Jesse Knowles

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Jesse Knowles (July 23, 1919 - April 23, 2006) was a Lake Charles, Louisiana, businessman, civic leader, former member of the state legislature who represented Calcasieu Parish, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March in World War II. He was born in Merryville, in Beauregard Parish, but had resided in Lake Charles since 1935. Knowles graduated from Lake Charles High School (renamed Lake Charles Boston High School after desegregation).

1 A veteran's veteran
2 Entering Louisiana politics
3 Extensive civic leadership
4 References
5 External links

[edit] A veteran's veteran

In 1939, Knowles enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was captured by the Japanese army at Bataan and held in a number of prison camps for 1,228 days. He was in the camp in Mukden, Manchuria, until he was liberated on August 15, 1945. While he was held captive, Knowles wrote a story entitled "They", which explains his experiences during his imprisonment. "They" opens this way: "Strange things were done under the tropic sun / By the men in khaki twill / Those tropic nights have seen some sights / That would make your heart stand still." The Death March was featured in a National Broadcasting Company documentary in 1982 entitled "The Forgotten Hell."

Knowles received the Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal, Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman Badge, and three Presidential Unit citations. He also received a "Medal of Honor" from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. As a president of the Mayor's Armed Forces Committee, he had regular contact with the Fort Polk staff and urged members of the military to visit Lake Charles. He was a well-known speaker at school programs and veterans' ceremonies. He advocated peace through military strength.

Knowles was a past commander of his area and district Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was a past legislative officer and a past junior vice commander of the VFW Post 2130. He was also a member of W.B. Williamson American Legion Post 1, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American Ex-Prisoners of War. He was a past national president of the 27th Bombardment Group Association and was cited as that group's "Man of the Year." He was a member of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.

After he returned from the service, he went to work as a draftsman for Amoco Oil Co. and eventually became a fee land supervisor. He retired with 38 years of service from Amoco in 1984, and he was later employed by the Lake Charles River Pilots.

[edit] Entering Louisiana politics

Knowles was first elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives as a Democrat in the 1959-1960 election cycle, when James Houston "Jimmie" Davis became governor for a second nonconsecutive term. In 1964, Knowles was elected again as a Democrat to the Louisiana Senate, where he served for four terms. He was named "Outstanding Legislator" by the Lake Charles Jaycees.

In the 1979 jungle primary, Knowles did not seek a fifth state senate term but instead ran for lieutenant governor in a bid to succeed James E. "Jimmy" Fitzmorris, Jr., of New Orleans, who was running unsuccessfully for governor. Knowles lost his race, and fellow Democrat Robert "Bobby" Freeman of Plaquemine in Iberville Parish became lieutenant governor for the first of two terms.

Knowles supported Republican gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen in the general election of 1979. Early in 1980, Knowles, with just a few weeks remaining in his senate term, switched his party affiliation to Republican. Governor Treen thereafter named Knowles, a past chairman of the Louisiana Wildlife Commission, as secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. However, a heart attack caused him to resign the post after only twelve days. Treen later named him to the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board. He was also elected to the board of directors of the Louisiana Rice Council, and served as president of that group.

[edit] Extensive civic leadership

Knowles was a part of a five-member group assigned in 1959 to write the Lake Charles city charter.

He was a 33rd-degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of Lake Charles Lodge 165 F&AM. He was a Shriner with great interest in health care for disabled children, and he was a charter member of the Habibi Temple.

Knowles was named "Patriot of the Year" by the Lake Charles Young Men's Business Club. He was a member of the Propeller Club at the Port of Lake Charles. He was also a past board member of the American Heart Association. In 1980, he received investiture of the Honorary Legion of Honor Degree from the Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay. He was a member of the Calcasieu Parish Kiwanis Club, the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, and Louisiana Farm Bureau.

Knowles was honored on November 9, 2001, with "Senator Jesse Knowles Day" in Calcasieu Parish.

He was a member of First Baptist Church of Lake Charles, where he had been vice president of the Sunday school classes. He was survived by his wife of 65 years, Helen Noel Knowles, formerly of Abbeville in Vermilion Parish, and a niece, Jacqueline Oglesby of New Bern, North Carolina.

Services were held on April 27, 2006, at the First Baptist Church. Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach delivered the eulogy. Burial was in St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church Cemetery in Abbeville.