Etienne J. Caire
Étienne Joseph Caire I | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Edgard, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | July 16, 1955 (aged 86) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, pharmacist, sugarcane cultivator, banker |
| Known for | Republican candidate for Governor of Louisiana in 1928 |
Étienne Joseph Caire I (born September 17, 1868 – died July 16, 1955) was a prominent American businessman, pharmacist, sugarcane cultivator, and banker based in Edgard, located in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana. He owned and operated E. J. Caire & Co., a well-known enterprise within the community. In the gubernatorial election of 1928, Caire represented the Republican Party as their candidate for Governor of Louisiana, opposing the influential populist Democrat Huey Long. This campaign was notable as the first Republican ticket for statewide offices in Louisiana since the late 1800s, although Caire garnered only about four percent of the total votes cast.
Political career
During a period when the majority of white Louisianans aligned with the Democratic Party, Caire affiliated himself with the Republican Party in Louisiana. The 1898 state constitution imposed stringent voter registration requirements that effectively disenfranchised most African American voters for many years, resulting in a predominantly white Republican electorate.
As his commercial ventures flourished, Caire was selected by the state Republican organization to contend for governor in 1928—marking the party's first comprehensive statewide slate since Democrats reasserted control following Reconstruction. In that election, Caire obtained 3,733 votes, representing approximately four percent of ballots cast, while Democrat Huey Pierce Long, Jr. secured a commanding victory with 96,941 votes (96%). Long’s popularity was well established due to his compelling public speaking and his role on the Louisiana Public Service Commission.
Following this election, Caire remained Louisiana’s last Republican gubernatorial nominee for nearly a quarter-century. It was not until 1952, coinciding with General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential campaign as a Republican, that the state GOP nominated Harrison Bagwell, an attorney from Baton Rouge, to run for governor. Bagwell was defeated by Democrat Robert F. Kennon amid persistent Democratic supremacy and ongoing voter suppression practices; he received only about four percent of votes in an election marked by low participation.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana – includes an image of the E. J. Caire & Co. store known as "Caire's Landing."