Charles C. Barham

Charles Clem Barham, known as Charlie Barham (April 20, 1934 May 3, 2010),[1] was an attorney in private practice for thirty-nine years in Ruston, Louisiana, and a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 35, nonconsecutively, from 1964 to 1972 and 1976 to 1988.[2]

Charles Clem Barham
Louisiana State Senator for Lincoln and Union parishes (District 35)
In office
1964–1972
Preceded byB. R. Patton
Succeeded byK.D. Kilpatrick
In office
1976–1988
Preceded byK.D. Kilpatrick
Succeeded byRandy Ewing
Personal details
Born
Charles Clem Barham

(1934-04-20)April 20, 1934
Ruston, Lincoln Parish
Louisiana, USA
DiedMay 3, 2010(2010-05-03) (aged 76)
Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana
Resting placeGreenwood Cemetery in Ruston, Louisiana
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Joann Frasier Barham
RelationsEdwards Barham (cousin)

Robert J. Barham (cousin)

Wiley W. Hilburn (cousin)
ChildrenKarla Ann Barham
Charles C. Barham
Lori Barham Sharp
ParentsC.E. "Cap" Barham
Carice Helen Hilburn Barham
Alma materRuston High School

Louisiana Tech University

Louisiana State University Law Center
OccupationAttorney

Background

Barham was the older son of Lieutenant Governor C.E. "Cap" Barham, who held the second highest statewide office from 1952 to 1956 and was like his son an attorney in Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish. His mother was the former Carice Helen Hilburn (1907–1965). He had a brother, Robert Ewing Barham (1940–1996), an English professor at Louisiana Tech University, from which Charles Barham received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958.[1]

Barham had graduated in 1952 from Ruston High School and played the position of running back on the 1951 state championship football team under Coach Hoss Garrett. In 2009, Barham was recognized by the Ruston High School Alumni Association as a "distinguished alumnus." After his Louisiana Tech student years, he procured his Juris Doctor degree in 1959 from the Louisiana State University Law Center in Baton Rouge.[1]

Barham was a cousin of Republican former State Senators Edwards Barham and Robert J. Barham of Morehouse Parish, who represented an adjoining district. Cousin Robert Barham is secretary of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department under Governor Bobby Jindal.[3]

Career

On December 7, 1963, Barham won his first term in office by unseating the two-term incumbent state Senator B. R. Patton.[4] In 1968, Barham was reelected, and his district absorbed much of the territory of his colleague Danny Roy Moore of Homer in Claiborne Parish.[2]

In 1971, Barham did not contest a third term in the state Senate and was succeeded by the funeral home operator K.D. Kilpatrick, also of Ruston and formerly of Farmerville, the seat of Union Parish. Kilpatrick did not seek reelection, and Barham staged a political comeback in the 1975 general election, having defeated outgoing State Representative Louise B. Johnson of Bernice in Union Parish. Johnson, a businesswoman and a Louisiana Tech graduate, had based much of her campaign on opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment. Barham polled 16,878 votes (52.4 percent) to Johnson's 15,385 ballots (47.6 percent), He drew heavily among African-American voters as well as organized labor. Kilpatrick preceded Barham in death by less than two months.

From 1998 to 2001, Barham was the executive director of the interest group, the Casino Association of Louisiana, based in Baton Rouge.[5]

Barham died of cancer[6] at the Grace Home hospice in Shreveport. He is survived by his wife, the former Joann Frasier (born August 8, 1933), and their three children, Karla Ann Barham (born c. 1959), Charles E. Barham (born 1961) and wife, Debi Shields Barham, and Lori Barham Sharp and husband, Gary, all of Shreveport, where Barham resided during his retirement. Barham had five grandchildren, Abbie and Matt Sharp, Taylor Barham, Ryan Barham and Charlie Barham.[1]

Barham grave marker in Greenwood Cemetery in Ruston

Barham's services were held on May 6, 2010 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston. Interment followed at Greenwood Cemetery in Ruston.[1] On the day before the funeral, Barham's former colleague, Senator Joe McPherson of Rapides Parish, hailed him as a "statesman" and introduced a resolution of honor.[7]

On February 2, 2013, Barham was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, along with several others persons, including George Dement, the former mayor of Bossier City.[8]

Barham's maternal first cousin, Wiley W. Hilburn (1938-2014), the former head of the Louisiana Tech journalism department, former editorial writer for The Shreveport Times, and an inductee himself of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame, said that Barham's approach to politics enabled him to broker agreements in the Senate: "Unlike most today, he was a conciliator, a consensus type of politician. I think he achieved a lot with that mantra."[6]

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gollark: It's probably only 30 at most. Perfectly reasonable.

References

  1. "Charles C. Barham obituary". Monroe News Star, May 5, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
  2. "Membership of the Louisiana State Senate, 1880-2004" (PDF). legis.state.la.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  3. ""Senate to consider honor for Barham", May 5, 2010". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate, May 8, 2010.
  4. The Shreveport Times, December 8, 1963, p. 22-A
  5. "1999-424". domino.ethics.state.la.us. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  6. Stephen Largen, "Former Senator Barham dies at 76", The Monroe News-Star, May 5, 2010
  7. "Membership of the Louisiana State Senate, 1880-2004" (PDF). www.legis.state.la.us. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2010.
  8. "2013 Louisiana Political Hall of Fame inductees announced, November 20, 2012". Winn Parish Enterprise. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
Preceded by
B. R. Patton
Louisiana State Senator for the 35th District

Charles Clem "Charlie" Barham
19641972

Succeeded by
K.D. Kilpatrick
Preceded by
K.D. Kilpatrick
Louisiana State Senator for the 35th District

Charles Clem "Charlie" Barham
19761988

Succeeded by
Randy Ewing
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