John C. Ensminger

Who is John C. Ensminger?

John Clifford Ensminger, Sr., is a State Farm Insurance agent in Monroe, Louisiana, who served for two decades in both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature. Ensminger was elected in 1972 as a conservative Democrat to the Louisiana House of Representatives from Ouachita Parish, now District 14. He succeeded James L. Dennis, who was elected as a judge on the Fourth Judicial District Court based in Monroe.

During the 1980-1984 term, Ensminger and the sergeant-at-arms, Richard L. Barrios, were compelled to grab a colleague, Shady R. Wall of West Monroe, when Wall pulled out a pistol from a boot holster during a fit of rage at Carl N. Gunter, Jr., of Rapides Parish, who had accidentally shut off Wall's conference ongoing telephone call with Wall's bank in Monroe.

In 1985, Ensminger switched to Republican affiliation, as did his colleague, the late Jock Scott of Alexandria. In 1987, in his first election as a Republican, he was forced into a general election with the Democrat Billy Daniel, whom he then defeated, 6,195 to 4,607. For a time, he was the chairman of the House Commerce Committee, with his friend Ron Gomez of Lafayette, serving as vice-chairman.