Elbert Guillory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elbert Guillory
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| Member of the Louisiana Senate from the 24th district |
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| In office May 2009 – January 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Don Cravins Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Boudreaux |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 40th district |
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| In office January 2007 – January 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Don Cravins Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Ledricka Thierry |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Elbert Lee Guillory
June 24, 1944 Opelousas, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (Before 2007, 2013–present) Democratic (2007–2013) |
| Education | Southern University Norfolk State University (BS) Rutgers University, Newark (JD) |
Elbert Lee Guillory (born June 24, 1944) is an American politician. He is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate. He is a Republican. He represented District 24, which includes his hometown of Opelousas. He served in the State Senate from May 2, 2009, until January 11, 2016. Before that, he was a state representative for District 40 from 2006 to 2009.
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About Elbert Guillory
Elbert Guillory grew up in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. His parents were divorced. His father, Ozema Ledee, was Catholic. He was an entrepreneur, which means he started his own businesses. He even flew his own plane, which was very rare for a black man in the 1950s.
Guillory's mother, Frances, was a strict Baptist. She worked as a teacher and a school principal.
Changing Political Parties
Elbert Guillory has changed his political party more than once. Before 2007, he was a registered Republican. He was even part of the Louisiana Republican state central committee.
In 2007, he became a Democrat. He did this when he first ran for the state House. The area he wanted to represent, District 40, had many Democratic voters.
Switching Back to Republican
During the 2013 session of the Louisiana Legislature, Guillory switched his party back to Republican. This change officially happened on May 31. He received an award called the Frederick Douglass Award at that time.
Before Guillory's switch, the last African-American Republican in the Louisiana Senate served during the Reconstruction era. When he accepted his award, Guillory compared himself to Frederick Douglass. Douglass was a famous 19th-century abolitionist who was also a Republican.
Guillory's political ideas were always quite conservative. He explained his 2013 party switch in a video. This video was seen by many people across the state and the country. In the video, he said that leaving the Democrats for the Republicans was "right for me, but for all of my brothers and sisters in the black community."
Soon after re-joining the Republican Party, Guillory started a group called Free at Last PAC. A political action committee (PAC) is a group that raises money for political campaigns. This PAC helps elect black conservatives to public office.
Legislative Black Caucus Membership
Even after switching back to the Republican Party, Guillory remained a member of the Louisiana Legislature's Black Delegation. This group is a caucus, which is a meeting or group of people with shared interests. The chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, State Representative Katrina Jackson, confirmed this.
Running for Lieutenant Governor in 2015
In 2015, Elbert Guillory ran for lieutenant governor. This election happened when the current lieutenant governor, Jay Dardenne, decided to run for governor.
Guillory was one of four candidates in the primary election on October 24. He finished in last place with 7.9 percent of the votes. Two other candidates, Billy Nungesser and John Young, moved on to the runoff election. Billy Nungesser won the election on November 21, 2015.
Running for U.S. House in 2016
On January 22, 2016, Guillory announced he would run for Louisiana's 4th congressional district. The current representative, John Fleming, was leaving to run for the U.S. Senate.
Guillory was eliminated from this race after the primary election on November 8, 2016. He placed 5th with 7% of the vote and did not make it to the runoff election.
Community Work
Elbert Guillory has been involved in many community groups. He served on the boards for the Saint Landry Parish Chamber of Commerce. He also helped the local Salvation Army and the Saint Landry Parish Indigent Defenders. He was also on the board for the Opelousas Daily World newspaper.
He is a member of the Rotary Club, which is a service organization. He also supports the American Cancer Society. Guillory is a Catholic and is an active member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Opelousas.
See also
- List of American politicians who switched parties in office
