Leander Perez
Leander Henry Perez Sr. (July 16, 1891 – March 19, 1969) was an American Democratic Party political boss of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes in southeastern Louisiana during the middle third of the 20th century.[2] In 1919, Judge Perez launched a reign of bought elections and strictly enforced segregation by ensuring laws were enacted on his fiat and rubber-stamped by the parish governing councils.[citation needed] In the 1950s and 1960s, Perez gained attention as a nationally prominent opponent of desegregation, taking a leadership role in the southern Massive Resistance to change, particularly following the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional.His legislative ally, E. W. Gravolet of Pointe à la Hache, tried without success to pass grants-in-aid bills to provide state assistance to private schools that were founded to avoid desegregation, known as segregation academies.In the summer of 1963, from July through August, activists of the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) came to Plaquemines Parish to run a voter registration drive for African Americans.About 45 members, both black and white, came to work in the parish and organize local people for voter registration classes, peaceful marches, and drives to register.After training and concerted action, a number of local African Americans did succeed in registering to vote, although many were still prevented, on largely specious grounds for failing to answer questions about the state constitution.Expanded voter registration drives took place and, after 1965, African Americans in Louisiana began to participate again in the political system and exercise their constitutional rights.
Plaquemines Parish, LouisianaDalcour, LouisianaDemocraticStates' RightsAmerican IndependentState RepresentativeDemocratic Partypolitical bossPlaqueminesSt. BernardLouisianasegregationDalcourIsleñosCanary IslandsHoly Cross SchoolLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeTulane University Law SchoolBabe RuthCharlie ChaplinHerbert HooverAfrican-Americansdisenfranchisedpoll taxesliteracy testsdesegregationMassive ResistanceU.S. Supreme CourtBrown v. Board of EducationWhite Citizens' Councilswhite supremacistKu Klux KlanJoseph F. RummelPointe à la Hachesegregation academiesCongress for Racial EqualityWest Feliciana ParishCivil Rights Act of 1964Voting Rights Act of 1965Archdiocese of New OrleansMetairie CemeteryJames EastlandLoyola UniversityBob LindJudge Perez DriveBaton Rouge, LouisianaLouisiana State University PressUniversity of California PressLouisiana Historical AssociationLoyola University, New OrleansThe Clarion-LedgerMorales, Manuel Mora64 ParishesLouisiana Political Museum and Hall of FameHale BoggsWilliam C. C. ClaiborneJimmie DavisEdwin EdwardsDudley LeBlancEarl LongHuey LongRussell B. LongA. Leonard AllenLindy BoggsVictor BussieAllen J. EllenderGillis William LongdeLesseps Story MorrisonZachary TaylorEdward Douglass WhiteLouis BerryJames CarvilleMary Evelyn ParkerGus WeillOscar K. AllenMurphy J. FosterJ. Bennett JohnstonMelinda SchwegmannDavid C. TreenSpeedy LongJohn H. OvertonJoe WaggonnerT. Harry WilliamsCat DoucetJimmy FitzmorrisIris KelsoJefferson CafferyWilliam J. JeffersonJeannette KnollJimmy D. LongBuddy RoemerRobert F. KennonHarry LeeHarold McSweenWade O. Martin Jr.Victor H. SchiroHarley BozemanNathan Burl CainBill DoddJohn HainkelHenson MooreLillian WalkerJohn AlarioJohn BreauxJay ChevalierHarry Connick Sr.Mike FosterCarolyn HuntoonBob LivingstonBilly TauzinBilly BolesCharles W. DeWitt Jr.Dudley A. GuglielmoMoon LandrieuEdgar G. "Sonny" Mouton Jr.Doris Lindsey Holland RhodesVirginia SheheeCarlos Roberto FloresEddie J. Jordan Jr.Barbara Boggs SigmundFrancis C. ThompsonKathleen Babineaux BlancoCharlie CookSylvan FriedmanDonald E. Hines