Newt Virgus Mills (September 27, 1899 – May 15, 1996) was a U.S. Representative in the first half of the 20th century for Louisiana's 5th congressional district, based in Monroe,

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 bord ...

. Born in Calhoun in western Ouachita Parish, Mills attended public schools and then enrolled at

Louisiana Tech University Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research act ...

in Ruston,

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 n ...

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counti ...

, Northwestern State University, then Louisiana Normal College, in Natchitoches, and Spencer Business College in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. He also studied law. From 1921 to 1932, Mills taught school in Mer Rouge in

Morehouse Parish Morehouse Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,979. The parish seat is Bastrop. The parish was formed in 1844. Morehouse Parish comprises the Bastrop, LA Micropolitan Stat ...

. He was the Louisiana supervisor of public accounts from 1933 to 1936. He was also engaged in agricultural pursuits, cattle raising, real estate, and oil. In 1936, he served as colonel on the staff of the

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 ...

. Mills was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fifty, Seventy-sixth, and Seventy-seventh Congresses from January 3, 1937, to January 3, 1943. He unseated Representative

Riley J. Wilson Riley Joseph Wilson (November 12, 1871 – February 23, 1946) was a Louisiana educator, attorney and legislator in the first half of the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. A Democrat, Wilson served in the United States ...

of Catahoula Parish in the 1936 Democratic

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

. In 1942, however, he was himself defeated for renomination by Charles E. McKenzie, a native of DeSoto Parish who had relocated to Monroe. In 1950, Mills and

Malcolm Lafargue Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld Nobility * Máel ...

, the former U.S. attorney for the

United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (in case citations, W.D. La.) is a United States federal court with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of Louisiana, with courts in Alexandria, Lafayett ...

, based in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

, waged unsuccessful intraparty challenges to

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

Russell B. Long Russell Billiu Long (November 3, 1918 – May 9, 2003) was an American Democratic politician and United States Senator from Louisiana from 1948 until 1987. Because of his seniority, he advanced to chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, servin ...

, son of the legendary

Huey Pierce Long, Jr. Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...

Mills resumed his involvement in oil and natural gas, cotton planting, and a building-supply company. He was a resident of Monroe until his death there at the age of ninety-six on May 15, 1996.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Newt Virgus 1899 births 1996 deaths People from Calhoun, Louisiana Politicians from Monroe, Louisiana Louisiana State University alumni Northwestern State University alumni Louisiana Tech University alumni Educators from Louisiana Businesspeople from Louisiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American businesspeople