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George Joseph Despot (January 28, 1927 – February 14, 1991) was a businessman in his native Shreveport and a pioneer in the establishment of a competitive Republican Party in the U.S. state of Louisiana. He was the state Republican chairman from 1978 to 1985. His leadership began when the state party was so small that there was a standing joke that the Louisiana GOP could operate from a phone booth, few of which still exist, though the Republicans became the majority party in Louisiana by 2012. Despot was born to George G. Despot (1898-1969) and Katherine "Katie" Despot (1901-1977). The Despots were Roman Catholics and Croatian; they came to the United States under an "Old World" arranged marriage. There were trials in the home, with more than one separation.〔 George Despot's younger daughter, Rebecca A. Despot (born 1961), reflected on her paternal grandparents: "My grandfather and his brother had a restaurant in Shreveport called "the Columbia," (was ) open twenty-four hours a day. ... It became the businessman's hangout in town. When (sees ) old pictures of Shreveport, there are always pictures of the Columbia. They sent Daddy to school when he was three because they did not know () they were not supposed to send him so early."〔Statement of Rebecca Despot of Shreveport〕 For a time, young George Despot attended a Catholic high school in New Orleans. Despot graduated from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and Louisiana State University Law Center in Baton Rouge. Despot earned his living in the oil and natural gas business as the owner of Despot Explorations, Inc. ==As state chairman== In 1960, Despot sponsored Republican advertisements for the Nixon/Lodge presidential ticket, which lost in Louisiana to the Kennedy-Johnson ticket.〔''Minden Press'', October 17, 1960〕 In 1964, Despot rallied behind the gubernatorial candidacy of Shreveporter Charlton Lyons. Lyons waged the first serious Republican campaign in modern Louisiana history but fell far short of victory. Despot and a friend, Shreveport CPA George A. Burton, were named by Lyons as the campaign co-chairmen, largely because it was Despot and Burton who convinced Lyons to run for governor. The winner was Democrat John McKeithen. While Lyons was running for governor, Despot was an unsuccessful candidate for the Caddo Parish Police Jury, now known as the Caddo Parish Commission. On November 8, 1966, Despot lost a second race — for the Caddo Parish School Board. So did his friend George Burton.〔Three Republicans were then serving on the Caddo Parish School Board: Billy Guin, Edward Leo McGuire, Jr. (1914-1983), and Joel B. Brown.〕 Despot never again sought office himself but instead labored for other Republican candidates. Burton went on to become in 1971 the first Shreveport Republican since Reconstruction to be elected to municipal office as the citywide Shreveport finance commissioner. In 1976, Despot was first elected by his fellow Caddo Parish party members from District 33, to the Republican State Central Committee. Two years later he was named state chairman by committee members. Chairman Despot demanded that party organizations call caucuses to endorse one specific candidate in races in which more than one Republican filed for office. This was necessary to prevent GOP candidates from diluting their strength. Otherwise, none might poll enough primary votes even to make the ballot in the general election under Louisiana's unique nonpartisan blanket primary law, in which all candidates regardless of party affiliation run on the same ballot. Then the two top votegetters, assuming that no one secured a numerical majority in the primary, meet in the general election, popularly called a "runoff." When challenged about endorsements in a 1980 party caucus in Bossier City for a city council position, Despot thundered: "The party endorsement is worth a great deal. Some voters will not have a chance to meet either candidate. Without party endorsement, they might not vote for either Republican. I will enforce party discipline with an iron hand across this state. If the chair refuses to call a caucus, I will remove the Political Action Council chairwoman." Despot noted that his party could not then realistically contest all offices on the ballot: "There are just some () districts in the state where there is little opportunity for a Republican to get elected." This pick-and-choose approach was not conducive to rapid growth for the GOP but instead contributed to the partisan complexion of the legislature remaining largely unchanged even when Treen was elected governor in 1979. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Despot」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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