor of the U.S. Senate on the occasion of her 90th birthday by then Louisiana Senator David Vitter.

Villere went to parochial schools. He graduated in 1967 from Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie. After working briefly as a night clerk for the Illinois Central Railroad, Villere married and launched his Villere's Florist in 1969. He and his wife first ran it; later their sons joined the business. By 2009 Villere's business employed fifty persons. The family-owned and operated firm is located at 1107 Veterans Memorial Blvd. After building up his business, Villere became active in the Republican Party.