Buddy Caldwell

Infobox State Representative| name=James David "Buddy" Caldwell, Jr.


nationality=American
office=Attorney General of Louisiana
party=Democrat
term_start=January 14, 2008
term_end=
preceded=Charles F. Foti, Jr.
succeeded=Incumbent
office2=District Attorney for Sixth Judicial District (Madison, East Carroll, and Tensas parishes)
term_start2=January 1, 1979
term_end2=January 14, 2008
preceded2=
succeeded2=
date of birth=birth date and age|1946|05|20
date of death=
place of birth=Columbia, Louisiana (Caldwell Parish)
occupation=Attorney
spouse= Fourth wife, Pat M. Caldwell
children=Seven combined children and stepchildren

James David Caldwell, Jr., or Buddy Caldwell (born May 20, 1946), is the Democratic attorney general of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Prior to serving as attorney general, Caldwell was the district attorney for Madison, East Carroll, and Tensas parishes from 1979 to 2008. Caldwell, who resides in Tallulah, the seat of Madison Parish, is also an entertainer, guitarist, and songwriter known for his impersonation of Elvis Presley. [http://dhimmithis.typepad.com/dhimmi_this/ Dhimmi This! ] ]

Candidacy for attorney general

In 2007, Caldwell ran for attorney general against the incumbent, fellow Democrat Charles F. Foti, Jr., of New Orleans, and Republican Royal Alexander (born 1966), an attorney from Shreveport and a former congressional aide to U.S. Representative Rodney Alexander (no relation) of Jackson Parish. Caldwell secured high-profile endorsements from the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association and the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, two longtime Democratic-leaning interest groups. [ [http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/10832696.html 2theadvocate.com | News | Teacher union endorses Buddy Caldwell — Baton Rouge, LA ] ] Most of the state's newspapers, including the "Shreveport Times" in Alexander's Shreveport, endorsed Caldwell. Foti, a former Orleans Parish criminal sheriff, had lost favor with voters over controversies involving the prosecution of medical professionals in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. [ [http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/NEWS01/710090329/1002 The Town Talk - www.thetowntalk.com - Alexandria-Pineville, Louisiana ] ]

Shortly before the three-candidate primary for attorney general on October 20, 2007, it was revealed that Caldwell's son, David Caldwell, was employed by former Attorney General Foti. Caldwell was himself a Foti supporter in the 2003 election.. Nevertheless, Caldwell led the primary with 434,507 votes (36 percent). Alexander ran second with 395,498 (32 percent). Foti polled 389,300 votes (also 32 percent) but trailed Alexander and was hence eliminated from the general election competition. [ [http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms2&rqsdta=102007 Louisiana Secretary of State-Multi-Parish Elections Inquiry ] ]

In the general election, Caldwell defeated Alexander by a 2-1 margin. Caldwell received 477,574 votes (67 percent) to Alexander's 239,485 (33 percent). [ [http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms2&rqsdta=111707 Louisiana Secretary of State-Multi-Parish Elections Inquiry ] ] Just hours prior to the general election, Alexander had filed and then withdrew from a suit against Caldwell on grounds that the Democrat had "lied" about Alexander in television advertising. Alexander said that he had to drop the suit because Louisiana law permits lying as a form of free expression in political campaigns. [ [http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/11423871.html 2theadvocate.com | Politics | AG candidate drops lawsuit over television ad — Baton Rouge, LA ] ]

Early years, family, education

Caldwell was the fourth of seven children born to J.D. Caldwell, Sr. (1910-1987), and the former Genevieve Minsky (1916-2001) [ [http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi Social Security Death Index Interactive Search ] ] in tiny Columbia, the seat of Caldwell Parish, and the home of former Governor John McKeithen and McKeithen's son, the late Louisiana Secretary of State W. Fox McKeithen, a Caldwell family friend. The Caldwells moved permanently to rural Madison Parish in 1949. J.D. Caldwell obtained a master's degree in music from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and sang earlier with the Metropolitan Opera of New York. After moving to Tallulah, the senior Caldwell became a farmer and clothing merchant. Mrs. Caldwell, a registered nurse, held a degree from Touro Infirmary of New Orleans. She was a public health nurse and later a Madison Parish school health nurse for thirty years. [http://buddycaldwell.com/bc_biography.html James D. "Buddy" Caldwell for Louisiana Attorney General 2007 ] ] Buddy Caldwell graduated from Tallulah High School in 1964 when it was still segregated. He lettered in basketball, football, and track. He worked in his mother's family drug store during his teen years. Caldwell also played semi-professional baseball in North Louisiana while he was still in high school, as did several other Louisiana politicians, including the late Education Superintendent Bill Dodd and former State Representatives Lantz Womack of Winnsboro, the seat of Franklin Parish, and L.D. "Buddy" Napper of Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish. [William J. "Bill" Dodd, "Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics," Baton Rouge: Claitors Publishing, 1991] Caldwell earned his bachelor of arts degree in psychology, with a minor in history, from Tulane University in New Orleans, where he also played football and ran track. In 1973, he received his law degree from Tulane and thereafter established his solo law practice in Tallulah, which he maintained until becoming district attorney six years later.

District attorney

Caldwell was first elected district attorney of the small Sixth Judicial District on September 16, 1978, when he was thirty-two. He assumed the office, which is located in Tallulah, on January 1, 1979. From 1983-1996, Caldwell served on the board of directors of the Louisiana District Attorney's Association. While district attorney, he personally tried felony cases in his district. Suspects rarely won acquittal when Caldwell was the prosecutor. Critics, however, note that Caldwell maintained a high conviction rate by not prosecuting the "hard" cases. Caldwell also claimed the highest per capita collection rate for back child support in the state. The three-parish district, the most northeastern in the state, is heavily Democratic and includes a high concentration of African American voters. On his website, Caldwell contended that he established "positive working relationships throughout Louisiana with Sheriffs, other District Attorneys, Mayors, Parish and Town Councils, School Boards, Justices of the Peace, Constables, and other local officials. I also have experience working with federal agencies like the United States Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agency." [ [http://buddycaldwell.com/ James D. "Buddy" Caldwell for Louisiana Attorney General 2007 ] ] Caldwell won his third term as district attorney in 1990, when in a low-turnout election he defeated fellow Democrat Samuel Thomas, 6,711 (61 percent) to 4,277 (39 percent). [ [http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=100690 Louisiana Secretary of State-Multi-Parish Elections Inquiry ] ] He was unopposed in 1996. Caldwell secured a fifth term in 2002, when he defeated fellow Democrat Raymond "Ray" Cannon, 4,987 (56 percent) to 3,931 (44 percent) in another low-turnout election. [ [http://www400.sos.louisiana.gov:8090/cgibin/?rqstyp=elcms3&rqsdta=100502 Louisiana Secretary of State-Multi-Parish Elections Inquiry ] ]

Multiple marriages

Caldwell and his fourth wife, Pat M. Caldwell, have a combined seven grown children and six grandchildren.In December 1994, Caldwell married for the third time in Las Vegas. A few months later, he was served with divorce papers by his new wife. Four days after that, she was terminated as the "confidential assistant" to Louisiana Secretary of State Fox McKeithen. Caldwell testified that he arranged for his third wife's hiring with the help of an employee of the attorney general's office. "I've known Fox ever since we were children," Caldwell said. The third Mrs. Caldwell testified that McKeithen called her into his office on May 12, 1995, and they discussed her divorce case: "I was terminated from my job. I was upset. I was crying. I have a child to support. I could not survive without a job." [Associated Press, "Divorce Delayed Due To Family Tie", "New Orleans Times-Picayune", June 4, 1995] Amid the divorce proceedings, Caldwell dropped a bid for lieutenant governor that year on the grounds that his position as district attorney would not allow him time to campaign. The lieutenant governorship was instead won by outgoing Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Lafayette. ["Politics," "Baton Rouge Morning Advocate", June 4, 1995]

Challenges to Caldwell's record

Former Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle of Baton Rouge, an unsuccessful Republican candidate for insurance commissioner in 2003, has emerged as a leading critic of Caldwell's attorney general candidacy. In 1997, Kyle reported that Caldwell "spent $1,529 in D.A. office funds to pay for personal items, including clothing and golfing expenses."Carl Redman, "DA criticizes auditor's office," "Baton Rouge Morning Advocate", October 6, 2000] The expenses included air fare to Montana and golf fees in Alabama. [ Associated Press, "Spending Problems Cited By State Auditor," "New Orleans Times-Picayune", April 2, 1997)]

According to "The Advocate", Kyle claimed that Caldwell tried "to quash release of parts of the audit . . . and used foul language and threats in an unsuccessful attempt to block the audit." Then, Kyle accused Caldwell of having blamed his own secretary for the questionable spending: "Caldwell also said the spending problem in the 1997 audit was a mistake by his secretary, adding that he personally brought it to the auditor's attention." [Carl Redman, "DA criticizes auditor's office", "Baton Rouge Morning Advocate", October 6, 2000]

Three years later, Caldwell accused Kyle's investigators of "an array of questionable activities ranging from improperly bugging conversations to having sex with witnesses in audit investigations" in testimony before the Legislative Audit Advisory Council. Caldwell "told the council . . . that state auditors working in north Louisiana had suppressed evidence, secretly tape-recorded interviews with witnesses, and compromised the credibility of witnesses in possible criminal investigations. Caldwell later told reporters he also knew of instances of an auditor in Kyle's office having sexual relations with people being audited." Caldwell gave no details, according to Kyle. Caldwell subpoenaed two of Kyle's investigators before a grand jury in Tallulah. Kyle later claimed that Caldwell was trying to indict Kyle or the investigators. According to the "New Orleans Times-Picayune", Caldwell said after the Legislative Audit Advisory Council meeting that he "might reopen a grand jury investigation of Kyle's office." [Ed Anderson, "District attorney blasts auditor," "New Orleans Times-Picayune", October 6, 2000] Caldwell also came under fire for his role as a self-appointed special prosecutor in a case against St. Tammany Parish Judge Patricia Hedges. He filed charges of extortion, public bribery, and malfeasance against the judge, only to drop all claims without explanation on the premise that he could not have won a conviction without a jury trial. [http://thetruthaboutbuddy.com/abuse.html; Jarvis DeBerry, "Last Charges Dropped In Hedges Case," "New Orleans Times-Picayune", June 25, 1999]

Caldwell the entertainer

As an entertainer and singer, Caldwell has performed before state, regional, and national groups, particularly teachers, coaches, and school administrators in the southeastern United States. He has also entertained Commissioners of Agriculture, Clerks of Court, fellow District Attorneys, Justices of the Peace, the Louisiana Police Jury [county commission in most states] Association, Relay for Life, and the United Way. Like his father, he can also sing opera. [ [http://www.6thda.org/ 6th Judicial District in Louisiana - James Caldwell ] ]

References