Sen. Dan Richey: Renaissance Man

Scholar, basketball star, high school teacher, coach, soldier, attorney, legislator, historian, orator, author, newspaper columnist and editor, TV news director, political consultant, jokester, prankster, master storyteller, mentor, role model, spokesman for traditional values and the right to life, world traveler, gardener, devout Catholic,  prayer warrior, devoted husband, father, and grandfather, former Sen. Daniel W. Richey of Ferriday has been described as a Renaissance man, and indeed he was.  He passed away on Sunday, March 5, 2023 at St. Patrick’s Hospital in Lake Charles at the age of 74. He had experienced declining health since his wife Jessie passed away nearly five years ago.

At the time of his death, he was still an active leader of the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish and the Chamber of Commerce of EBR. He was active in Kiwanis and Key Club during much of his life and served as International President of Key Club.  He was the first president of the Istrouma Kiwanis Club and sponsor of the Istrouma High Key Club when the school reopened in 2017.  

Dan loved kids and coached more than 1,000 young people baseball and basketball over the years.  A learned historian, he led more than 20 historical tours of the East coast from Virginia to Boston and the West coast from the Grand Canyon to Los Angeles to most of the great national parks, personally driving and teaching young people the authentic history of the United States.

Dan was born of educators Verne and Johnnie McIntire Richey of Ferriday on Oct. 31, 1948.  He had three brothers, all of whom became physicians, and a sister who was an attorney.  He lost his sister Kay several years ago and his brothers John, Tom, and Bob over the past 16 months.

Dan was a scholar at Ferriday High School and an All-State basketball player for his school. He had aspirations to play for LSU but had the misfortune of arriving at LSU the same year as the legendary Pete Maravich, who remains the leading scorer in NCAA history.  He was understudy to Maravich on the famous LSU freshman team in 1966-1967.  He often joked that between Maravich and him, they averaged 45 points a game — 43 for Pistol Pete and 2 for Richey.  He transferred to McNeese and had a successful career playing for the Cowboys.  He earned bachelor and master degrees from McNeese.

Dan joined the Army Reserve during the Vietnam War, rising to 1st Lieutenant.  He continued in the Reserves during and after attending Loyola Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1975.  At Loyola, he met the love of his life, Jessie Valcarcel of San Juan, Puerto Rico. They were married in 1976. Richey’s best man in the wedding was Central City News editor Woody Jenkins.

Dan Richey ran for and was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1975 representing Concordia and Catahoula parishes. He was a staunch conservative and opponent of big government during the second term of Gov. Edwin Edwards from 1976 to 1980.  He was elected to the State Senate in 1979 and was a supporter of Gov. David Treen during Treen’s service from 1980 to 1984. With the backing of a conservative Republican governor, Sen. Richey was successful in passing important landmark conservative legislation.

He practiced law in Ferriday and was a syndicated columnist whose work appeared in many newspapers.  In the early 1990’s, he and the family moved to New Hampshire where he was development director for Magdalen College.

The Richey’s moved to Baton Rouge in 1992, and Dan became News Director for WBTR-TV, owned by Woody Jenkins.  He produced an award-winning daily TV news program, Baton Rouge Today.

Gov. Mike Foster recruited Dan to serve as Director of the Governor’s Program on Abstinence from 1996 to 2004.  In 2004, he joined Louisiana Family Forum as their political director until 2019.

Dan Richey is survived by his children — Will, Joe, J.P. and Aida and numerous grandchildren.  After services at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Dan was buried next to his wife Jessie in Roselawn Cemetery in Baton Rouge.

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