Patrick T. Caffery

Patrick Thomson "Pat" Caffery, Sr.


United States Representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district
In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by	Edwin E. Willis
Succeeded by	David C. Treen
Louisiana State Representative from Iberia Parish
In office 1964–1968
Preceded by	Fred V. Decuir
Succeeded by	At-large delegation: J. Richard "Dickie" Breaux Carl W. Bauer Lionel Laperouse, Jr.
Personal details
Born	(1932-07-06)July 6, 1932 St. Mary Parish Louisiana, U.S.
Died	December 17, 2013(2013-12-17) (aged 81) New Iberia, Iberia Parish Louisiana
Resting place	Beau Pre Cemetery in Jeanerette, Louisiana
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Anne Leontine Bercegeay (married 1954-2013, his death)
Children	Patrick, Jr., Kevin M., and Michael M. Caffery Six grandchildren
Parents	Ralph Earl and Letitia Decuir Caffery
Alma mater	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Occupation	Attorney
Religion	Roman Catholic

Patrick Thomson Caffery, Sr., known as Pat Caffery (July 6, 1932 – December 17, 2013),^[1] was an attorney from New Iberia, Louisiana, who formerly served as a Democrat in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1964 to 1968 and then as a U.S. representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 1969 to 1973.

Early life

Patrick Thomson Caffery, Sr. was born in St. Mary Parish in South Louisiana. His great-great-great-grandfather, Colonel John Donelson, was the co-founder of the City of Nashville, Tennessee. His great-great-great-great uncle, Andrew Jackson, served as the President of the United States. His grandfather, Donelson Caffery, served as a United States Senator.^[2] Pat Caffery was born at Haifleigh Plantation in St. Mary Parish and reared in the parish seat of Franklin. He was the eleventh of twelve children of Ralph Earl Caffery and the former Letitia Decuir.^[3] An Eagle Scout, he was selected in 1950 in a nationwide competition by the Boy Scouts of America to present a "State of the Nation" report in the White House to then U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

He graduated in 1955 from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette),^[1] having been awarded a music scholarship. He was an accomplished trumpet player^[3] and was named as coronet soloist with the SLI Stage Band. In 1956, he received a law degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He was the managing editor of the Louisiana Law Review.^[4]

Career

In 1957, he became a member of the New Iberia law firm of Helm, Simon, Caffery and Duhe. He later practiced for many years with later federal judges John Malcolm Duhé, Jr., and W. Eugene Davis in the law firm of Caffery, Duhé, and Davis.^[3] From 1958 to 1962, he was an assistant district attorney for the 16th Judicial District Court in Iberia Parish.^[1]^[4]

Caffery defeated fellow Democrat Edwin E. Willis, a 20-year incumbent, and a committee chairman, in the primary election held in August 1968. Two years earlier, Willis had survived the challenge waged by the Republican oilman Hall Lyons of Lafayette, the younger son of GOP state chairman Charlton Lyons. Caffery ran without opposition in the general election in both 1968 and 1970.

Representative Caffery was once called upon to join U.S. Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota to answer President Richard M. Nixon's State of the Union message. In 1970 he was selected by NBC News as the outstanding freshman congressman of the 91st Congress. As he left office he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Americans for Constitutional Action. From 1988 to 1992, he served under Governor Buddy Roemer as a member of the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors.^[3][

Caffery did not seek a third term in 1972 and returned to his law practice in New Iberia.^[1] His seat then went Republican with the victory of future Governor David C. Treen, who had lost three House elections in the 1960s in Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. In defeating the Democrat J. Louis Watkins, Jr., of Houma in Terrebonne Parish, Treen became the first Republican to represent a Louisiana district in the U.S. House since Hamilton D. Coleman held the Second District seat from 1889 to 1891.^[5]

Personal life

In 1954, Caffery married Anne Leontine Bercegeay of Charenton in St. Mary Parish. There are three Caffery sons, Patrick, Jr., Kevin, and Michael.

Death

Caffery died in New Iberia at the age of eighty-one a week before Christmas, 2013. He is interred at Beau Pre Cemetery in Jeanerette in Iberia Parish.

External links

United States Congress. "Patrick T. Caffery (id: c000017)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Notes

1 2 3 4 "Caffery, Patrick Thomson (1932-2013)". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
↑ See also Jefferson Caffery.
1 2 3 4 "Patrick Caffery, Sr.". Pellerin Funeral Home. December 19, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
1 2 "Louisiana: Caffery, Patrick Thomson", Who's Who in American Politics, 2003-2004, 19th ed., Vol. 1 (Alabama-Montana) (Marquis Who's Who: New Providence, New Jersey, 2003), p. 772
↑ Treen had run three unsuccessful but increasingly threatening races against Louisiana's 2nd congressional district representative, Democrat Hale Boggs, whose liberal voting record accompanied his rise in the Democratic leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives. In an example of the law of unintended consequences, the overwhelmingly Democratic Louisiana legislature then redrew the district lines, placing Treen's precinct into the neighboring 3rd district. Treen had name recognition throughout the district. Although a Methodist, Treen was politically at home with the 3rd district's Roman Catholic electorate, whom he continued to represent until his inauguration as governor in 1980.

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Fred V. Decuir	Louisiana State Representative from Iberia Parish 1964–1968	Succeeded by At-large delegation: J. Richard "Dickie" Breaux, Carl W. Bauer, Lionel Laperouse, Jr.
Preceded by Edwin E. Willis	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district 1969–1973	Succeeded by David C. Treen

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana

1st district	E. Livingston White H. Johnson White Slidell Sére St. Martin Dunbar Eustis Bouligny Sypher Lawrence Gibson Hunt St. Martin Wilkinson Meyer Estopinal O'Connor Fernández Hébert Tonry R. Livingston Vitter Jindal Scalise

2nd district	Gurley Thomas Ripley Chinn Dawson la Branche Thibodeaux Conrad Bullard J.A. Landry Hunt Taylor Mann Sheldon Ellis Hahn Wallace Lagan Coleman Lagan Davey Buck Davey Gilmore Dupré Spearing Maloney T.H. Boggs Maloney T.H. Boggs L. Boggs Jefferson Cao Richmond

3rd district	Brent Overton Bullard Garland Moore Dawson Harmanson Penn Perkins Davidson Newsham Darrall Acklen Darrall Kellogg Gay Price Broussard Martin Montet Mouton Domengeaux Willis Caffery Treen Tauzin Melancon J.M. Landry Boustany Higgins (elect)

4th district	Bossier Morse Moore Jones Sandidge Landrum Vidal Newsham McCleery Boarman Smith Levy Elam Blanchard Ogden Breazeale Watkins Sandlin Brooks Waggonner Leach Roemer McCrery Fields McCrery Fleming M. Johnson (elect)

5th district	Blackburn Morey Spencer Leonard Young King Newton Boatner Baird Ransdell Elder Wilson Mills McKenzie Passman Huckaby McCrery Cooksey Alexander McAllister Abraham

6th district	Nash E. Robertson Lewis Irion E. Robertson S. Robertson Favrot Wickliffe Morgan Sanders Sr. Favrot Kemp Sanders Jr. Griffith Sanders Jr. Morrison Rarick Moore Baker Cazayoux Cassidy Graves

7th district	Pujo Lazaro De Rouen Plauche Larcade Thompson Edwards Breaux Hayes John Boustany

8th district	Aswell Overton Dear Allen Doc McSween G. Long S. Long G. Long C. Long Holloway

At-large	Robertson Butler Johnston Sheridan

Territory	Clark Poydras

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.