Clay John Schexnayder (; born February 25, 1969) is an American businessman and politician from

Ascension Parish Ascension Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ascension, es, Parroquia de Ascensión) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 126,500. Its parish seat is Donaldsonville. The parish was created ...

, Louisiana, currently serving as Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Schexnayder succeeded John LaBruzzo in the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2012.

Early life and education

Schexnayder is the son of Perry P. Schexnayder and the former Dorothy Ann Demars (1937–2009). In 1989, Schexnayder graduated from French Settlement High School. Two years later, he graduated from the Allen Institute in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Georgia, where he studied basic automotive mechanics.

Career

A former race car driver, he participated in competition in the circuit encompassing Louisiana,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

circuit. He was formerly employed by the

Firestone Tire and Rubber Company Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is a tire company founded by Harvey Firestone (1868–1938) in 1900 initially to supply solid rubber side-wire tires for fire apparatus, and later, pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheele ...

. Since 1998, he has operated Car Craft Automotive in

Sorrento, Louisiana Sorrento is a town in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,227 at the 2000 census. By the 2010 census it had grown 14.2%, to 1,401 inhabitants. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography So ...

. He was a former part-time sheriff's deputy in

Ascension Parish, Louisiana Ascension Parish (french: Paroisse de l'Ascension, es, Parroquia de Ascensión) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 126,500. Its parish seat is Donaldsonville. The parish was created ...

. In his legislative campaign, Schexnayder promised to seek more jobs to the state and to strengthen infrastructure and education. Schexnayder ran with the backing of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Bobby Jindal and the outgoing Republican Representative Mert Smiley in District 89, who was instead elected as the Ascension Parish assessor. The

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defi ...

labeled Schexnayder a "tax and spend Republican" and refused to support him."

Personal life

Schexnayder and his wife, Phoebe (née Keller), have four children.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Schexnayder, Clay 1969 births 21st-century American politicians Businesspeople from Louisiana Living people Republican Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives People from Ascension Parish, Louisiana People from Livingston Parish, Louisiana Racing drivers from Louisiana Speakers of the Louisiana House of Representatives