Charles de Gravelles - Political Hall of Fame

Political Hall of Fame

Charles and Virginia deGravelles won several joint awards, primarily for their two-party and Republican activities. They have been honored with the George Washington Medal of Honor given by Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the “Lifetime Achievement” honor from the Louisiana Republican Party. On January 27, 2007, they were inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield – the first couple honored together by the organization, which began recognizing Louisiana politicians in 1993. Former Congresswoman Corrine Claiborne "Lindy" Boggs of New Orleans was inducted in 1994, a year after posthumous honors were given to her husband, Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr. The deGravelleses' rival, Kenny Bowen, who had been a budding Lafayette Republican in the 1960s before he switched to the Democratic camp, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002, shortly before his death.

DeGravelles, who had been using a wheelchair, died at his residence at 409 Azalea Street in Lafayette. News of his death was carried in the state’s newspapers and over television. A memorial service was held on September 6, 2008, at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Lafayette. Son Charles deGravelles of Trinity Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge was one of the three officiating ministers. DeGravelles was also a strong supporter of the Salvation Army. Mrs. deGravelles survives her husband of seventy-three years.