Difference between revisions of "John Treen"

Revision as of 02:01, September 25, 2019

John Speir Treen, Sr. (born February 5, 1926), is a retired homebuilder from Metairie in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, who lost a 1989 special election for the Louisiana House of Representatives to the former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke. Treen is the older brother of the late David C. Treen, the first Republican U.S. Representative and governor of Louisiana since Reconstruction. ​ ​

Background

​ John Treen was born in Baton Rouge to Joseph Paul Treen, Sr. (1900–1986) and the former Elizabeth Speir (1899–1990). He had a second brother, Paul Treen, Jr. He is married to the former Martha Ann Swayze (born 1928).^[1] Treen has two sons, John S. Treen, Jr., (born 1954) of Metairie and Ben Marcus Treen (born 1956) of Greenville, South Carolina.^[2] and two daughters, Betsy T. Anderson of Cypress, Texas, and Georgia T. Cole of Spartanburg, South Carolina.​ ​

Political life

​ Like his brother Dave Treen, John Treen has long been active in the Louisiana Republican Party. While Dave Treen ran for governor on February 1, 1972, in the first of three campaigns for the state's highest office, John Treen in that same election contested a state Senate seat in Jefferson Parish. He lost by 973 votes to the Democrat M. Joseph Tiemann, 16,153 (51.6 percent) to 15,180 (48. percent.)^[3]

Considered a particularly observant political commentator, Treen coined the expression: "All things being equal, Cajuns vote for Cajuns."^[4]In most statewide and congressional races since 1972 in Louisiana, the candidate from Acadiana, regardless of party, has won statewide and district elections. An exception to that rule came in 1987 when the Democrat Buddy Roemer, who defected to the Republicans in 1991, won without a general election when his Cajun intra-party rival, Governor Edwin Edwards, withdrew. Another exception occurred in 2004, when Republican David Vitter defeated Democrat Chris John. Both were then U.S. representatives.^[4]

Treen v. Duke

In late 1988, Republican state Representative Charles Cusimano resigned from the Distirct 81 seat in the Louisiana House after eight years to accept a position as a 24th Judicial District Court judge. In the special election, the candidates included Treen, Duke, Republican school board member Delton Charles, Democratic real estate agent D. J. "Bud" Olister (backed by Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee), and Roger F. Villere, Jr., a young businessman from Metairie who was the Republican state chairman from 2004 to 2018. Duke finished first in the primary with 3,995 votes (33.1 percent).^[5] Because no candidate received a majority in the first round, a runoff was required between Duke and Treen, who polled 2,277 votes (18.9 percent) in the first round of balloting.^[6] ​ ​ David Vitter, then a young Republican attorney, would have entered the special election as well had he met the residency requirement. Ironically, Vitter would become the representative for District 81 in 1992 and then win election to the United States House of Representatives.^[7]​ ​ Ron Gomez, then a member of the Louisiana House from Lafayette, observed the District 81 special election:​ ​

John Treen was not a very dynamic campaigner, and he was not very well liked by the political insiders in Jefferson Parish. ... Harry Lee was quoted as saying the runoff election was 'a choice between a bigot and an asshole.' During the few head-to-head public forums Treen's advisors allowed, John wilted under the relative eloquence of Duke.^[8]

​ John Treen's candidacy was endorsed by U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush, former President Ronald W. Reagan, and other notable Republicans such as the political activist Beth Rickey.^[9] Treen also drew the backing of the Chamber of Commerce, The New Orleans Times-Picayune,^[10] the Democrat Victor Bussie (long-term president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO), and Edward J. Steimel (president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry). Duke, however, hammered Treen on a statement that Treen had made indicating a willingness to entertain higher property taxes if so determined by the voters, an unpopular stance in the suburban district. Moreover, the third-place candidate, Delton Charles, did little to help Treen in the contest with Duke.^[11]​

With 8,459 votes (50.7 percent), Duke narrowly defeated Treen, who polled 8,232 votes (49.3 percent).^[12] Duke served in the House from 1990 until 1992, his only public office.^[13] The turnout was a relatively high 54 percent for a showdown election.^[8] Though Duke had left the Klan in 1979, his presence in Louisiana Republican circles in the 1990s created much havoc for the party and may have delayed its advancement to near parity with the Democrats, which developed by the early years of the 21st century.

John Treen, meanwhile, decided to challenge the election on grounds that Duke had lived two blocks outside district lines prior to filing his candidacy papers. Because Treen did not file his challenge within ten days of qualifying, Duke was considered a bona fide resident of District 81. Treen's suit was tossed out of court by Judge Clarence McManus.^[14]​ ​ David Treen also faced David Duke, who became a perennial candidate over the years, in a special election for the United States House in 1999, triggered by the resignation of Republican Representative Bob Livingston of Louisiana's 1st congressional district. Neither Treen nor Duke emerged victorious. The election went to then state Representative David Vitter. Ironically, Duke endorsed David Treen in Treen's close runoff election loss to Vitter. The 1999 contest was the last time that David Treen appeared on a Louisiana ballot. In that election, John Treen said of his brother: "Dave has a reputation for absolute honesty and integrity. That was one of his trademarks."^[15]​ ​

Other political notes

​John Treen was an alternate delegate to the 1972 Republican National Convention held in Miami Beach, Florida, which re-nominated the Nixon/Agnew ticket. He was a delegate to the 1988 convention held in New Orleans, which nominated the Bush-Quayle ticket.^[16]​

In 2004, John Treen refused to endorse David Vitter in the U.S. Senate election. Treen said that he "doesn't give a damn" what Vitter thinks of him. He said that his opposition to Vitter is that "I don't like liars." John Treen, however, did not specifically endorse Vitter's opponent, the Democrat Christopher John.^[17] Vitter won the first of his two Senate terms in the race against Christopher John. On Dave Treen's death in 2009, however, Vitter delivered a moving eulogy to the former governor.^[18]​

On March 24, 2012, John Treen was handily defeated in a race for the District 81 seat on the Republican State Central Committee. He lost that race to Louisiana Public Service Commissioner [Eric Skrmetta, 447 (63.3 percent) to 259 (36.7 percent).^[19]​ ​

References

​​​​​ ​