Sylvan Friedman (May 19, 1908 – March 18, 1979) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He served as a Democratic member of the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 repr ...

. Foshee also served as a member of the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...

. Born in

Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Natchitoches Parish (french: Paroisse des Natchitoches or ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,566. The parish seat is Natchitoches. The parish was formed in 1805. The Natchito ...

. Friedman was the nephew of

J. Isaac Friedman John Isaac Friedman, known as J. Isaac Friedman (October 1871 – December 11, 1949), was an American politician who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1908 to 1916 and in the Louisiana State Senate from 1922 to 1924 follow ...

and Leon Friedman. He attended at the

Natchitoches Central High School Natchitoches Central High School is a public high school in Natchitoches, Louisiana, United States. It is a part of the Natchitoches Parish School Board. The development of Natchitoches Central High School, like so many schools in the 1960s and ...

. Friedman served as a member of the Natchitoches Parish Police Jury from 1932 to 1944. He worked as a cowman and

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

for which he served as the president and also the vice president of the Louisiana Cattlemen's Association. Friedman also served as the operator of a

general line of merchandise General line of merchandise or general merchandise is a term used in retail and wholesale business in reference to merchandise not limited to some particular category. General merchandise stores (general stores) address this sector of retail. Acc ...

shop. He served as the director of the

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

built

People's Bank and Trust Company Building The People's Bank and Trust Company Building is an Art Deco skyscraper built in 1931 and located at 663 Main Avenue in the city of Passaic, New Jersey, Passaic in Passaic County, New Jersey. The tall building is the highest in the city. It was ad ...

. He had attended at the

Soule Business College Soule Business College (sometimes called Soulé's Business College, Soule Commercial College, or Soule College) was an educational institution focused primary on practical business skills, established by George Soule in New Orleans, Louisiana in ...

. Friedman served as a member of the Red River Waterway Commission. In 1944, he won the election for an office of the

. Friedman succeeded politicians,

Arthur C. Watson Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more ...

and John O. Williams. He served along with Numa T. Delouche. In 1948, Friedman served along with Roy Sanders. He was succeeded by

Curtis Boozman Curtis Earl Boozman Sr. (July 24, 1898 – April 22, 1979) was an American politician. He served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Boozman served in the National Guard (United St ...

and Monnie T. Cheves in 1952. In 1952, Friedman won the election for an office of the

. He succeeded Lloyd F. Wheat. Friedman served along with Cecil R. Blair since 1968. In 1972, he was succeeded by

Paul Foshee Paul Lee Foshee (November 12, 1932 – November 8, 2020) was an American politician. He served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and as a member of the Louisiana State Senate. Fo ...

for the office. Friedman was considered a personal friend of 45th governor of

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Gerald Long Gerald Long (born July 9, 1944) is an American politician. He served as a Republican member for the 31st district of the Louisiana State Senate. Long was born in Winnfield, Louisiana. He was the brother of Jimmy D. Long, and his paternal gr ...

. He died in March 1979 of an

illness A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that ar ...

at the Natchitoches Parish Hospital in

, at the age of 70. Friedman was posthumously honored in the

Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame located in Winnfield, Louisiana. Created by a 1987 act of the Louisiana State Legislature, it honors the best-known politicians and political journalists in the state. H ...

in 2006. He was honored in the

students' union A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

of the public

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univer ...

for which the students' union was rearranged to Friedman's name for which it was due to his politician work.

References

1908 births 1979 deaths People from Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana Democratic Party Louisiana state senators Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians Businesspeople from Louisiana 20th-century American businesspeople Farmers from Louisiana {{Louisiana-politician-stub