Tom Colten
| Arthur Thomas "Tom" Colten | |
|---|---|
Tom Colten as mayor of Minden, Louisiana
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| Mayor of Minden, Louisiana, USA | |
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In office 1966–1974 |
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| Preceded by | Frank T. Norman |
| Succeeded by | Jacob E. "Pat" Patterson |
| President of the Louisiana Municipal Association | |
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In office 1972–1973 |
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| Preceded by | Charles J. Pasqua |
| Succeeded by | Wilson Moosa |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 21, 1922 Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Died | December 5, 2004 (aged 82) Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Kimmel Colten (married 1947-2004, his death) |
| Children | Connie Colten Craig Edward Colten Lee Colten |
| Occupation | Newspaper publisher; Businessman |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Arthur Thomas Colten, known as Tom Colten (October 21, 1922 – December 5, 2004), was a Louisiana newspaperman and politician from the 1950s to the 1990s who rose from a small-town mayoralty position to head his state's Department of Transportation and Development under three governors from both parties. Colten was also active in the slow process of establishing a viable Republican Party in his adopted state.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Colten was a United States Army veteran of World War II, with service stateside from 1942 to 1946. After the war, he received his bachelor's degree from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon social fraternity.
In 1947, Colten moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1948, he relocated to Bogalusa in Washington Parish in southeastern Louisiana, and became business manager and stockholder of the Bogalusa Daily News, since a Wick Communications publication. He left that position in 1955 and relocated to Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, to become publisher of what became the daily Minden Press-Herald, which at the time consisted of two weekly papers, the Minden Press on Mondays and the Minden Herald on Thursdays. Major (not a military title) dePingre' was the editor of the papers at the time. As publisher, Colten was active in civic affairs and became well known in the community. He was initially in partnership in Minden Newspapers with Charles A. Nutter of New Orleans but purchased Nutter's half of the company on January 29, 1962. Nutter became the executive secretary of Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri.
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