1. John Richard Rarick was an American lawyer, jurist, and World War II veteran who served four terms in the US House of Representatives, serving Louisiana's 6th congressional district from 1967 to 1975.
19 Facts About John Rarick
1. 2.
John Rarick was born in Waterford, Indiana in January 29,1924, to Mae Caroline and Merl Rarick.
3.
John Rarick attended Goshen High School before enlisting in the Army.
4.
In recognition of his service during the war, John Rarick was awarded the Bronze Star and earned a Purple Heart.
5.
John Rarick passed the Louisiana bar exam and began a private practice in Louisiana.
6.
John Rarick served in that capacity until May 15,1966, when he resigned to run for Congress.
7.
John Rarick announced his campaign for Congress in Louisiana's 6th congressional district in response to the perceived racial moderation of incumbent 6th district Democratic Congressman James Morrison.
8.
In 1962, John Rarick served on the board of directors for the Citizens' Council of Louisiana.
9.
John Rarick was first elected to the 90th US Congress, representing the 6th Congressional District.
10.
FBI records confirm that John Rarick was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, and that he worked with the Silver Dollar Group, a Klan splinter organization responsible for the deaths of at least eight black people along the Louisiana-Mississippi border between 1964 and 1967.
11.
In 1972, Congressman Charles Diggs of Detroit called John Rarick "the leading racist in Congress" after John Rarick testified against a committee measure providing Washington, DC self-governing home rule.
12.
John Rarick had testified that groups such as the "Black Muslims" could gain control of Washington, DC should the city be allowed to govern itself.
13.
John Rarick unsuccessfully ran for election to his former congressional seat as an independent candidate in 1976.
14.
John Rarick ran unsuccessfully for president in 1980 under the label of the American Independent Party.
15.
John Rarick supported David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, during his campaign in the 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election.
16.
John Rarick spoke at several Duke campaign rallies around the state.
17.
John Rarick died in St Francisville, Louisiana on September 14,2009, at the age of 85.
18.
John Rarick was preceded in death by his first wife, Marguerite Pierce Rarick.
19.
John Rarick was survived by his second wife, Frances Eldred Campbell Rarick, as well as his three children.