Joseph D. Waggonner, Jr. Highway: Honoring the work of a Louisiana Congressman

Joseph D. Waggonner Jr. was a Louisiana Congressman who served nine terms from 1961 to 1979. Throughout his life, he was involved with the Local, State, and National Government and earned countless titles and honors.

As a graduate of Louisiana Tech, he received an honorary doctorate, was named a distinguished alumni in 1977 and Alumnus of the Year in 1992, and had two professorships endowed in his name. He was also an active member of the local Methodist church in his hometown of Plain Dealings, Louisiana and became an honorary alumnus of Centenary College of Louisiana.

Waggonner was also a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. As a civilian back home in Plain Dealings, he ran a business distributing wholesale petroleum products. He first entered the political sphere in 1954 when he was elected to the Bossier Parish School Board. Later, he rose to President of the United Schools Committee of Louisiana and eventually moved to membership in the Louisiana Board of Education in 1960.

Just a year later, in 1961, a special election saw him voted into the House of Representatives, where he represented the state of Louisiana for nine consecutive terms. Throughout that time, he became known as the unofficial leader of the conservatives of both Louisiana and the United States. He was a staunch opponent of desegregation and a strong voice for states’ rights, voting against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1956. Near the end of his time in the House of Representatives, however, he claimed to have mellowed on the issue, claiming to have “accepted the law” (CITATION).

Waggonner also spent time and effort working to his home state of Louisiana, especially the northwest region. Interstate 49, stretching between New Orleans and Shreveport, was planned and funded with his oversight. Because of this, a portion of Interstate 220 in Shreveport, Louisiana was named Joseph D. Waggonner, Jr. Highway.

The representative retired from Congress in 1979, continuing to serve his local community.