Louis Gurvich
| Louis Sheldon Gurvich, Jr. | |
 | |
| In office 2018 – 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Pat Brister |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Derek Babcock |
| Born | September 5, 1952 New Orleans, Louisiana, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Nanette LoCoco Gurvich
Parents: |
| Residence | New Orleans |
| Occupation | Attorney; Businessman |
Louis Sheldon Gurvich, Jr. (born September 5, 1952),[1] is an attorney and the owner of New Orleans Private Patrol, a securities company which employs three hundred people in his native New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2018, he was elected chairman of his state's Republican Party when he succeeded the long-term former chairman, Roger F. Villere, Jr., of Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans who did not seek another term.[2] He is leaving the position in the spring of 2024 and will be succeeded by Derek Babcock, the secretary of the party executive committee and the choice of Gurvich and Governor Jeff Landry. Babcock is also a director of the conservative Louisiana Family Forum.
Family background
Gurvich was the son of Louis, Sr. (1921-1986), a private investigator, and the former Paula Hollon (1925-2003). His sister and only sibling, Jann Elizabeth Gurvich (1953-1978), studied at the University of California at Berkeley, where she subsequently joined the Reverend James Warren "Jim" Jones (1931-1978) and the "People's Temple." She relocated with the deadly cult in 1977 to Guyana. The next year she was among those who perished in the forced suicides at the compound. Her father went to Guyana to search for her, only to learn that she had died there. Her grave at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans was featured in the 1979 documentary, Deceived: The Jonestown Tragedy.[3][4] Gurvich is married to Dr. Nanette LoCoco Gurvich.[5]
Political activities
Gurvich was elected over three intra-party rivals, state Representative Julie Emerson of Carencro near Lafayette, Charlie Buckels, a long-time Lafayette businessman and political activist, and Scott Wilfong, a political consultant from Baton Rouge. He received 97 of the 177, nearly 55 percent of the possible votes.[2]
Prior to the state chairmanship, Gurvich was a member of the Orleans Parish Republican Executive Committee and the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee, of which he was at different times the sergeant-at-arms, secretary, and deputy chairman. He is a former presidential elector and was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 2008, 2012, and 2016. He also appointed to the Orleans Parish Board of Election Supervisors and has experience in statewide voter registration drives.[6] In early 2021, he was elected again to a one-year term by defeating former state Representative Lance Harris of Alexandria.
In November 2021, state party secretary Michael Robert "Mike" Bayham (born 1974), a supporter of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination,[7] accused Gurvich of manipulating the date of the next central committee meeting to elect a chairman. "For a party running on trying to clean up elections and transparency this isn't a good look," Bayham told the USA Today Network. "He's actively acting as if he wants to short-circuit any competition for the election. ...Officers should not be politicking for re-election before we even know when the election is," Bayham said. Under party rules, Gurvich was compelled to call for a committee meeting to elect a chairman for a two-year term by January 15, 2022, with the election held before March 31, 2022.[8]
Gurvich is a regular contributor to The Hayride, a state political journal accessible on the Internet.[9]
References
- ↑ Louis Gurvich. Mylife.com. Retrieved on March 15, 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tyler Bridges (February 24, 2018). New Orleans businessman elected new chairman of the Louisiana Republican Party. The Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved on March 15, 2020.
- ↑ Jann Elizabeth Gurvich. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2024.
- ↑ Louis Sheldon "Lou" Gurvich, Sr.. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2024.
- ↑ Paula Hollon Gurvich. Findagrave.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2024.
- ↑ Louis Gurvich: State Chairman. Louisiana Republican Party. Retrieved on March 15, 2020.
- ↑ Michael Bayham. Ballotpedia. Retrieved on November 11, 2021.
- ↑ Greg Hilburn (November 9, 2021). Feud emerging within Louisiana GOP leadership over intra-party elections. Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Retrieved on November 11, 2021.
- ↑ Louis Gurvich. thehayride.com. Retrieved on November 11, 2021.