Charles Foti
Charles Carmen Foti Jr. (born November 30, 1937) is a lawyer in New Orleans and a politician who served a single term from 2004 to 2008 as the Democratic Attorney General of the U.S. state of Louisiana, United States. Prior to becoming attorney general, Foti had been repeatedly reelected and served for thirty years as Orleans Parish criminal sheriff.
Charles Foti | |
|---|---|
| 43rd Louisiana Attorney General | |
| In office January 12, 2004 – January 14, 2008 | |
| Governor | Kathleen Blanco |
| Preceded by | Richard Ieyoub |
| Succeeded by | Buddy Caldwell |
| Sheriff of Orleans Parish, Louisiana | |
| In office 1974–2004 | |
| Succeeded by | Marlin N. Gusman (elected 2004) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Carmen Foti Jr. November 30, 1937 |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | University of New Orleans (BA) Loyola University New Orleans (JD) |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1955-1958 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Foti won the attorney general's office when the incumbent Democrat, Richard Ieyoub of Lake Charles, ran unsuccessfully for governor in the 2003 primary. Foti defeated the Republican candidate, Suzanne Haik Terrell, also of New Orleans, 689,179 votes (54 percent) to 597,917 (46 percent).
Foti failed in his bid to win reelection as attorney general, having finished last in the three-way nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 20, 2007. The leading candidates were the Republican lawyer, Royal Alexander of Shreveport, and the Democratic District Attorney, Buddy Caldwell, of Tallulah. Caldwell won the general election and was sworn in to replace Foti on January 14, 2008. Caldwell later switched to the Republican Party in 2011, to secure his second term.
On February 1, 2014, Foti ran again for the Orleans Parish sheriff's position; he finished second in a four-candidate field. He polled 23,676 votes (28.6 percent). Foti's fellow Democrat and successor as sheriff, Marlin N. Gusman, with 40,557 votes (48.9 percent), nearly won the position outright in the nonpartisan blanket primary. Foti and Gusman entered a runoff election on March 15, in which Gusman handily prevailed, 40,068 (66.7 percent) to Foti's 19,996 (33.3 percent).