Royce L. McMahen
| Royce Lafayette McMahen, D.V.M. | |
|---|---|
| Sheriff of Webster Parish, Louisiana | |
|
In office July 1980 – July 1996 |
|
| Preceded by | O. H. Haynes, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Larkin T. Riser |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 9, 1923 Magnolia Columbia County, Arkansas, USA |
| Died | November 13, 1999 (aged 76) |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Springhill Cemetery in Springhill, Louisiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Johnnie Souter McMahen |
| Children | Royce Wayne McMahen, D.V.M. |
| Residence | Springhill, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine |
| Occupation | Veterinarian |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army Medical Corps |
| Rank | 1st sergeant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Royce Lafayette McMahen, known as Royce L. "Doc" McMahen (July 9, 1923 – November 13, 1999), was a veterinarian from Springhill who served as a Democrat from 1980 to 1996 as the sheriff of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana.
A native of Magnolia in Columbia County in south Arkansas, McMahen enlisted in 1943 in the United States Army Medical Corps during World War II. After attending then junior colleges in Magnolia and Monroe, Louisiana, he enrolled at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, where he was in 1947 and 1948 he was a right guard for the Auburn Tigers football team. In 1952, he received his degree from the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. In 1954, he opened McMahen Veterinary Hospital in Springhill.
A member of the Springhill City Council since 1962, McMahen, at the age of forty, ran for sheriff, an office which is also the collector of property taxes as well as the chief criminal law-enforcement officer in the parish outside the municipalities. In the Democratic primary on December 7, 1963, he finished a significant third in the balloting with 1,484 votes. In a runoff election in January 1964 between three-term incumbent J. D. Batton of Minden, the parish seat of government, and the number-two challenger, O. H. Haynes, Jr., the 43-year-old head of the state driver's license offices for all of North Louisiana and the youngest son of former Sheriff O. H. Haynes, Sr., both also of Minden. After nineteen years as sheriff, the senior Haynes was unseated by Batton in the Democratic runoff election held on February 19, 1952. The office of sheriff is considered the most powerful political position in the parish.
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