2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 238
BY SENATOR MILKOVICH
A RESOLUTION
To commend Foster Campbell on his illustrious and lengthy career in the service of the
people of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, Foster Campbell Jr. was born to Foster L. Campbell Sr. and Rubye
Grigsby in Shreveport, Louisiana, on January 1, 1947; and
WHEREAS, Foster Campbell Jr. was educated in Bossier Parish schools and
graduated from Bossier High School in 1965, moving to Northwestern State University in
Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Campbell attended Louisiana State University and went on to teach
school and work as an agriculture products salesman from 1972 through 1975; and
WHEREAS, in 1976, Foster Campbell entered his first race for elective office; the
seat in the Louisiana State Senate representing District 36 in Northwest Louisiana, including
portions of Bossier Parish; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Campbell was a member of the Democratic party and a strong
supporter of Governor Edwin W. Edwards, an immensely powerful governor and a popular
figure for most of his career; and
WHEREAS, Foster Campbell was reelected to a second four-year term in 1980, and
subsequently reelected, serving in the body until 2002 when he ran, instead, for a seat on the
Public Service Commission (PSC), representing District 5 on the five-member statewide
regulatory body in charge of public utilities and the petroleum industry; and
WHEREAS, in his role with the PSC, Foster Campbell focuses on holding periodic
townhall meetings for constituents to voice their concerns, primarily about matters of utility
service; and
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WHEREAS, in the 2014 primary election, Commissioner Campbell won his third
term on the PSC by defeating the Republican candidate from Winnfield, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Foster Campbell and his second wife, Gwen, live in Elm Grove in
Bossier Parish where he is a farmer and cattleman, remaining close to their children and
grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, throughout his political career, Commissioner Campbell has often been
referred to as a "populist", a description that he would generally agree to, as he has
consistently seen himself as looking out for those who are not thought to wield significant
political influence; basically, a group whose voice is not often heard; and
WHEREAS, in 2009, Foster Campbell was deservedly inducted into the Louisiana
Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, Commissioner Campbell was chosen as the chairman of the
PSC, and in 2014, he was elected to his third term on the commission; and
WHEREAS, Foster Campbell championed the case against predatory consumer loan
practices; labored to eliminate the state income tax, and worked tirelessly to strengthen
education in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Foster Campbell supported the pro-life cause in the famous fight over
abortion in the state capitol in 1990, voting for a pro-life bill in the Louisiana Senate, and
also voting to override the then governor's veto of the same pro-life measure; and
WHEREAS, Foster Campbell's entire career in public life has exemplified an
extraordinary and courageous determination to take on special interests, a principled
commitment to oppose lobbyists and bureaucrats, and a valiant devotion to fight for working
families, the common man, and the middle class; and
WHEREAS, the extraordinary accomplishment of having served in elective office
in Louisiana for more than five decades, amid the almost cataclysmic change from being an
entirely Democratic state to an unquestionably Republican state, without having one's
constituents become disenchanted with an officeholder and seeing serious inconsistencies
in policy or approach, is not an accomplishment that all have been able to achieve, but Foster
Campbell's constituents remain loyal and return him to representative office, affirming that
he has represented them well and continues to serve their interests.
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Foster Campbell on his illustrious and lengthy career in the service
of the people of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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