{{Infobox officeholder
|name=Frederick Herman<br> "Fred" Baden, I| image=Fred Baden of Pineville, LA.jpg |nationality=[[United States|American]]
| office=[[Mayor]] of [[Pineville, Louisiana|Pineville]], [[Louisiana]], [[United States|USA]]
| party= [[Democratic Party|Democrat]]
==Background==
Baden, who was of [[Germans|German]] extraction, was the only son of four children born in Pineville to Herman P. Baden (1885–1959) and Maude H. Baden (1896–1973). Baden was reared in a house located on Lakeview Street in downtown Pineville. The late Alexandria Mayor [[John K. Snyder]], whose tenure corresponded with that of Baden in Pineville, also grew up on Lakeview Street about a block from the Baden household. "He was the mayor of Alexandria, but he spent more time in Pineville," said Baden, who recalled that while Snyder maintained an apartment in Alexandria, he spent more time at his mother's Pineville residence.<ref>Jodi Belgard, "John Snyder seemed to relish controversy," ''The [[Alexandria Town Talk]],'' April 29, 2002000.</ref>
Baden dropped out of school in the eighth grade.<ref name=sulphur/> At the age of eighteen, he became a volunteer firefighter and worked as an auxiliary police officer. Baden also became a [[plumber]] and at the age of twenty-eight attained the level of "Master Plumber." He served on the Pineville City Council from 1966 until his election as mayor in the spring of 1970.<ref name=obit>Obituary of Frederick Herman Baden, I, ''Alexandria Town Talk,'' December 18, 2009.</ref>
==Extended family==
Baden was twice married. After his [[divorce]] from the former Patsy Rhae Nugent (born August 5, 1932), he married his young secretary, the former Roxan Babb (born March 17, 1950). She is the daughter of J. D. Babb (1924-2004), a retired chief petty officer in the [[United States Navy]] and a former deputy for the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Department, and Charline Melder Babb (born c. 1931) of Glenmora in south Rapides Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=66282574|title=J. D. Babb|publisher=Findagrave.com|accessdate=December 11, 2019}}</ref> Patsy Baden later married Terrell Dawson Corley (born May 4, 1945) of Pineville, formerly of Jena in LaSalle Parish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intelius.com/results.php?ReportType=1&formname=name&qf=Patsy&qmi=N&qn=Corley&qcs=Pineville%2C+LA&focusfirst=1|title=Patsy N. Corley in Pineville, Louisiana|publisher=intelius.com|accessdate=March 18December 11, 20142019}}</ref>Fred and Patsy Nugent Baden had four daughters, Sarah, Leah, Andrea Broussard (deceased), and Tracy, and three sons, Mark Wendell Baden (born September 17, 1953), a former sheriff's deputy; Gary Wayne Baden (born October 22, 1955), a plumber, and Tony Phillip Baden (born March 23, 1960) of Boyce in north Rapides Parish. He had two sons by Roxan, Frederick H. "Freddy" Baden, II (1978-2014), and Joshua Adam Baden (born 1979).<ref name=obit/>
Baden's three sisters, all deceased, were Linnie B. Murray, Louella Gatlin Bradford, and Vivian Odelia Nugent, who died in Pollock in neighboring Grant Parish in 2012 at the age of ninety-six. Another "Patsy Nugent" is the wife of Baden's cousin, Bobby E. Nugent, a son of his aunt Vivian.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetowntalk/obituary.aspx?pid=157541007|title=Vivian Odelia Nugent|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk''|accessdate=March 18December 11, 20142019}}</ref>
===Fred Baden, II===
Like his father, Baden, II, was a master plumber with a formal education. In 1996, the younger Baden graduated from Pineville High School and received a [[tennis]] scholarship to McNeese State University in [[Lake Charles]]. Thereafter, a resident of Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish, he was a youth soccer coach and a member of Lions International. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Sulphur. On March 16, 2014, he was found dead at the age of thirty-five at his home of apparent natural causes; officials immediately ruled out foul play or suicide.<ref name=sulphur>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanpress.com/news/local/Obit-Fred-Baden|author=Lance Traweek|title=Sulphur City Council candidate found dead|date=March 17, 2014|publisher=''Lake Charles American Press''|accessdate=March 18, 2014; no longer on-line}}</ref> The younger Baden was following his father's footsteps in local politics. He was a Republican candidate for the District 4 seat on the Sulphur City Council in the municipal election scheduled for April 5, 2014. His opponent was another Republican, Joseph Harry "Randy" Favre, Jr. (born c. 1963).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns (Calcasieu Parish), April 5, 2014.</ref>
The younger Baden was following his father's footsteps in local politics. He was a Republican candidate for the District 4 seat on the Sulphur City Council in the municipal election scheduled for April 5, 2014. His opponent was another Republican, Joseph Harry "Randy" Favre, Jr. (born c. 1963).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns (Calcasieu Parish), April 5, 2014.</ref> As he sought office himself, the junior Baden recalled that as a child he "listened, watched and learned how city government should be open, run and influenced by the voters. My majoring in business gives me an edge into the fiscal operations of a municipality. I have a professional background in public utilities. I also come from a family with deep ties to local fire and police departments."<ref name=sulphur/>
He was survived by his wife, Celeste Renee Baden (born c. 1980); three children, Fred Baden, III, Christian Baden, and Harlee Baden, and three step-children.<ref name=fbadenjr>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetowntalk/obituary.aspx?n=frederick-herman-baden-ii-freddy&pid=170229199&fhid=25238|title=Frederick H. "Freddie" Baden, II|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk''|accessdate=March 18December 11, 20142019}}</ref>
==Mayoral service==
As a councilman, Baden often clashed with Mayor [[Floyd Smith]], a fellow Democrat and a member of the [[Huey Long|Long]] political dynasty who did not seek a second term but instead ran successfully in 1970 for councilman at-large, a position that he soon vacated in order to run, unsuccessfully, for state senator against the incumbent [[Cecil R. Blair]]. Smith was elected mayor in 1966, when he upset fellow Democrat [[Elmo Futrell|P. Perry Elmo Futrell, Jr.]], a Pineville [[real estate]] appraiser.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/85144493/|title=Municipal; Election Returns Cited|publisher=''The [[Monroe News-Star]]''|date=April 9, 1962|page=5|accessdate=July 16December 11, 20152019}}</ref>
A [[Southern Baptist]], Baden was particularly known for his opposition to the sale of [[alcohol]]ic beverages in historically prohibitionist Pineville, the home of Baptist-affiliated [[Louisiana College]]. He once closed Buhlow Lake in Pineville to boat races because of alcohol consumption on the premises.<ref>''The Alexandria Town Talk,'' May 25, 1979.</ref>
Despite the improvements, the Pineville population remained relatively constant during his 28-year tenure as mayor—in the range of 12,000 to 13,000. Much of the area growth occurred outside the city limits.
Baden was an original member of the Rapides Area Planning Commission and served on the [[Salvation Army]] Board, the Louisiana College Board of Development, and the Rapides Parish Solid Waste Committee. He was also active in the Central Louisiana Chamber of Commerce, the Rapides Senior Citizens Board, the Renaissance Board for Youth, and the Louisiana Municipal Association, of which he served three terms as vice president. Baden received the Hometown Leadership Award which recognizes elected local officials for exemplary leadership. He was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the Louisiana College trustees. The Louisiana National Guard presented him with its "Commendation Award".<ref name=obit/> In 2001, the Rapides Parish Police Jury [county commission in other states] appointed Baden to fill an unexpired term on the Esler Industrial Development Area Advisory Board. The appointment ended on January 8, 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rppj.com/081301.htm|title=Rapides Parish Police Jury|publisher=rppj.com|accessdate=December 18, 2009; no longer on-line}}</ref>
Baden worked with [[L. B. Henry]] of Pineville, long-term police jury president, in upgrading the [[infrastructure]] and procuring sewerage service to the outlying Wardville and Lee Heights areas. Baden and Henry also came to terms for the establishment of an animal shelter for both Pineville and the parish. Like Baden, Henry was a plumber by trade.<ref>"L.B. Henry was known for helping other people," ''Alexandria Town Talk,'' April 15, 2008.</ref>
Among the many city council members during the Baden years was the Louisiana College psychology professor [[George Hearn]], a Democrat, and Christian D. Cunningham, a Republican who defeated Hearn for reelection in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetowntalk/obituary.aspx?n=george-earl-hearn&pid=145331127|title=George Earl Hearn|publisher=''Alexandria Town Talk''|date=September 14, 2010|accessdate=September 23December 11, 20102019}}</ref>
In 1989, Baden spoke out on the state level when he questioned the financial policies undertaken by Governor [[Buddy Roemer]]. At the time voters had just rejected a tax reform package submitted by Roemer. Baden said that average citizens of modest means "see waste and fat [in government]. They tell me they feel betrayed." Baden proposed that serious budget cuts be undertaken at the state level before any discussion of higher taxes be contemplated. He noted that Roemer had promised huge cuts in the education bureaucracy in the capital city of [[Baton Rouge]] which never materialized.<ref>"Mayor says 'betrayal by Roemer' was reason for tax reform failure," ''Minden Press-Herald,'' May 11, 1989, p. 1.</ref>
In 1974, Baden made prohibition a key issue when he won his second term by a large margin over Rapides Parish School Board member Gary K. Hays (1938–1981). Baden continued to be reelected with few obstacles in 1978, 1982, 1986, and 1990. His last victory was in the nonpartisan blanket [[primary]] held on March 26, 1994, when he polled 2,449 votes (69 percent) to 1,075 (30 percent) for Republican Chris Cunningham, and 31 votes (1 percent) for another Democrat, Nick Patten.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Municipal election returns, March 26, 1994.</ref> Patten blamed his weak showing on the alleged theft of his campaign signs by Baden supporters. "It's just a terrible thing that you can't run a legitimate election in Pineville," Patten said. Baden retorted that some of his own signs had vanished as well.<ref>"Candidate files complaint; Says campaign signs disappearing," ''Alexandria Daily Town Talk,'' December 2, 1993, p. D-2.</ref>
In the primary held on April 4, 1998, Baden led the four-candidate field with 1,805 votes (44 percent). Republican [[Leo Deslatte ]] trailed with 1,243 ballots (31 percent). A second Democrat, Barbara B. Gypin, polled 35 votes (1 percent). The "No Party" candidate was [[attorney]] Randal Bryan "Randy" Tannehill (born 1960), son of Fred Tannehill, a wealthy businessman who served years earlier as a Democratic remember of the Louisiana State Board of Education (since renamed as the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education). Randal Tannehill received 977 votes (24 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns (Rapides Parish), April 4, 1998.</ref> The last campaign was bitter. In the [[general election]] on May 2, Deslatte prevailed with 2,304 votes (53 percent) to Baden's 2,062 (47 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, May 2, 1998.</ref> In 1999, Randy Tannehill ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in the District 27 state House election, having been defeated by the Democrat [[Rick Lamar L. Farrar (1960-2018)]].
==City financial audit==
Mayor Deslatte invited the Louisiana legislative auditor, [[Dan Kyle]], a Republican, to inspect Pineville's municipal books. Kyle's office criticized the Baden administration for violations ranging from the illegal donation of thirty-one vehicles to other governmental entities as well as special leave benefits for Baden's wife, Roxan, when she became an employee in her husband's office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20091218/NEWS01/912180323/-1/NEWSFRONT2/7-term-Pineville-Mayor-Fred-Baden-remembered-for-big-heart|author=Bret H. McCormick|title=, "7-term Pineville Mayor Fred Baden remembered for 'big heart,'" December 18, 2009|publisher=''The Alexandria Town Talk''|accessdate=, December 18, 2009}}.</ref>
Thereafter, the office of then Louisiana Attorney General [[Richard Ieyoub]], a Democrat, cleared Baden of any wrongdoing, but Dan Kyle claimed that Ieyoub had ignored critical evidence that would have found Baden guilty of [[malfeasance]] in office. However, Ieyoub reported that a lengthy investigation concluded "there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution."<ref name=adtt/> Baden said at the time that he knew he would be cleared of the allegations. "I felt all along that I would be cleared of these allegations . . . I never did anything wrong. We never took anything from the city that we didn't earn."<ref name=adtt/>
Deslatte was unable to work with the city council and resigned as mayor after less than two years into his term. He said that the political pressure was too much to make the job worth keeping. The council then appointed an [[African American]] council member, [[Clarence Fields]] as interim mayor to succeed Deslatte.<ref>''Alexandria Daily Town Talk,'' December 10, 1999.</ref> Fields, hence the first black mayor of Pineville, was then elected to a partial term in 2000,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/10072000/10072000_40.html|title=Louisiana Secretary of States, Election Results|date=Returns, October 72, 2000|publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]]|accessdate=July 17, 2015}}.</ref> a full term in 2002 and reelected again without opposition in 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. Baden announced that he would oppose Fields for the partial term in 2000 but subsequently withdrew from consideration,<ref name=adtt/> and [[George Hearn ]] instead ran unsuccessfully for mayor that year against Fields.
==Death and legacy==
Baden died at the age of seventy-five, several days after having been admitted to Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria. He was on life support as a result of a fall at his home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=thetowntalk&sParam=32326739.story|title=Former Pineville Mayor Fred Baden dies|date=December 17, 2009|publisher=content.usa.today.net''USA Today''|accessdate=December 18, 2009; no longer on-line}}</ref> Services were held on December 19, 2009, at the First Baptist Church of Pineville, located across the street from Pineville City Hall. He is interred at Mt. Olivet Cemetery Pineville, also the resting place of his parents and namesake son, Fred Baden, II.<ref name=fbadenjr/>
When he left the office of mayor, Baden declared himself a true public servant: "What we get out of life is what we do for others. ...<ref name=obit/>"We made Pineville a city that everyone could be proud of. I would like to be remembered as a man that helped build the city that I loved. I would like to be remembered for all the accomplishments we made together as a dedicated team for the past twenty-eight years."<ref name=adtt/> He continued: "I never forgot that it was the people who put me there. They're the ones you listen to. They're the board of directors."<ref name=adtt/>
Mayor Fields said that Baden's "prints are all over this city. He . . . cared about people and did everything he possibly could to help people. There's signs of it all over the city."<ref name=adtt/> Fields said that Pineville will honor Baden in "a great way" at some point in the future.<ref name=adtt/> He is honored with the Fred H. Baden Memorial Gateway between City Hall and Louisiana College.
On January 28, 2012, Baden, along with [[Adras LaBorde]], managing editor of the ''Alexandria Town Talk,'' was posthumously inducted into the [[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame ]] in Winnfield. At the induction ceremony, daughter Leah Baden recalled the poem, "Don't Quit," which Baden made her and her siblings to recite. She continued: "As a child, a lot of people thought I should receive special treatment because I was the child of a politician. My dad always told me everyone should be treated the same, with kindness and respect."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20120129/NEWS01/201290325/La-Political-Hall-inducts-former-Pineville-mayor-5-others|author=Warren Hayes|title=La. , "Louisiana Political Hall inducts former Pineville mayor, 5 others|publisher=," ''The Alexandria Town Talk,'' January 29, 2012|accessdate=January 30, 2012}}.</ref>
==References==
[[Category:Democrats]]
[[Category:Southern Baptists]]
[[Category:Inductees of the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame]]