Francis Grevemberg - Republican Gubernatorial Campaign, 1960

Republican Gubernatorial Campaign, 1960

In 1959-1960, Grevemberg rejected cries of "It can't be done" and switched parties to run for governor as a Republican. He challenged former Governor Jimmie Davis, winner of a hard-fought Democratic primary and runoff. Grevemberg called for abolition of useless positions in state government and industrial recruitment efforts. Among his supporters were Charles deGravelles and wife, Virginia deGravelles of Lafayette, two future leaders in the fledgling Louisiana Republican Party.

His candidacy offered the state something that it had not seen since the 19th century, an actually contested general election for governor."Never before have the voters in this state been given such an opportunity for self-expression," opined the Alexandria Daily Town Talk on Grevemberg's candidacy. "It is a rare opportunity for us to take part in an advanced course in government and politics." The Town Talk's managing editor, Adras LaBorde, gave more attention to the Davis-Grevemberg than did most of the other Louisiana newspapers.

Democrats were sufficiently confident of overwhelming victories to restrict their general election activities to a few party-harmony speeches. Davis had stopped campaigning after he defeated Morrison and did not return to active campaign status until a few weeks prior to the general election. National Republicans had promised financial help to Grevemberg, but none arrived.

Grevemberg polled only 86,135 votes (17 percent). Davis received 407,907 (81.5 percent). Grevemberg scored his highest percent, 39.9 in Terrebonne Parish, and his second-best showing was the 27.2 percent in Lafayette Parish. In several parishes, including Kennon's Webster Parish, Grevemberg polled less than 2 percent of the ballots.

Grevemberg was outraged at newspaper editorials against him. "My main purpose for entering this race was toward a two-party system.... I hope I have convinced a sizable number of people we do need two parties." Grevemberg was particularly hostile toward the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which called him a "turncoat" after he left the Democratic Party, adding: "I risked my life and those of my family in attempts to rid this state of racketeers.... These newspapers have lived up to the reputation given them by Huey Long that they were yellow journals."

The GOP was still four years away from offering voters a more competitive choice in a Louisiana gubernatorial general election. At the close of the campaign, Grevemberg called upon President Dwight D. Eisenhower to investigate Mafia figure Carlos Marcello of Gretna, the seat of Jefferson Parish, in light of failed efforts to have Marcello deported. Grevemberg said that he harbored no ill will toward Davis but was merely trying to plant the seeds of a two-party system in Louisiana.

As a delegate to the 1960 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Grevemberg was among ten delegates who still cast their votes for U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, after Goldwater had lectured conservatives "to grow up" and support Richard M. Nixon for the party's nomination against U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts.