William Lasater "Bill" McLeod, Jr.

1931-2003

The Honorable William Lasater "Bill" McLeod Jr., retired judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court and veteran Louisiana state legislator, passed away on Jan. 19, 2003, at a Lake Charles hospital. Born Feb. 27, 1931 in Marks, Miss., to The Rev. William Lasater McLeod and Sara Macaulay McLeod, he moved to Oakdale in 1933, Jennings in 1937 and Lake Charles in 1942. His father

served as minister to Presbyterian churches in those communities.

An honors graduate of Lake Charles High School, Judge McLeod attended McNeese State University and then Princeton University, where he was graduated magna cum laude in 1953.  He enlisted in the U.S. Army, served as a field artilleryman in 1953 and was honorably discharged in 1955. He earned his juris doctorate from the LSU Law School and practiced law in Lake Charles for

33 years until elected to a six-year term as district judge in 1990. He re-entered the private practice of law upon his retirement from the bench in 1997.

A distinguished public servant, McLeod served 23 years in the Louisiana Legislature. He was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Calcasieu and Cameron parishes from 1968 until 1976. He was then elected to the state Senate, representing Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis parishes for 15 years. He rose to the chairmanship of the Senate Retirement Committee and served as dean of the Southwest Louisiana delegation.

As one of the reform-minded legislators elected in 1968, called the "Young Turks," he supported and sponsored changes in state government that continue to benefit Louisiana today. As a senator and committee chairman in the Senate, his leadership and independence earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues.  McLeod was the pioneer of the ‘‘personal legislative visit’’ with voters. Each year for 20 years, prior to legislative sessions, he would set up a card table and folding chairs outside of grocery stores throughout his district to allow constituents to have a one-on-one forum to provide him their input regarding issues of the day.

He was active in civic and charitable endeavors and served in leadership positions in the Lake Charles Kiwanis Club as president; as chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board of Directors; on the Lake Charles Symphony Board of Directors; as Scoutmaster and president of the Calcasieu Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America; as a board member of the Southwest Louisiana Speech and Hearing Center, on the Calcasieu-Cameron chapter of the American Red Cross and with the Zigler Museum of Jennings.

He was a 32nd-degree Mason and held the rank of K.C.C.H. in the Scottish Rite. He was a member of the Shriners and the Clan MacLeod Society, USA. He was an Elder at First Presbyterian Church of Lake Charles, where he also taught Sunday school and sang in the choir. 

McLeod’s professional affiliations included the Southwest Louisiana Bar Association, in which he served as president; the Louisiana State Bar Association, in which he served in the House of Delegates; the American Bar Association; and the Louisiana Law Institute.

He has been honored by many organizations, including the chamber/Southwest Louisiana, which honored McLeod with its 1986 Civic Service Award in recognition of his ‘‘service and example he has rendered as a private citizen and as a public official.’’

As a youth, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout and as an adult was awarded the Silver Beaver by the Boy Scouts of America.

Judge McLeod is survived by his wife, Lady Marilyn (Cissie) Qualls McLeod; his three daughters and sons-in-law, Sara and Mark Judson of Lake Charles, Martha and Scott Livanec of Atlanta, and Ruth and Stephen Rohs of Denver, Colorado; two granddaughters, Rachel McLeod Judson and Marie Louise Livanec; and one brother, Dr. James L. MacLeod of Augusta, Ga. He was preceded in

death by his parents.

Those wishing to make memorial contributions in honor of the life of Judge McLeod are asked to consider making donations to the First Presbyterian Church, 1801 2nd Ave., Lake Charles, LA 70601; the American Hemochromatosis Society, 4044 W. Lake Mary Blvd., #104, PMB 416, Lake Mary, FL 32746-2012; or to the Calcasieu Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, 304 S. Ryan

St., Lake Charles, LA 70601.