Samuel B. Nunez Jr.

Samuel Bernard Nunez Jr., (January 27, 1930 – January 15, 2012), was a Louisiana politician and businessman from Chalmette, the seat of St. Bernard Parish in the New Orleans suburbs.

Samuel Bernard Nunez Jr.
Louisiana State Senator for District 1 (now Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard parishes)
In office
1969–1996
Preceded byE. W. "Kelly" Gravolet Jr.
Succeeded byLynn Dean
President of the Louisiana State Senate
In office
1983–1988
Preceded byMichael H. O'Keefe
Succeeded byAllen Bares
In office
1990–1996
Preceded byAllen Bares
Succeeded byRandy Ewing
President pro tempore of the Louisiana State Senate
In office
1980–1983
Preceded byEdgar G. "Sonny" Mouton Jr.
Succeeded byTheodore M. Hickey
In office
1988–1990
Preceded byThomas H. Hudson
Succeeded byLeonard J. Chabert
Louisiana State Representative for St. Bernard Parish
In office
1964–1969
Preceded byElmer R. Tapper
Succeeded byElmer R. Tapper
Personal details
Born(1930-01-27)January 27, 1930
St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, U.S.[1]
DiedJanuary 15, 2012(2012-01-15) (aged 81)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Bernard Memorial Gardens in Chalmette
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)1 Chalmette

St. Bernard Parish

(2) Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Alma materJoseph Maumus High School
Louisiana State University
OccupationInsurance agent
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force

From 1964 to 1969, Nunez was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. From 1969 to 1996, the Democrat Nunez was a state senator. He was the State Senate President from 1983 to 1988 and from 1990 to 1996, when his legislative tenure ended in defeat. He was the State Senate President Pro Tempore from 1980 to 1983 and 1988 to 1990. In 1973, he was a delegate to the Louisiana State Constitutional Convention, where he pushed for inclusion of the homestead exemption on property taxes.[2]

Background

[3]

Nunez graduated from Joseph Maumus High School in Arabi in St. Bernard Parish. From 1951 to 1955, he served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War era.[2] Following his Air Force service, he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

In 1983, Nunez became Senate President by acclamation[4] when Michael H. O'Keefe of New Orleans was indicted, maintained his innocence, but was ultimately convicted of a federal crime and imprisoned.[5][6][7]

Political career

After a month of consideration, Nunez endorsed Breaux over Moore.[8][9][10][11][12][13] [14]

Nunez was one of several pro-gambling legislators who were defeated or forced to retire following the 1995 legislative session. Two of Nunez' most prominent Senate colleagues, Armand Brinkhaus of Sunset in St. Landry Parish and Sixty Rayburn of Bogalusa in Washington Parish, lost re-election bids, while Senators Larry Bankston of Baton Rouge and Gerry Hinton of Slidell stood down. Also failing in his re-election bid was Rep. Raymond Lalonde of Sunset, the author of the 1992 bill which allowed for a land-based casino to operate in New Orleans.

Senator Dean served two terms and was succeeded in 2004 by the Republican, later Democrat, Walter Boasso. As a Democrat, Boasso finished a distant second to Republican Bobby Jindal in the 2007 governor's race, as Jindal easily captured the requisite majority n the primary to avoid a runoff.[15][16][17]

Later years and legacy

Long after his legislative service, Nunez was a member of the board of commissioners of the Port of New Orleans.[18][19] He operated an insurance agency.[20][21][2][22]

Notes
  1. "Outstanding Young Men of America". 1965.
  2. "Obituary of Samuel B. Nunez Jr". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  3. "Obituaries from Orleans Parish, Louisiana, November 2006". files.usgwarchives.net. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  4. "O'Keefe resigns; Nunez elected," Minden Press-Herald, April 19, 1983, p. 3
  5. Ron Gomez, My Name Is Ron And I'm a Recovering Legislator: Memoirs of a Louisiana State Representative, Lafayette, Louisiana: Zemog Publishing, 2000, pp. 59–70, ISBN 0-9700156-0-7
  6. "Open primary bill for congressmen introduced", Minden Press-Herald, May 19, 1976, p. 1
  7. Louisiana Secretary of State, Primary election returns, September 27, 1986
  8. "Nunez indicates he'll back Breaux", Minden Press-Herald, October 23, 1986, p. 3A
  9. "Frances Frank Marcus, University Chancellor Resigns After Inquiry, December 4, 1988". The New York Times. December 4, 1988. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  10. "Louisiana election returns". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 19, 1991. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  11. "Louisiana election returns". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 24, 1987. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  12. "Campbell blames oil tax for ousting", Minden Press-Herald, January 6, 1995, p. 1.
  13. "Louisiana election returns". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 21, 1995. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  14. "Louisiana election returns". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 18, 1995. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  15. "A Comeback for Sammy Nunez?" (PDF). jimbrownla.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2006. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  16. "Cecile Tauzin, Vice-Chairman". preventcancer.org. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  17. "Chalmette, LA, Political Contributions by Individuals". city-data.com. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  18. "Louisiana International Trade Bulletin". The Louisiana Department of Economic Development, the New Orleans U.S. Export Assistance Center and the World Trade Center of New Orleans. July 2005. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2008.
  19. "PORT OF NEW ORLEANS" (PDF). Retrieved June 30, 2008.
  20. "About Nunez" Archived November 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Nunez Community College website.
  21. "Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame". lapoliticalmuseum.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  22. Death of Sammy Nunez
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