Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
JOHN McKEITHEN – LOUISIANA’S TRANSITION GOVERNOR
A popular Louisiana Governor died 15 years ago this week. John McKeithen was the first Governor I ever met. When he was elected as chief executive in 1963, Louisiana was still a 19th century state struggling to operate in the 20th century. McKeithen was the catalyst that caused a major realignment of priorities.
In the face of the high racial tension in the South in the 60’s, McKeithen, who had received a strong segregationist vote, preached moderation. He was a visionary. He built the Superdome, which he said was “the greatest building in the world.” He viewed the Mississippi River as a continuing renewable resource, and in my opinion, his greatest achievement was in enticing the chemical industry to locate along America’s major tributary from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.
I met John McKeithen in a Chicago elevator. It was 1968, and on the spur of the moment, I drove to Chicago to view the Democratic Convention. The party headquarters was at the Sheraton Hotel facing Lake Michigan, and I was on my way to the top floor to get a better view of the protests taking place over the Vietnam War.
When the elevator door opened, there were two people inside — Senator Russell Long, and Louisiana Governor John McKeithen. Rumors had been circulating around the convention that McKeithen was under consideration as a possible choice for Vice President on a Hubert Humphrey ticket. Continue Reading……….