State names Guidry, Lyons to Political Hall of Fame

Louisiana’s youngest state representatives in history and a former Houma mayor are among six inductees into the Bayou State’s Political Hall of Fame.

Former State Rep. Richard “Dick” Guidry, who was elected to serve in the House of Representatives in 1961 at age 21, and former Houma mayor Edward P. “Bubby” Lyons, who is currently serving as mayor of Mandeville, will be inducted at the annual banquet Feb. 1, 2014, at the Winnfield, La., Civic Center. They were selected among 16 nominees.

“I’ve been out of public service for more than 30 years, and to receive this prestigious nomination is the highest honor I can think of,” Guidry, 84, of Galliano, said in a release. “My service in the Legislature came at a time when my district needed everything.

“I am proud of the successes we had and particularly of being a part in the growth of Nicholls State University, creating our hurricane protection levee system and participating in the amazing expansion of Port Fourchon.”

Guidry served as a state rep from 1952-56 and 1964-76. While in office, he helped establish the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, the South Lafourche Levee District, the Raceland Hospital District, Lady of the Sea Hospital and pushed for construction of LA-1.

In addition to serving as a floor leader in the House, he also served as a member of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Compact and as a member of the 1973 Constitution Convention after seeking a complete revamping of the state constitution and reorganization of state government in 1969.

His business ventures included movie theaters, banking, oil exploration and offshore towing vessels, which operated worldwide.

Lyons has the distinction of being the only person to serve as mayor of two Louisiana cities: Houma from 1978-84, and Mandeville in 2009-10. In 2000 and again in 2012, Lyons served as Mandeville’s interim councilman-at-large.

He served as a member of the Terrebonne Parish Police Jury from 1968-76 and president from 1972-76. As mayor of Houma, he was the driving force behind merging the parish and city governments into the Houma-Terrebonne Consolidated Government. He was elected Terrebonne’s first parish president, serving from 1984-88.

Lyons’ business activities included serving as chairman of the board of the First Export Corporation; vice chairman and board member of the First National Bank of Houma; vice president and part owner of Benton Casing Services; chairman and CEO of Quality Shipyards; and part owner of Duplantis Truck Lines. He also chaired the Louisiana Energy Power Authority and was a board member of Terrebonne General and the parish library.

Joining Guidry and Lyons in the Hall of Fame’s 2014 class are:

• Robert Mann, Times-Picayune columnist and historian. Mann holds the Manship Chair in mass communications at the LSU Manship School. He is the former secretary to U.S. Sens. Russell Long and John Breaux and former communications director for Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

• The late Rose McConnell Long, who completed her husband Huey’s U.S. Senate term, making her the state’s first female U.S. senator.

• The late Judge Carlos G. Spaht of Baton Rouge, former district attorney of East Baton Rouge Parish and 19th Judicial District judge.

• The late John Hunt, a state Public Service commissioner from 1964-72. Hunt was the nephew of Huey and Earl Long.

Special inductees at the February banquet are John B. Fournet, former speaker of the House, lieutenant governor and chief justice of the state Supreme Court, and the late J. Marshall Brown, a House of Representatives and state Board of Education member.