ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 209
BY REPRESENTATIVES NANCY LANDRY, BARRAS, STUART BISHOP, TERRY
LANDRY, MONTOUCET, ORTEGO, PIERRE, AND ROBIDEAUX AND
SENATORS CORTEZ, GUILLORY, MILLS, AND PERRY
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To recognize and record the contributions and accomplishments of the Honorable Kaliste
Saloom, Jr., and commend him for his service to Acadiana Parish, the state of
Louisiana, and the United States of America.
WHEREAS, born on May 15, 1918, in Lafayette, Louisiana, Kaliste Saloom, Jr., is
the fifth of seven children of the late Kaliste and Asthma Boustany Saloom; and
WHEREAS, in 1939, Judge Saloom earned a bachelor of arts degree from the
Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning, now known as the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where he also received the university's highest honor,
the Outstanding Graduate Award; he pursued his Juris Doctorate from Tulane University
Law School in New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, in June of 1942, he became a member of the United States Army, just
after his law school graduation; and
WHEREAS, as a result of his educational background and his knowledge of several
languages, including English, French, Spanish, and Arabic, he was selected as a member of
the Counterintelligence Corps; and
WHEREAS, in 1944, he was selected as one of six American intelligence agents to
protect the British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, during wartime; and
WHEREAS, throughout his notable service in the Army, he captured Nazis, Waffen-
SS men, American traitors, and war criminals, and he helped apprehend the highest Nazi
general in the Hitler youth, Karl Cerff; and
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WHEREAS, in November of 1945, Kaliste Saloom, Jr., returned to his hometown
of Lafayette as a war hero and opened his own law office, where he worked as a private
attorney before becoming the city attorney in 1949; and
WHEREAS, as the city attorney, he helped design the Lafayette Utilities System,
which brought the city's electric, water, and sewage operations to a more modern scale; and
WHEREAS, from 1952 until 1983, he served as the sole Lafayette City Court judge,
a role in which he strived to encourage unity and obedience to the law, and in community
courts, traffic safety, and juvenile programs; Judge Saloom became the first city judge
appointed to the judicial council of the Louisiana Supreme Court; he received recognition
from the United States Supreme Court and served on the board of directors for the National
Center for State Courts; and
WHEREAS, Judge Saloom also served on former United States President Jimmy
Carter's National Highway Safety Advisory, where he was named the "National 55 MPH"
chairman and traveled from state to state to address legislatures and governors; and
WHEREAS, under former Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Judge Saloom
innovated a system of release under certain conditions in which an honorable citizen would
not be held in jail because he could not afford to post bail; and
WHEREAS, in 1993, after forty years of dedicated and outstanding service to the city
of Lafayette as an attorney and judge, Judge Saloom retired, but he remains a strong
advocate for the city; and
WHEREAS, on July 18, 2009, the Acadian Museum inducted Judge Saloom into the
"Order of the Living Legends" in recognition of his efforts to help shape and define the
Cajun culture of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Judge Saloom is the loving husband of Yvonne; together, they continue
to work for the betterment of Lafayette; and
WHEREAS, he is the proud father of Kaliste Saloom, III, Leanne Saloom Howell,
Douglas Saloom, and Gregory Saloom, all of whom practice law in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Judge Kaliste Saloom, Jr., remains an inspiration to his fellow citizens
for the vital contributions he has made in his military career and his career of highly
effective public service, and he merits the highest commendation for his unforgettable
contributions to the city of Lafayette, the state of Louisiana, and the United States of
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America, whose citizens will long reap the benefits of his incomparable legacy of integrity,
leadership, and excellence.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend the Honorable Kaliste Saloom, Jr.; does hereby recognize and record for posterity
his accomplishments and the historic strides he made as a military veteran and during his
forty years of service to Lafayette as an attorney and judge; does hereby express to him the
enduring appreciation of the state's citizens; and does hereby extend to him best wishes for
full measures of success and happiness in the future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to Judge Kaliste Saloom, Jr.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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