Buddy Roemer
Buddy Roemer | |
---|---|
52nd Governor of Louisiana | |
In office March 14, 1988 – January 13, 1992 | |
Lieutenant | Paul Hardy |
Preceded by | Edwin Edwards |
Succeeded by | Edwin Edwards |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 4th district | |
In office January 3, 1981 – March 14, 1988 | |
Preceded by | Buddy Leach |
Succeeded by | Jim McCrery |
Personal details | |
Born | Charles Elson Roemer III October 4, 1943 Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. |
Died | May 17, 2021 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. | (aged 77)
Political party | Democratic (before 1991) Republican (1991–2012, 2013–2021) Reform (2012–2013) |
Spouses | Cookie Demler
(m. 1962; div. 1981)Patti Crocker
(m. 1981; div. 2000)Scarlett Roemer (m. 2000) |
Children | 3 |
Relatives | Charles E. Roemer II (father) |
Education | Harvard University (BA, MBA) |
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III (October 4, 1943 – May 17, 2021) was an American politician, investor, and banker who served as the 52nd governor of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992, and as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1988. In March 1991, while serving as governor, Roemer switched affiliation from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.[2]
Roemer was a candidate for the presidential nominations of the Republican Party[3] and the Reform Party[4] in 2012. He withdrew from those contests and sought the 2012 Americans Elect presidential nomination until that group announced it would not field a candidate in 2012 because no candidate reached the required minimum threshold of support to be listed on its ballot.[5] Roemer eventually endorsed Libertarian Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico, for president in the 2012 general election.[6]
Roemer served on the Advisory Council of
Early life, education, and early career
Buddy Roemer was born on October 4, 1943, in
Roemer was reared on the family's Scopena
Following college, Roemer returned to Louisiana to work in his father's computer business and later founded two banks. He was elected in 1972 as a
.Roemer's father had been in 1971 the campaign manager for Edwin Edwards and became commissioner of administration during Edwards' first term as governor. Buddy Roemer worked on the Edwards campaign as a regional leader and later started a political consulting firm.
U.S. House of Representatives
As a member of Congress, Roemer represented Louisiana's 4th congressional district in the northwestern section of the state, which includes Shreveport and Bossier City.
Elections
In 1978, Roemer lost in the nonpartisan blanket primary for the 4th district congressional seat, which was vacated by popular incumbent Joe Waggonner, also from Bossier Parish. Waggonner announced his opposition to Roemer after Roemer criticized the excessive costs of the Red River navigation program, a favored project of the retiring Waggonner. Roemer finished third in the primary to Democratic State Representative Buddy Leach, with 27 percent of the ballots, and Republican Jimmy Wilson, a former state representative from Vivian in northern Caddo Parish.[15] Leach went on to defeat Wilson by 266 votes in a disputed vote count.
In 1980, Roemer and Wilson again challenged Leach in the primary; also running was
After his 1980 election victory, Roemer won congressional re-election without opposition in 1982, 1984, and 1986.
Tenure
In Congress, Roemer frequently supported Ronald Reagan's policy initiatives and fought with the Democratic congressional leadership,[13] though he remained in the party. He also criticized then Democratic House leader Tip O'Neill of Massachusetts for being "too liberal", and was in turn characterized by Speaker O'Neill as being "often wrong but never in doubt".[18]
After Roemer left the House to become governor, he was succeeded by his administrative assistant, Republican Jim McCrery.
In 1981, Roemer joined forty-seven other House Democrats in supporting the passage of the Reagan tax cuts, strongly opposed by Speaker O'Neill and Roemer's fellow Louisiana Democrat Gillis William Long of Alexandria.[19]
In 1984, Roemer again broke with O'Neill to support Reagan's request for U.S. aid to El Salvador, which Roemer described as "a freedom-loving country." Roemer was among the congressional observers in the El Salvador national election.[20]
In 1988, Roemer claimed that Democratic presidential nominee
Committee assignments
In his first term in Congress, Roemer was denied a seat on the Banking Committee by the Democratic leadership and instead was assigned to the Public Works and Transportation Committee due to Roemer having voted with the Republican minority on extending the debate on House rules proposed by the Democratic majority.[22] He was a member of the "boll weevil" and the Conservative Democratic Forum.[23]
Governor of Louisiana
1987 gubernatorial election
Roemer was one of a large number of Democratic candidates to challenge three-term incumbent governor
While Edwards faced a wide field, Roemer's candidacy had a poignant aspect. His father, Charles E. Roemer II, had been Edwards' top aide and campaign manager during Edwards' first term as governor. In the 1972 campaign, Buddy Roemer had claimed that Edwards as governor "will listen to the people and to public officials who represent the people before acting on any problems in the state."[24] In 1981, Roemer's father had gone to prison on conviction of selling state insurance contracts. During the election he was advised by Gordon Hensley.[25]
Roemer launched a fiery campaign against Edwards, calling for a "Roemer Revolution", where he would "scrub the budget", overhaul the education system, reform
Edwards, recognizing he faced certain defeat, made the surprise announcement on election night that he would concede the race to Roemer. By withdrawing, Edwards denied Roemer the opportunity to build a governing coalition in the general election race, thus denying him a decisive majority victory. The defeated Edwards virtually ceded control of the state to Roemer even before the inauguration.
Tenure as governor
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Roemer entered the governor's office on March 14, 1988. In April 1988, under executive order, Roemer named William Hawthorn Lynch, a long-term investigative journalist who at the time was with the Baton Rouge bureau of the
In October 1989, voters rejected a number of Roemer tax initiatives but approved a State constitutional amendment for transportation improvements.[27]
Facing a $1.3 billion
Roemer also hired the political consultant and pollster Elliott Stonecipher of Shreveport.[30]
Roemer called a
As governor, Roemer worked to boost lagging teacher pay and toughened laws on campaign finance. State employees and retirees received small pay increases too, the first in many years of austere state budgets. Roemer was also the first governor in recent state history to put a priority on protecting the environment. His secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality, Paul Templet, repeatedly angered Louisiana's politically powerful oil and gas industry. The legislature, dominated by supporters of Edwards, repeatedly opposed Roemer's initiatives.
State Representative Bruce M. Bolin of Minden, later a state district court judge, supported Roemer's early reform efforts: "the state can't be everything to everybody, and the new budget reflects that." Bolin also correctly predicted that Roemer would in time run for president, but Roemer did not seek the White House for another twenty-four years. To make a presidential run, Bolin said that Roemer "needs no political baggage" and that Louisiana "must be viewed as a progressive state" for him to be able to accomplish that goal.[31] Edward J. Steimel, executive director of the pro-business lobby, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, also applauded Roemer's early reform efforts. Business, said Steimel, achieved half of its goals in the 1988 legislative session. Another session of equal outcome, he added, could make the state competitive with its neighbors within a year.[32]
Also in 1989, the Louisiana Board of Appeals recommended a pardon for political prisoner and victim of extreme racism during the racial integration of Louisiana's public schools,
In 1990, Roemer vetoed a bill – authored by Democratic Senator
] as a striking rebuke to Roemer.The Cross bill sought to ban
Roemer came under fire for hiring a friend to teach positive thinking to his staff. Staffers were asked to wear rubber bands on their wrists and were told to snap a band whenever they had negative thoughts.[36] Earlier, in 1989, Roemer had separated from his second wife, the former Patti Crocker, with the divorce final in 1990, after seventeen years of marriage.[37][38] His widow is Patti Crocker Marchiafava of Elkin, North Carolina; the couple had one child, Dakota Frost Roemer, a businessman in Baton Rouge, who in 2012 married the former Heather Rae Gatte, daughter of Nacis and Patty Gatte of Iota, Louisiana.[39]
Roemer presided over the legalization of a
1991 party switch
In March 1991, Roemer switched to the Republican Party just months before the state elections,[36] apparently at the urging of Bush White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu. Roemer, as a new Democratic governor, had appeared at the 1988 Republican Convention in New Orleans to greet the delegates. The convention was held in New Orleans through the urging of longtime Louisiana Republican National Committeewoman Virginia Martinez, who had worked for Livingston in the previous campaign. She was also the chairman of the 1988 Host Committee.[40]
Roemer's late-term party switch dismayed as many Republican politicians and activists as it did Democrats. One irate Republican was the state party chairman,
1991 gubernatorial election
The 1991 gubernatorial contest included Roemer, Edwin Edwards, David Duke, and Eighth District Congressman Clyde Holloway of Forest Hill, who all ran in Louisiana's open primary. Roemer was wounded by his mistakes as governor, while Edwards and Duke each had a passionate core group of supporters. Roemer placed third in the primary. One of the contributing factors to Roemer's defeat in the 1991 primary was a last-minute advertising barrage by Marine Shale owner Jack Kent. Marine Shale had been targeted by the Roemer administration as a polluter. Kent spent $500,000 of his own money in the closing days of the campaign to purchase anti-Roemer commercials.[citation needed]
Roemer's defeat led to a nationally watched runoff election between Duke and Edwards. Faced with the alternative of David Duke, many Louisianans who were otherwise critical of Edwards now supported Edwards. This included Buddy Roemer, who had run on an "Anyone but Edwards" platform. He ended up endorsing Edwards rather than Duke, who was the putative Republican candidate.
As Roemer left the governorship, he predicted that his "unheralded" accomplishments would become obvious in the fourth Edwards term. According to Roemer, a key factor in his defeat for a second term was his alienation of
As of the 2019 election, Roemer is the last governor to have hailed from northern Louisiana.
Post-gubernatorial career
Immediately after leaving office as governor, Roemer taught a course in economics for the spring semester 1992 at his alma mater, Harvard University.[42]
The Sterling Group, Inc. (1992–1997)
After the 1991 election cycle concluded, Roemer teamed up with a long-time friend, Joseph Traigle, to form The Sterling Group, Inc. The two met in the late 1960s in Shreveport, where they were both active in the Junior Chamber International.
The Sterling Group specializes in international trade of plastic raw materials between the United States and Mexico. Roemer served as the chairman of the board and Traigle served as president. Roemer was a strong supporter of improving Louisiana and U.S. trade with Mexico. Traigle bought Roemer out of the company in 1997.
1995 gubernatorial election
In 1995, Roemer attempted a political comeback when he again ran for governor. Having been squeezed out in 1991 between Edwards and Duke, Roemer chose to run on a much more conservative platform in 1995, emphasizing an anti-crime and anti-
2004 U.S. Senate election
In the summer of 2004, Roemer briefly considered entering the race to succeed retiring U.S. Senator John Breaux. Roemer passed on the race, and Republican U.S. Representative David Vitter of Louisiana's 1st congressional district, which includes suburban New Orleans, was elected to succeed Breaux. Vitter represented the house district held from 1977 to 1999 by Republican Bob Livingston, one of Roemer's gubernatorial rivals in 1987.
Later business career
Having met without success at his political comeback, Roemer turned his attention to investing and banking. He formed a company that built retirement housing near universities, with alumni from each university being the target buyers. He also founded Business First Bank, based in Baton Rouge, of which he was the President and CEO, and his daughter-in-law, Heather, is the assistant vice president of human resources.[39]
In June 2005, Roemer underwent triple bypass heart surgery at the Baton Rouge General Medical Center.[43] In 2008, Roemer supported and campaigned for U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona for U.S. President.
In 2000, Roemer was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield.
Ron Gomez (a Lafayette politicist) said that he believes Roemer "could have been one of Louisiana's great governors. The state's horrible financial condition when he took office, his dependence on an inexperienced and sometimes rashly immature staff in his first year or so, an overly-ambitious legislative agenda, and his own unpredictable dealings with individual legislators all contributed to the failures he suffered. Ultimately, all of these factors led to his running third, as the incumbent, in the 1991 gubernatorial election."[44] Gomez describes Roemer as "a dynamic orator who could light up an audience with his first two sentences. When he got wound up it was truly evangelical, and he made sense. His wiry, five foot seven, one-hundred thirty-five pound frame would seem to uncoil and grow as he outlined his vision as a fighter against crime, corruption and waste in government, poor education, taxes and industrial pollution."[45]
In April 2014, Roemer became a partner at The Young Turks, an online progressive news network founded and run by Cenk Uygur. Roemer's firm - Roemer, Robinson, Melville & Co, LLC - invested $4 million into the company. According to Uygur, the two met and bonded over their shared support of campaign finance reform, an issue that both Uygur and Roemer supported and have spoken about extensively for many years.[46] According to their investment agreement, Roemer's firm is granted a seat on The Young Turks' advisory board, but does not enjoy editorial or content control.
2012 presidential candidacy
In January 2011, Roemer told Baton Rouge television station WAFB that he was considering a bid for the U.S. presidency in 2012.[47][48][49] On July 21, 2011 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, Roemer announced his entry as a candidate for the Republican nomination for president.
On March 3, 2011, Roemer announced the formation of an
- On November 30, 2011, Roemer announced that he would seek the Americans Elect nomination.[59][60]
- On February 23, 2012, Roemer dropped out of the GOP nomination to seek the Reform Party's nomination.[61]
- On May 17, 2012, Americans Elect announced that it would not run a candidate in the 2012 presidential elections.[5]
- On May 31, 2012, he announced that he was ending his 2012 presidential campaign altogether, citing the lack of ballot access in any of the 50 states to be the reason.[4]
Though he had talked of leaving the Republican Party to become an
Personal life and death
Roemer was married three times, with his first two marriages ending in divorce. He had three children: daughter Caroline, and sons Chas and Dakota.
Roemer had a stroke in 2014, which affected his speech. He also had type 1 diabetes.[63] He died at his home in Baton Rouge on May 17, 2021, at age 77.[63][64]
See also
References
- Specific
- ^ Duckler, Ray (October 2, 2011). "Surprise! Roemer's running". Concord Monitor. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012.
- ^ "ROEMER, Charles Elson (Buddy), III". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- The Times-Picayune. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
- ^ Politico. Retrieved May 31, 2012
- ^ a b Liptak, Kevin (May 17, 2012). "Third party effort packs it in for 2012". CNN. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Former GOP Presidential Candidate Buddy Roemer Calls For Gary Johnson to Be Included in Romney and Obama's Presidential Debates". August 2, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ "About | Represent.Us". End corruption. Defend the Republic. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-28312-3. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
roemer adeline.
- New Orleans Times-Picayune, July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
- ^ Bradley, John Ed (March 20, 1988). "The Ballad of Buddy Roemer". Washington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2010. pdf Archived March 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ University of Michigan (1990). Current biography yearbook, Volume 51. H. W. Wilson Company. p. 531. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
- ^ McGee, Kevin T. (October 26, 1987). "La. Gov Quits Race". USA Today. p. 2A. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ a b Fuerbringer, J. (June 12, 1987). "Roemer finds poker valuable". The Times-News. Hendersonville, NC. New York Times News Service. p. 24. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ "Governor Buddy Roemer is a Maverick Southern Politician". Waycross Journal-Herald. Associated Press. October 16, 1990.
- ^ "LA District 4 – Open Primary Race – Sep 16, 1978". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ "Wilson endorses Roemer", Minden Press-Herald, September 19, 1980, p. 1
- ^ "LA District 4 Race – Nov 04, 1980". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Fuerbringer, Jonathan (June 10, 1987). "WASHINGTON TALK: Avocations; Networking at the Poker Table". The New York Times.
- ^ Margie Dale and Vicky Harris, "Pro and Con of tax cut: Roemer vs. Long", Minden Press-Herald, July 31, 1981, p. 1
- ^ "Roemer backs aid to El Salvador", Minden Press-Herald, May 9, 1984, p. 5A
- ^ "Roemer criticizes Quayle as VP choice". The Advocate. August 18, 1988. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ "Democrats tighten ranks". The Evening News. January 7, 1981.
- ^ Baker, Kathryn (December 26, 1984). "Weevils flourish". Portsmouth Daily Times.
- ^ "Edwards campaigner Say's He 'Will Listen'", Minden Press-Herald, February 25, 1972, p. 1
- ISBN 9781455616299– via Google Books.
- ^ "History". oig.Louisiana.gov. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
- ^ "Roemer's loss, victgory are state's top stories," Minden Press-Herald, December 31, 1989, p. 1
- ISBN 0-9700156-0-7
- ^ Ron Gomez, p. 168
- Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ "Bolin: 'Roemer's aspiration can only help state'", Minden Press-Herald, May 17, 1988, p. 1
- ^ "Steimel applauds Roemer's efforts", Minden Press-Herald, July 13, 1988, p. 1
- ^ Roemer vetoes abortion bill", Minden Press-Herald, July 27, 1990, p. 1
- ^ "Abortion: Roemer vows veto, Jenkins, an override", Minden Press-Herald, June 28, 1990, p. 3
- ^ "Louisiana's anti-abortion law is ruled unconstitutional", Minden Press-Herald, September 23, 1992, p. 1
- ^ a b "Trio in Louisiana make up unusual slate for governor". The Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. March 18, 1991.
- ^ "Names ... in the news". The Union Democrat. September 5, 1990.
- ISBN 978-1-934110-90-4. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ a b "Gatte, Roemer wed at Houmas House". crowleypostsignal.com. Retrieved March 25, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "M Obituaries Orleans Parish Louisiana: 001924 Martinez". LAGenWeb Archives. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
- ^ Thomas, Patrick (June 14, 1991). "Louisiana GOP expected to reject Roemer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ a b "Roemer: Four years have left their mark", Minden Press-Herald, January 5, 1992, p. 1
- ^ "Ex-Governor at Home After Bypass Surgery". KLFY. Associated Press. June 28, 2005. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
- ^ Ron Gomez, p. 169
- ^ Ron Gomez, pp. 169–170
- ^ "Buddy Roemer firm invests $4 million in Young Turks Network". Politico.
- ^ Kornacki, Steve (2011-03-03) The White House hopeful who lost to the Klansman Archived March 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Salon.com
- ^ "A Louisiana Governor for President – Weekly column by John Maginnis". LaPolitics.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011.
- ^ "Buddy Roemer for president?". The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. Retrieved Feb 4, 2011.
- ^ "Roemer announces 2012 presidential bid" [dead link], WXVT-TV.
- ^ Derby, Kevin (March 3, 2011)"Fighting for Campaign Finance Reform, Buddy Roemer Jumps into 2012 Race" Archived March 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Sunshine State News. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
- ^ Gill, James (March 13, 2011). "Who is this guy Roemer described?". Times-Picayune. p. B5. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
- ^ "Why is Rick Perry Invited to the CNN Debate, But Not Buddy Roemer?". The Right Sphere. January 15, 2012. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "Candidates & Races – Election 2012". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 4, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ "2012 New Hampshire Primary". 2012 New Hampshire Primary. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Saslow, Eli (December 8, 2011). "Buddy Roemer among those struggling for a slot in GOP presidential race". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ buddyroemer.com
- ^ "Colbert Super PAC Ad – Undaunted Non-Coordination". The Colbert Report. July 11, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Krupa, Charles (November 30, 2011). "Buddy Roemer to seek Americans Elect third-party nomination for president". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Linkins, Jason (December 1, 2011). "Buddy Roemer Throws In His Lot With Americans Elect – Which Is A Huge Mistake". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ Buddy Roemer for President. "Thank You for Your Support | Buddy Roemer for President". Buddyroemer.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "Charles E. Roemer, III". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ a b Fausset, Richard (May 17, 2021). "Buddy Roemer, Reformer as a Louisiana Governor, Dies at 77". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ Bridges, Tyler (May 17, 2021). "Buddy Roemer, Louisiana's former Democrat-turned-Republican governor, dies at 77". The Advocate. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- General
- Bridges, Tyler. The Rise of David Duke. University of Mississippi: Jackson, 1994. ISBN 978-0-87805-684-2
- Bridges, Tyler. Bad Bet on the Bayou: The Rise of Gambling in Louisiana, and the Fall of Governor Edwin Edwards. Farrar, Straus & Giroux: New York, 2001. ISBN 978-0-374-52854-6
- DuBos, Clancy. “Roemer’s Redemption: The Former Governor Takes Another Shot at the Mansion.” Gambit Weekly. September 19, 1995.
- Gardner, James C., Jim Gardner and Shreveport, Vol. II. Shreveport: Ritz Publications, 2006, 285–288.
- ISBN 0-9700156-0-7
- ISBN 978-0-9614138-2-8
- Reeves, Miriam G. The Governors of Louisiana. Gretna: Pelican Press, 1991. ISBN 978-1-58980-262-9
External links
- Buddy Roemer 2012 official campaign site
- Former Governor profile from the Louisiana Secretary of State
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Financial information at OpenSecrets
- Buddy Roemer (1987–1994), collected coverage at The New York Times
- Buddy Roemer: 9 Questions with the GOP Presidential Candidate about Campaign Finance, the 99% and a Possible Split Ticket, Dan O'Mahony, Point Nine Nine, November 28, 2011
- Buddy Roemer's Overshadowed New Hampshire Retail Experiment, Tyler Bridges, The Atlantic, December 20, 2011