James Bryan Wagner, known as Bryan Wagner (March 2, 1943 – July 29, 2018), was the first

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

since

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

to have been elected to the

New Orleans City Council The New Orleans City Council is the legislative branch of the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The current mayor-council form of city government was created in 1954, following the 1950 amendment of the state constitution that provide ...

. He filled a vacancy of an unexpired term in District A from May 1980 to April 1982 and a full term until 1986.

Background

Wagner's brother, Wiltz Wagner, Jr. (born July 7, 1939), of

Fairhope Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2020 Census lists the population of the city as 22,477. Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolita ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, is a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

professor and lung specialist at the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...

College of Medicine in

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. Wagner attended Isidore Newman School, New Orleans Academy, and

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

. He operated an insurance agency on Carondelet Street in New Orleans. In later years, Wagner became heavily involved in

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. He often spent summers in

Del Mar Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "from the sea". It may refer to: Places in the United States * Del Mar, California * Del Mar High School, located in San Jose, California * Del Mar racetrack, located in Del Mar, California * Del Mar Fai ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, to be near the famed racetrack. Wagner won the 2009 National Handicapping Championship Tour, as it was then known, and qualified twelve times to the National Horseplayers Championship, during which he earned $101,000. He was part of the NHC since its founding in 1999. For two years, he could not qualify because his wife and the mother of their three children, the former Judy White (born June 9, 1950), sat on the board of directors of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

Political life

The electoral success of Wilson, Terrell, and Batt benefited from the Republican leanings of District A. In 2008, Wagner served as manager for the successful campaign of

Joseph Cao Ánh Quang "Joseph" Cao (, ; vi, Cao Quang Ánh; born March 13, 1967) is a Vietnamese–American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is the first Vietnamese American and first ...

for

Louisiana's 2nd congressional district Louisiana's 2nd congressional district contains nearly all of the city of New Orleans and stretches west and north to Baton Rouge. The district is currently represented by Democrat Troy Carter. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+25, ...

. Cao was subsequently unseated in 2010 by the Democrat

Cedric Richmond Cedric Levan Richmond (born September 13, 1973) is an American attorney, politician, and political advisor who served as a Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, senior advisor to the president and director of the Office of Public ...

, who still holds the seat. Wagner's memorial service was held on August 6, 2018 at the chapel at Christ Church, 2919 St. Charles Avenue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Bryan 1943 births 2018 deaths New Orleans City Council members Louisiana Republicans Businesspeople from New Orleans Insurance agents American Anglicans 20th-century American businesspeople