Harvey Peltier Jr.

Harvey Andrew Peltier Jr. (January 18, 1923 – December 5, 1980),[1] was from 1964 to 1976 a member of the Louisiana State Senate from District 21, which included Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes in South Louisiana. He served alongside Claude B. Duval, senator from Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes.[2]

Harvey Andrew Peltier Jr.
Louisiana State Senator from Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes
In office 1964–1976
Preceded by	A. O. Rappelet
Succeeded by	Ron J. Landry
President of the University of Louisiana System
In office 1975 – December 5, 1980
Preceded by	First in the position
Succeeded by	William C. Broadhurst
Personal details
Born	(1923-01-18)January 18, 1923 Thibodaux Lafourche Parish Louisiana, USA
Died	December 5, 1980(1980-12-05) (aged 57)
Resting place	St. Joseph Cemetery in Thibodaux
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Irma Geheeb "Mickey" Peltier (married 1945-1980, his death)
Relations	Harvey Peltier Sr. (father) John Mitchell Crum (son-in-law)
Children	Patricia P. Crum Harvey "Drew" Peltier, III Mary Ellen Peltier
Residence	Thibodaux, Louisiana

Peltier resided in his native Thibodaux, Louisiana. At the age of twenty-five, he was a delegate to the 1948 Democratic National Convention held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which nominated the Truman-Barkley ticket.[3] He was appointed in 1975 by Governor Edwin Edwards as a trustee of the University of Louisiana System and was its first president from 1975 until his death in 1980.[4][5]

Peltier's father, Harvey Peltier Sr., an attorney, banker, and horse breeder,[6] a political confidante of and a campaign manager for Governor and U.S. Senator Huey Pierce Long Jr.[7] was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1924 to 1929[8] and held the same senate seat as his son, from 1930 to 1940.[2] Peltier Sr. also served on the former Louisiana State Board of Education as the elected member from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district.[9]

Peltier's mother was the former May Ayo (1902-1992). He had a sister, Bernice P. Harang, and three brothers, Donald Louis Peltier (1926-2008), Richard Benton Peltier (1938-2007),[10] and Dr. James R. Peltier (born 1930), a member of the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors.[11] Peltier's brother-in-law, Warren Harang Jr. (1921–2005), was a former president of the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce and the American Sugar Cane League, a member of the Lafourche Parish School Board, and the mayor of Thibodaux from 1968–1978, 1986–1990, and 1994–1998.[12]

In 1945, Peltier married Irma Mary Geheeb (1924-2014), the third daughter of Albert John and Cleo Belou Geheeb. Known as "Mickey", she graduated from the former Ursuline College, now Ursuline Academy, in her native New Orleans. The Peltiers lost an infant son in 1952 and have three surviving children, Patricia P. Crum, Harvey "Drew" Peltier III, and wife Linda, and Mary Ellen Peltier.[13] Peltier's son-in-law, John Mitchell Crum (1945-2012), was a district attorney of the 40th Judicial District of St. John the Baptist Parish.[14]

The Peltier family is interred in the family tomb at St. Joseph Cemetery in Thibodaux.[1]

In February 2014, four months before the death of his wife, Peltier Jr. was posthumously inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield. Peltier's colleague in the Louisiana House, Richard P. "Dick" Guidry of Lafourche Parish, was inducted in the same ceremony.[3]

References

1. "Harvey A. Peltier Jr". findagrave.com. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
2. "Membership in the Louisiana State Senate, 1880-Present" (PDF). senate.la.gov. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
3. "2014 LA Political Hall of Fame Inductees Selected, September 27, 2013". KLAX-TV. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
4. "History". ulsystem.net. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
5. The Chacahoula University of Louisiana at Monroe yearbook, 1976, p. 300
6. "Harvey Peltier Sr". findagrave.com. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
7. "Pot Of Gold For A Nervy Cajun, September 19, 1966". si.com. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
8. "Membership of the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-Current" (PDF). house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
9. The Lagniappe, Louisiana Tech University yearbook, 1970, p. 32
10. "Richard Benton Peltier". findagrave.com. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
11. "Mary Ayo Peltier". findagrave.com. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
12. "Katina A. Gaudet, Former Thibodaux mayor died this morning at 84, November 2, 2005". usgwarchives.net. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
13. "Irma Mary "Mickey" Geheeb Peltier". Baton Rouge Morning Advocate. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
14. "John Crum obituary, May 4, 2012". The Houma Courier. Retrieved October 16, 2013.

Preceded by A. O. Rappelet	Louisiana State Senator from Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes Harvey Andrew Peltier Jr. 1964–1976	Succeeded by Ron J. Landry
Preceded by First in the position	President of the University of Louisiana System Harvey Andrew Peltier Jr. 1975–1980	Succeeded by William C. Broadhurst