Willie Waggonner
| William Edward "Willie" Waggonner | |
|---|---|
Waggonner in his younger years
|
|
| Sheriff of Bossier Parish, Louisiana | |
|
In office July 1, 1948 – May 9, 1976 |
|
| Preceded by | Louis H. Padgett, Sr. |
| Succeeded by | Vol Sevier Dooley, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 7, 1905 Plain Dealing, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, USA |
| Died | May 9, 1976 (aged 70) Plain Dealing, Louisiana |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Plain Dealing Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nell Evans Waggonner |
| Relations | Joe Waggonner (brother) |
| Children | Jacqueline Waggonner Gore |
| Parents |
Joseph David Waggonner, Sr. |
| Residence | Plain Dealing, Louisiana |
| Occupation | Law-enforcement officer |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Joseph David Waggonner, Sr.
William Edward Waggonner, usually known as W. E. "Willie" Waggonner (August 7, 1905 – May 9, 1976), was from 1948 until his death in office the sheriff of Bossier Parish in northwestern Louisiana. A native and resident of Plain Dealing near the Arkansas state line, he was the older brother of U.S. Representative Joseph David "Joe D." Waggonner, Jr., who held Louisiana's 4th congressional district seat from 1961 to 1979.
The son of Joseph David Waggonner, Sr. (1873-1950) and the former Elizzibeth Johnston (1882-1957), Waggonner was a deputy under Sheriff Louis H. Padgett, Sr., from 1936 to 1948, when he was elected sheriff at the time that Earl Kemp Long returned to the Louisiana governorship after an absence of eight years. Waggonner was a president of the Louisiana Sheriff's Association and a member of the Louisiana Peace Officers and the National Sheriff's associations. He was affiliated too with the Masonic lodge, Lions International, and the Chamber of Commerce.
Early in 1954, The Shreveport Times published a picture by its chief photographer, H. Langston McEachern, entitled, "The Sheriff Weeps", depicting a heartbroken Waggonner mourning the deaths of two law-enforcement officers. One of Waggonner's deputies, Maurice M. Miller (1912-1954) was shot to death when he confronted a suspect, Ed "Man" West (1918-1954) in West's residence in Taylortown in Bossier Parish. West then shot to death Shreveport Police Chief Edward Gaston Huckabay (1906-1954), when Huckabay attempted to retrieve Miller's body. Other officers then killed West.
On December 5, 1959, Waggonner was handily reelected as sheriff in the same election in which his brother, Joe Waggonner, was an unsuccessful candidate for Louisiana state comptroller against eventual winner Roy R. Theriot. Willie Waggonner defeated fellow Democrat Joe B. Mason, an Arkansas native, by a five-to-one margin.
...
Wikipedia