ARLINGTON, VA -- Anthony Claude “Buddy” Leach Jr., former Louisiana congressman, longtime state lawmaker, and champion of Louisiana agriculture and conservation, passed away on Saturday in Baton Rouge at the age of 88.
A self-made man from humble beginnings, Leach was born in Leesville, LA, and attended Louisiana State University, surviving polio as a young man. He served his country in the United States Army in Military Intelligence from 1956 to 1959, obtained a law degree from Louisiana State University Law Center in Baton Rouge in 1963, and ran a law practice in Leesville before taking over the family plumbing business.
Leach was a pillar in Louisiana politics for decades, serving on the Louisiana state House of Representatives from 1968 to 1979, when he gave up his seat to run successfully for U.S. Congress. He worked tirelessly for 10 years serving as the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, earning many honors and accolades during that time. In 2003, Leach ran for governor of Louisiana on a platform of revamping the state budget and healthcare, appealing to a wide range of voters. In 2010, Leach continued to serve his state as chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party.
The rice industry will forever remember Leach as a constant champion of Louisiana agriculture. After his political and public service career, he became president of his wife Laura’s family business Sweet Lake Land and Oil Company in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, where he oversaw the discovery of North America’s largest natural gas field at that time. Under his leadership, Sweet Lake became a shining example of agriculture and conservation fitting hand in hand, growing rice, grazing cattle on rice stubble, and supporting organizations such as the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries Foundation. Leach transformed the Chalkley family property into Grosse Savanne Lodge, a five-star resort that boasts 50,000 acres of pristine marshes, coastal prairies, and agricultural lands, offering world-class outdoor recreation.
Leach served on the Board of Directors of Merchants & Farmers Bank in Leesville for more than forty years, and he became a staple in the agriculture community, offering leadership, guidance, support, and friendship to the rice farmers of Southwest Louisiana over the years.
“Mr. Buddy was a true gentleman, public servant, and advocate for agriculture,” said Louisiana rice farmer and Agriculture Manager for Sweet Lake John Fred Denison. “He essentially gave up his career years ago to come back to Sweet Lake, with the intentions that he and Mrs. Laura wanted to make sure their land base would be in production agriculture for the next generation. Whether it was rice, cattle, or anything else, our farming operation is what it is today because of his foresight. He was a great friend and mentor, caring and giving to others. I will always remember him for his perspective on life. To anyone that walked into his office and asked how he was doing, his reply was, ‘trying to do better.’ Words we can all live by.”
Governor John Bel Edwards has ordered state flags in to be flown at half-staff on Friday, in honor of Leach’s memory and lifetime of contributions to Louisiana.
In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to The Leesville Lions Club, Habitat for Humanity, the Louisiana 4 H Foundation or Hospice of Baton Rouge. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 12th, at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Lake Charles, LA. The Rev. Dr. Mark R. Holland will officiate. Interment will follow at Prien Memorial Park. Visitation Thursday will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. in the chapel of Johnson Funeral Home.