Otto Passman - Dodd and Passman Come To Blows

Dodd and Passman Come To Blows

Passman did not run for any statewide office, but he became involved in the 1951–1952 gubernatorial campaign as a supporter of outgoing Governor Earl Kemp Long.

William J. "Bill" Dodd, a long-time observer of Louisiana politics, mentions his relationship with Passman in Dodd's memoirs Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics. There is a humorous discourse that occurred in 1947, when Passman tells Earl Long and companions that he paid $4,000 for new dentures, as if the friends were to be impressed with Passman's wealth. According to the Dodd narrative:

Passman went into a long and very detailed discussion about his new teeth. He explained how the dentist had manufactured them to look just like his original teeth – had duplicated the defects and had even copied the eroded tobacco stains and chips of those being replaced. As he talked, he would pull his lips back and show us how perfect the imperfect teeth were. And they did look natural, not even and pearly white as most false teeth are... Otto said that he could eat anything, bite through the toughest steaks and toughest celery..., Otto, who always tried to be formal and correct, acted like he was shocked, and scolded Earl for injecting vulgarity into the session...

In 1951, Passman spoke out against Dodd's gubernatorial candidacy and accused Dodd of having enriched himself while in office. Dodd said that Passman "got hyped up during the campaign and said things he wouldn't even think about under normal circumstances." As Passman's attacks continued, Dodd confronted him on the mezzanine of the Virginia Hotel in Monroe. There, Dodd claimed to have given Passman "a good old-fashioned whipping."

Thereafter, Passman sent Dodd an apologetic letter: "I have always considered you one of my best friends ... Bill, I am sorry that the unpleasant incidents of the last gubernatorial campaign had to mar our long friendship. I hope that our differences have been resolved, and we may now renew our friendship." Passman also issued a public statement saying that Dodd had not enriched himself while in public office, despite contrary reports presented to Passman. Such reports had come from Earl Long, who was then temporarily estranged from Dodd, but Passman never mentioned the source.