Edwin E. Willis

Edwin Edward Willis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 3rd district
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1969
Preceded by	James R. Domengeaux
Succeeded by	Patrick T. Caffery
Member of the Louisiana State Senate from Lafayette Parish
In office 1948–1948
Preceded by	Two-member district: Edward P. Burguieres Cornelius P. Voorhies
Succeeded by	Bernard Trappey
Personal details
Born	(1904-10-02)October 2, 1904 Arnaudville, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	October 24, 1972(1972-10-24) (aged 68) St. Martinville, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting place	St. Michael's Cemetery in St. Martinville, Louisiana
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Estelle Bulliard Willis
Children	1
Alma mater	St. Martinville High School Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Occupation	Attorney; Planter

Edwin Edward Willis (October 2, 1904 – October 24, 1972) was an American politician and attorney from the U.S. state of Louisiana who was affiliated with the Long political faction. A Democrat, he served in the Louisiana State Senate during 1948 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1969.

Biography

Willis was born in 1904 in Arnaudville, Louisiana, Louisiana of Joseph Olinder Willis and Julia Marie Hardy.

Willis received his law degree from Loyola University in 1926 and was admitted to the bar that same year.

House of Representatives

House Un-American Activities Committee

Willis served on the U.S. House of Representatives' Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) from 1957 to 1968, becoming chair of the committee in 1963 following the death of Francis E. Walter.

KKK Inquiries

In 1965 and 1966, Willis lead an inquiries into the Ku Klux Klan as chair of HUAC. These investigations led to seven Klan leaders, including Robert Shelton being cited for Contempt of Congress. Shelton was found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison, plus a $1,000 fine. Three other Klan leaders, Robert Scoggin, Bob Jones, and Calvin Craig, pleaded guilty. Scoggin and Jones were each sentenced to one year in prison, while Craig was fined $1,000. The charges against the others were later dropped.

Lee Harvey Oswald

In 1965, the attorney for Robert Shelton of the United Klans of American, Shelton's attorney, met with Congressman Edwin E. Willis, Chair of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), who was leading a congressional investigation into KKK activities at the time. At this meeting, the attorney told Willis that two weeks before the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy Shelton had been offered the services of Lee Harvey Oswald and that Oswald had already been involved in some bombings in Alabama.

After an FBI investigation into these claims, Assistant Director of the FBI Deke DeLoach, contacted Willis to inform him that the FBI had determined that the information Shelton had provided to him about Oswald was not factual citing testimony from an FBI informant mentioned by Shelton as having been present for this meeting that the meeting had never happened.

Leaving Office

In 1966 Willis suffered a series of stokes, which contributed to his defeat by his successor Patrick Caffery in the 1968 Democratic primary. Willis left office in 1969.

References

• "Edwin E. Willis", A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, Vol. 2 (1988), p. 853.
• United States Congress. "Edwin E. Willis (id: W000559)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.. Retrieved March 10, 2006.