Dud Lastrapes

Dud Lastrapes (November 30, 1929—February 7, 2024) was an American broadcast journalist and Republican politician from Louisiana. He served as the mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana, from 1980 to 1992. He was originally a Democrat, but he switched his registration to Republican in 1959.

Dud Lastrapes was born William Dudley Dud Lastrapes, Jr. in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 30, 1929, to William Dudley Lastrapes, Sr. (1897–1973) and Gertrude (née Schminke) Lastrapes (1895–1985). His father owned the Opelousas Credit Bureau, a debt collection agency, and published the local Legal Times.

He grew up in Opelousas, Louisiana. After graduating from Opelousas High School in 1946, he earned a bachelor's degree in English and Communications from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana) in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1950.

After completing his education, Dud entered the U.S. Air Force in January 1951 for a full four-year stint. He was stationed in South Korea throughout 1953. He left the military with the rank of staff sergeant. He was honorably discharged in 1954.

After his service, Dud entered the news business in 1955. He began as a reporter and newscaster for the newly opened Lafayette television station KLFY-TV, a CBS affiliate in Lafayette, Louisiana. Shortly after, he left the station to work for KSLO radio in Opelousas but soon returned to KLFY and served as a TV news director until 1970.

In 1970, he left television and became a public relations officer of the former Guaranty Bank and Trust Company in Lafayette, later Chase Bank. In 1973, he went into the health and life insurance business. He worked in that capacity until he entered politics.

Dud was elected twice to the Lafayette parish school board in 1972 and 1978. In 1979, he ran for a state Senate seat in the nonpartisan blanket primary. Though he polled more than 10,000 votes, he finished third, and the seat was won in the general election by the pro-life Allen R. Bares, who defeated fellow Democrat Pat Juneau, 54-46 percent.

In 1980, Dud successfully ran for mayor, defeating incumbent Kenny Bowen. He was the 31st mayor of Lafayette, the first Republican in the 20th century to serve as such in the state's fourth-largest city. He was not, however, the first Republican mayor in Louisiana. Smaller towns like Zachary in East Baton Rouge Parish (Jack Breaux 1926-1980), Minden in Webster Parish (Tom Colten 1922-2004), and Haughton in Bossier Parish (Elizabeth O. Sherwin, born 1918) elected Republican mayors earlier. Alexandria had a Republican mayor by defection from 1972–1973 when Charles Edward "Ed" Karst switched parties in the last years of his single term. Republicans have since served as mayor of Shreveport (Hazel Beard) and Baton Rouge (Bobby R. Simpson), but no Republican has won in New Orleans, Lake Charles, or Monroe or has been directly elected in Alexandria.

Dud served three effective mayoral terms, until 1992. Among his noteworthy achievements during his time in office were the opening of the $64 million Cajundome in 1985, the extension of Ambassador Caffery Parkway, the construction of the Camellia Boulevard Bridge, and the creation of Festival International, an annual music and arts festival. He is also known as the mayor who hired many women in city government. One of them was Lewana Shearer, the head of Lafayette's city-parish risk management and insurance division.

From 1992 to 1994, Dud served as chairman of the state Republican Party. In 1997, he was appointed to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board by then-Republican Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr. He served until 2008 and was ineligible to have been reappointed.

He was a delegate for Ronald Reagan at the 1976 (Kansas City), 1980 (Detroit), and 1984 (Dallas) Republican National Conventions and was appointed by George H. W. Bush to the federal Minerals Management Service.

Dud was also active in the Right-to-Life movement and other conservative causes.

A practicing Catholic, Dud was a devout member of two local Catholic churches—Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church (2319 Johnston St., Lafayette) and St. Mary Mother of the Church (419 Doucet Rd., Lafayette).

In 1957, Dud married Rhonda Rougelot of New Orleans. They divorced in 1989. They had two sons—William Dean Bill Lastrapes (born 1958) and Bryan James Lastrapes (born 1959). William is the head of the Department of Economics at the University of Georgia at Athens and Bryan is a business executive in Texas.

Dud died in Lafayette, Louisiana, on February 7, 2024, at age 94.