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Edwin E. Willis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edwin Edward Willis
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana's 3rd district
In office
January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1969
Preceded byJames R. Domengeaux
Succeeded byPatrick T. Caffery
Member of the Louisiana State Senate
from Lafayette Parish
In office
1948–1948
Preceded byTwo-member district:

Edward P. Burguieres

Cornelius P. Voorhies
Succeeded byBernard Trappey
Personal details
Born(1904-10-02)October 2, 1904
Arnaudville, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedOctober 24, 1972(1972-10-24) (aged 68)
St. Martinville, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Michael's Cemetery in St. Martinville, Louisiana
PartyDemocratic
SpouseEstelle Bulliard Willis
Children1
Alma materSt. Martinville High School
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
OccupationAttorney; Planter

Edwin Edward Willis (October 2, 1904 – October 24, 1972) was an American politician and attorney from the U.S. state of Louisiana who was affiliated with the Long political faction.[1] A Democrat, he served in the Louisiana State Senate during 1948 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1969.[2]

Biography

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Willis was born in 1904 in Arnaudville, Louisiana, Louisiana of Joseph Olinder Willis and Julia Marie Hardy, the youngest of 11 children.[3][4][5][2] Willis was of Cajun French descent.

Willis received his law degree from Loyola University in 1926 and was admitted to the bar that same year.[6]

From 1926 to 1936, Willis was a law lecturer.[7]

Willis's papers from 1949 to 1969 are conserved at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. [7][8]

House of Representatives

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House Un-American Activities Committee

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Willis served on the U.S. House of Representatives' Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) from 1957 to 1968, becoming chair of the committee in 1963 following the death of Francis E. Walter.[9]

KKK Inquiries

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In 1965 and 1966, Willis lead an inquiries into the Ku Klux Klan as chair of HUAC.[4][10] These investigations led to seven Klan leaders, including Robert Shelton being cited for Contempt of Congress. Shelton was found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison, plus a $1,000 fine. Three other Klan leaders, Robert Scoggin, Bob Jones, and Calvin Craig, pleaded guilty.[11] Scoggin and Jones were each sentenced to one year in prison, while Craig was fined $1,000. The charges against the others were later dropped.[9]

JFK Assassination

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On February 27, 1964, at Willis's direction, the director of the House Committee on Un-American Activities sent a letter to then US representative Gerald Ford with a report alleging two appointees of the congressional investigation into the assassination of John F Kennedy Jr., attorney Norman Redlich and advocate Mark Lane, were affiliated with Communist organizations.[12]

Lee Harvey Oswald

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In 1965, the attorney for Robert Shelton of the United Klans of American, Shelton's attorney, met with Congressman Edwin E. Willis, Chair of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), who was leading a congressional investigation into KKK activities at the time. At this meeting, the attorney told Willis that two weeks before the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy Shelton had been offered the services of Lee Harvey Oswald and that Oswald had already been involved in some bombings in Alabama.[13]

After an FBI investigation into these claims, Assistant Director of the FBI Deke DeLoach, contacted Willis to inform him that the FBI had determined that the information Shelton had provided to him about Oswald was not factual citing testimony from an FBI informant mentioned by Shelton as having been present for this meeting that the meeting had never happened.[13]

Leaving office

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In 1966 Willis suffered a series of stokes, which contributed to his defeat by his successor Patrick Caffery in the 1968 Democratic primary.[5] Willis left office in 1969.[14]

Death

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Willis died in St. Martinville, Louisiana, on October 24, 1972 and was interred in St. Martin of Tours Catholic Cemetery.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Congressman Edwin Willis, 1957-1968: HUAC, Civil Rights, and the Ku Klux Klan - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  2. ^ a b "WILLIS, Edwin Edward | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  3. ^ "Edwin Edward Willis". FamilySearch.
  4. ^ a b "EDWIN WILLIS, 68, EX CONGRESSMAN". The New York Times. 25 October 1972. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Willis, Edwin E. (1904-1972). Papers, 1949-1969". archives.louisiana.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
  6. ^ "Bioguide Search". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  7. ^ a b "WILLIS, Edwin Edward | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
  8. ^ archives.louisiana.edu https://archives.louisiana.edu/repositories/2/resources/716. Retrieved 2025-09-25. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ a b "Congressman Edwin Willis, 1957-1968: HUAC, Civil Rights, and the Ku Klux Klan - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  10. ^ Stephens, David Chase. "Congressman Edwin Willis, 1957-1968: HUAC, Civil Rights, and the Ku Klux Klan - ProQuest". www.proquest.com. Retrieved 25 February 2025 – via ProQuest.
  11. ^ Hearst, Joseph (1966-11-19). "Three Klansmen Plead Guilty". Chicago Tribune. p. 14. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  12. ^ McNamera, Francis J (February 27, 1964). "Re: Norman Redlich Report" (PDF). Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 23, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Rosen. "HOUSE COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES KLAN INVESTIGATIONS RACIAL MATTERS (KLAN)" (PDF). National Archives and Records Administration.
  14. ^ a b "WILLIS, Edwin Edward 1904 – 1972". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
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