Morley A. Hudson

Who was Morley A. Hudson?

Morley Alvin Hudson, was a Shreveport businessman, engineer, civic leader, and a pioneer of the modern Republican Party in Louisiana.

Hudson was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Oscar Hudson and the former Ruth Morley. His maternal grandfather, Stephen Kay Morley, was a pharmacist in early Austin, Texas, who patented old-time remedies that were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In youth, he was an Eagle Scout. Hudson graduated cum laude from Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, with a degree in mechanical engineering. From 1938 to 1940, he played football for the Green Bay Packers under Coach Curly Lambeau.

During World War II, he was a captain in the U.S. Army Infantry Reserves. When he relocated to Shreveport in 1945, Hudson became president of the Hudson-Rush Company of Shreveport and Dallas, which specialized in industrial process equipment. He also was one of the original partners of Pelican Supply Company and McElroy Metals in Shreveport. In 1956, Hudson ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the Caddo Parish School Board.