Larry Bagley

Lawrence A. Bagley, Jr. (born January 1949),^[1] known as Larry Bagley, is the Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 7, which encompasses Caddo, DeSoto, and Sabine parishes in northwestern Louisiana. In January 2016, he succeeds outgoing Republican Representative Richard Burford, an unsuccessful candidate against the Conservative Democrat John Milkovich for the District 38 seat in the Louisiana State Senate in the general election held on November 21, 2015.

Background

Bagley is the oldest of four children of Lawrence, Sr., and Sally Bagley. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Baptist Christian College in Shreveport, a Master of Education from Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and thirty additional hours of graduate study from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. Bagley resides in Logansport in DeSoto Parish. A retired educator, he is a former president of both the DeSoto Parish Teachers Association and the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches. He taught and coached basketball at Northwood High School.^[2][3]

Bagley is the father of five children and has two foster sons. He is active in the United Methodist Church. He owns a family business, Bagley Farms in Longstreet, also in DeSoto Parish. Involved in the petroleum, natural gas, and timber industries, he owns and operates Bagley Allstate Insurance Company in DeSoto Parish.^[3]

Political life

Bagley formerly served for two terms on the Logansport City Council.^[3]

In the primary election held on October 24, 2015, Bagley with 5,531 votes (52.8 percent) defeated two other Republicans, Robert S. "Steve" Casey, who received 2,775 votes (26.5 percent), and Perry D. McDaniel, who polled 2,170 votes (20.7 percent).^[4]

As a legislator, Bagley stresses his support for educational excellence and improvements in the state teacher retirement program, fighting narcotics and crime, and expanded road and highway improvements.^[3] In 2016, Bagley joined a House bipartisan majority to enact a one-cent increase in the state sales tax.^[5]

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