29 Facts About Frank Spooner

Therefore, instead of facing Passman, as he had expected, Frank Spooner competed with Huckaby for a relatively rare open seat in the state's congressional delegation.

Frank Spooner was born in Stephens and graduated in 1955 from Stephens High School.

Frank Spooner worked for Humble Oil Company from 1960 to 1965.

Frank Spooner name was changed to Mark V Petroleum Company in 1997.

In 1971, Spooner was the chairman of the Ouachita Parish Young Republicans and directed the Monroe-area campaign of the party's gubernatorial nominee, David C Treen, an attorney then from Metairie in Jefferson Parish.

Later in 1972, Treen was elected to the US House, and four years thereafter, Frank Spooner sought to join Treen in Congress when he opposed Jerry Huckaby for the seat Otto Passman was compelled to vacate.

Frank Spooner was the first Republican in seventy-six years even to contest the Fifth District seat.

In preparation for his race and when he expected to face Passman, Frank Spooner attended a Republican candidate training school in Washington, DC The Republican National Committee sent John Bruce Hildebrand, former editor of the party's First Monday newsletter who had written speeches for vice-presidential candidate Bob Dole, to work on Frank Spooner's behalf.

Connally did not know Frank Spooner, but he had known Mrs Frank Spooner, the former Mary Flippo, when she was a child in the Connally neighborhood in Fort Worth in the 1950s.

Huckaby, who like Frank Spooner was a political newcomer, nevertheless developed effective television advertising critical of out-of-state politicians trying to influence voters in an otherwise unnoticed Louisiana district.

Frank Spooner hoped to poll convincing majorities in urban areas of the district to offset expected losses in rural regions, where voting Republican was still comparatively rare at the time except for the presidential level on occasion.

Frank Spooner aimed particularly at winning in his own Monroe and West Monroe as well as Natchitoches, Ruston, Bastrop, and Winnfield.

Frank Spooner was unopposed in his last successful election on November 5,1974.

Frank Spooner surpassed Passman's primary showing by 35,000 votes, which translated only into a 0.2 percent gain over Passman's primary share of the vote because of the much larger turnout in the general election in contrast to the primary.

Frank Spooner received just 27 percent in Bienville Parish and less than 40 percent in Madison and Winn parishes, the latter the ancestral home of the Long political faction.

Right after his congressional campaign, Frank Spooner became the Louisiana Republican National Committeeman.

Frank Spooner did not seek office again though he remained active in the GOP.

In 1979, Frank Spooner was uncommitted between Treen and US Representative Henson Moore of Baton Rouge, who then held Louisiana's 6th congressional district, as the Republican choice for governor.

Frank Spooner's stance brought criticism from his predecessor as national committeeman, the Treen aide John H Cade, Jr.

In 1983, Frank Spooner was chairman of the Platform Committee for the Louisiana State Republican Convention that nominated Treen for the re-election as Governor.

In 1984 Frank Spooner spearheaded an unsuccessful movement to draft Dave Treen to run against Senator Bennett Johnson for the US Senate.

Frank Spooner was chairman of security for the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas.

In 1986, Frank Spooner devised an effective "Get Out The Vote" plan that has been used by a number of Northeast Louisiana Republicans to win elective offices.

In 1996, Frank Spooner was the campaign chairman of John Cooksey's successful bid to become Congressman from Louisiana's 5th Congressional District.

Frank Spooner found himself at odds with Treen and Cade in 1985 regarding the removal of State Party Chairman George Despot of Shreveport.

Frank Spooner later said that Moore's defeat for the Senate was his own "greatest disappointment" in politics.

In 2004, Frank Spooner contributed to Alexander's unsuccessful intraparty rival, former State Representative Jock Scott of Alexandria.

In 2007, Frank Spooner donated to the presidential campaign of former Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas.

Frank Spooner is a United Methodist and a donor to the Louisiana Methodist Children's Home orphanage in Monroe.