Rufus D. Hayes

Rufus D. Hayes (May 15, 1913 – February 12, 2002)[1][2] was an attorney, judge, and businessman from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who served as his state's insurance commissioner from 1957 to 1964. He was also a former district attorney in East Baton Rouge Parish and in 1958 the Louisiana Democratic state chairman. He was a delegate to the 1956 and 1960 Democratic National Conventions held in Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California, respectively.[3]

Rufus D. Hayes
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner
In office 1957–1964
Governor	Earl Long Jimmie Davis
Preceded by	Wade O. Martin, Jr. (as Secretary of State)
Succeeded by	Dudley A. Guglielmo
Personal details
Born	(1913-05-15)May 15, 1913
Died	February 12, 2002(2002-02-12) (aged 88)
Political party	Democratic
Occupation	Attorney; Businessman

Hayes graduated from Southern Baptist-affiliated Louisiana College in Pineville. He received his law degree from Louisiana State University Law Center. During World War II he fought in the Pacific Theater of Operations.[4]

Hayes was appointed insurance commissioner by Governor Earl Kemp Long after Long convinced the legislature to remove the insurance duties from the domain of Secretary of State Wade O. Martin, Jr., with whom Long had quarreled. Hayes won a term of his own in the Democratic runoff election, held on January 9, 1960, having defeated Paul C. Tate (1922–1983)[1] of Mamou in Evangeline Parish, the choice of gubernatorial candidate Bill Dodd.[5] Hayes ran on the Jimmie Davis ticket, all of whose members prevailed in the runoff election. After the elimination of Bill Dodd in the gubernatorial primary, Tate ran on the Morrison intraparty ticket, which was defeated by Davis.[6] Thereafter, Hayes was the only statewide Democratic nominee unopposed in the general election held on April 19, 1960, but none of the Democrats faced a serious threat to election.[7]

In 1963–1964, Hayes did not seek a second elected term as insurance commissioner and was succeeded by Dudley A. Guglielmo, who carried the endorsement of defeated gubernatorial candidates Gillis Long, Shelby M. Jackson, Robert F. Kennon, and Claude Kirkpatrick.[8] Two of the defeated candidates were the outgoing Louisiana State Representative Jack M. Dyer, also of Baton Rouge, who ran on the intraparty ticket of deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr., and the departing State Senator Speedy O. Long of La Salle Parish, the choice of John J. McKeithen, the winner of the gubernatorial primary runoff and general election.

In 1985, Hayes sold for $750,000 a 14-acre (5.7 ha) parcel on Highland Road to Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.[9]

Hayes was a judge after his time as insurance commissioner ended. For forty-two years, he was a member of the Hancock Bank board. At the time of his death, Hayes was residing in Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish.[2] He was living in Oklahoma at the time he acquired his Social Security card.[1]

References

1. "Social Security Death Index". ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
2. "Follow the Light: Hancock Holding Company" (PDF). hancockbank.com. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
3. "Index to Politicians: Hayes". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
4. Minden Press, Minden, Louisiana, January 1, 1960, p. 4 (advertisement)
5. State of Louisiana, Secretary of State, Primary runoff election returns, January 9, 1960
6. Minden Press, January 11, 1960, p. 1
7. State of Louisiana, Secretary of State, General election returns from April 19, 1960
8. Minden Press, November 4, 1963, p. 12 (advertisement)
9. "Timothy Boone, "The Land Baron", October 9, 2007". businessreport.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved May 24, 2010.

Preceded by Wade O. Martin, Jr. as Secretary of State	Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Rufus D. Hayes 1957–1964	Succeeded by Dudley A. Guglielmo