H.O. Lestage (1907-1968); Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Kathy Tell Source: History ~ The Road to Success Jeff Davis Bank and Trust Company Submitted July 2004 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ "The founding fathers of Jeff Davis Bank are local people with a serious vested interest in the success of Jennings' first home-owned bank. The impact on the bank and the community is noted by brief stories of these early leaders." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ H.O. LESTAGE (1907-1968) was a long time city judge in Jennings and one of the original board members. After earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Louisiana Normal College (now Northwestern State University), he moved to Grand Chenier, Louisiana, as a teacher, assistant principal, and became the school's first basketball coach. While earning his Master's degree from LSU, he wrote an influential thesis on reconstruction that was published and is still read by Civil War students and historians. While employed as an FBI agent in Chicago in the 1930's, he was involved in the capture of "Baby Face" Nelson, one of the most famous and notorious criminals in American history.