Hale Boggs Bridge

Just a quick update. I’m officially out of New Orleans and have lost the weight that city’s food placed on me. I’m crossing the Luling Bridge (Hale Boggs Bridge - See 'Who was Hale Boggs?' below). This is a Cable-stayed bridge over the Mississippi River on I-310 west of New Orleans, near Luling. I decided to cross over to the west-side of the river so that I could bypass Baton Rouge and any temptations to loiter around that University City (I graduated from LSU). Also with this capitol city’s increase in population and crime rate due to the influx of people after Hurricane Katrina, I thought it might be wise to give the city a miss. Though I have family living in Baton Rouge, I’ll just have them meet me at a restaurant across the river.

Who was Hale Boggs?

Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr., (February 15, 1914 – October 16, 1972) was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana. In 1972, he was the House Majority Leader when, at age 58, the twin engine airplane in which he was traveling over a very remote section of Alaska disappeared. The plane presumably crashed into a mountain or ravine, with no survivors. Congressman Nick Begich was also presumed killed in that accident.

During his tenure in Congress, Boggs was an influential player in the government. After Brown v. Board of Education he signed The Southern Manifesto condemning desegregation. He was instrumental in passage of the interstate highway program in 1956, and was a member of the Warren Commission in 1963-1964. He served as Majority Whip from 1961 to 1970 and as majority leader (from January 1971). As majority whip, he ushered much of President Johnson's Great Society legislation through Congress.

As Majority Leader he campaigned tirelessly for others. He was aboard a twin engine Cessna 310 with Representative Nick Begich when it disappeared during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau, Alaska. Begich's aide and a pilot were the only others on board. The four were heading for a campaign fund raiser for Begich. In the largest search ever mounted by the US military, Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force planes searched for the party. The search was abandoned after 39 days. The men's remains were never found. The accident prompted Congress to pass a law mandating emergency locator transmitters (now called emergency position-indicating rescue beacons) in all U.S. civil aircraft.

Both Boggs and Begich were re-elected that November. House Resolution 1 of January 3, 1973 officially recognized Boggs' presumed death and opened the way for a special election. In 1973 Boggs' wife since 1938, Lindy, was elected to the second district seat left vacant by his death, where she served until 1991.

The events surrounding Boggs' death have been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories. These theories often center around his involvement with the Warren Commission, but some tie his death to alleged corruption charges or his outspoken opposition to powerful FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Some, including several of Begich's children, have suggested that Richard Nixon had a hand in Boggs' death in order to thwart the Watergate investigation. None of these theories has ever been proven.