John Martin Hamley

John Martin Hamley, Sr.
Louisiana State Representative for East Carroll Parish
In office 1912–1924
Preceded by	James H. Gilfoil, Jr.
Succeeded by	Robert P. Kennedy
Clerk of the Louisiana House of Representatives
In office 1924–1931
Preceded by	Emile J. Tallieu
Succeeded by	E. R. Stokes
Born	August 26, 1883 Lake Providence, Louisiana
Died	January 23, 1942 (aged 58)
Resting place	Lake Providence Cemetery
Political party	Democrat
Spouse(s)	Katie Ransdell Hamley (married 1914-1942, his death)
Relations	Francis Xavier Ransdell (father-in-law) U.S. Senator Joseph Ransdell (uncle by marriage) Frank Voelker, Sr. (brother-in-law)
Children	Edward Ransdell Hamley Mary Hamley Marron Kate Hamley Bernacchi Anne Hamley deMahy John Martin Hamley, Jr. Stuart Douglas Hamley Madeline Hamley Howington Elizabeth Hamley Lewis Parents: Edward J. and Annie Malam Hamley
Residence	Lake Providence, Louisiana
Occupation	Real estate businessman
Religion	Roman Catholic

John Martin Hamley, Sr. (August 26, 1883 – January 23, 1942),^[1] served from 1912 to 1924 as a Democrat state representative for East Carroll Parish in far northeastern Louisiana.^[2]

Background[edit]

Hamley was born in Lake Providence, the seat of government for East Carroll Parish. He was the first son of Edward J. Hamley, a native of St. Louis, Missouri. The family moved to East Carroll Parish in 1878. Edward Hamley (1860-1929) was mayor of Lake Providence for twelve years. John Hamley's mother, Annie Malam Hamley (1861-1943), was born in Bavaria; in the 1860s, her family migrated to the United States.^[3]

Career[edit]

John and Edward Hamley were partners in the real estate business.^[4] Hamley's younger brothers were Edward D. Hamley (1888-1902), William Hugh Hamley (1889-1940), and Joseph Celestin Hamley (1891-1965).^[3]

After his three terms in the state House of Representatives, Hamley served from 1924 to 1931 as the House clerk, a position chosen by the members.^[2] In 1933, he was elected East Carroll Parish tax assessor. He was also a member of the Louisiana Flood Control Committee, a group interested in the prevention of a future Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927.^[4]

Family[edit]

In 1914, Hamley married Katie Ransdell (1893-1980), the daughter of Judge Francis Xavier Ransdell of the Louisiana 6th Judicial District Court (then 9th District) and his wife, the former Katie Blackburn Davis. Katie, or "Kate," was a paternal niece of U.S. Senator Joseph Eugene Ransdell, also of Lake Providence. The Hamley children attended the St. Patrick's Catholic Church parochial school in Lake Providence; the daughters thereafter attende Maryville University, then known as the Maryville College in St. Louis.^[4] There were eight Hamley children: Edward Ransdell Hamley (1915-1929), Mary Hamley Marron (1918-2005), Katherine(Kate) Hamley Bernacchi (1919-1951), Anne Hamley de Mahy (1920-2017) John Martin Hamley, Jr. (1922-1945), Stuart Douglas Hamley (1924-1984), Madeline Hamley Howington (1926-1984), and Elizabeth Hamley Lewis (1928-1958).^[5]

Hamley was a brother-in-law of Judge Frank Voelker, Sr., who in 1937 succeeded Francis Ransdell on the Louisiana 6th Judicial District Court, of which the long-term district attorney was Jefferson B. Snyder. Voelker was married to the former Isabel Ransdell, a sister of Katie Ransdell.^[4]

Death[edit]

Hamley died in Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi, a port city across the Mississippi River from Lake Providence.. The Hamleys are interred at Lake Providence Cemetery. There is confusion about his middle name "Martian", which appears on his tombstone. A cenotaph dedicated to the youngest of the Hamley sons is posted as John Martin Hamley, Jr., who died at the age of twenty-three while serving as an ensign in the United States Navy during World War II. The junior Hamley is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.^[5] The Louisiana House membership listing spells Hamley's middle name as "Martin."^[2]

References[edit]