THE Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of
Fame foundation
2026
Event
Meet the 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees
THE HON. Sidney Barthelemy
Sidney J. Barthelemy dedicated his life to public service and civic leadership, guided by a belief that government should serve all people. A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Barthelemy’s career reflects a deep commitment to community, equity, and responsible governance.
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​Barthelemy graduated from St. Augustine High School, earned a B.A. in philosophy from the St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, D.C., and later a Master of Social Work from Tulane University. Before entering politics, he worked as a social worker and community advocate, experiences that shaped his compassionate and practical approach to leadership.
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​In 1974, Barthelemy began his political career, winning a seat in the Louisiana State Senate. His election was historic, as he became the first African American to serve in the Louisiana State Senate since the Reconstruction era. In 1978, he won his first city-wide election and served two terms as Councilman-at-Large. During his tenure, he earned a reputation as a thoughtful policymaker with strong oversight of municipal finances, public utilities, and neighborhood development. His service on key committees provided him with a deep understanding of city operations and laid the foundation for higher office.
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​In 1986, Barthelemy was elected Mayor of New Orleans, becoming the city’s second African American mayor. Serving two terms, he led the city through a period of economic and infrastructural transition. His administration emphasized fiscal responsibility, economic development, tourism, and downtown revitalization, helping strengthen New Orleans’ national profile while maintaining stability during challenging times.
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​Known for his calm demeanor and collaborative leadership style, Barthelemy sought to bridge communities and represent all citizens. Following his time as mayor, he remained active in civic and cultural affairs.
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Married to Michaele Barthelemy for 57 years, they have 3 children, Cherrie, Bridget, and Sidney II.
the hon. Sherman N. Copelin, Jr.
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Sherman Nathaniel Copelin, Jr. has been a defining force in Louisiana politics and business for more than five decades as a strategist, organizer, entrepreneur, public servant, and power broker whose influence helped shape New Orleans and the state at large.
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Born in New Orleans to a family rooted in service, Copelin graduated from St. Augustine High School and Dillard University, where he was elected Student Body President. His leadership earned national recognition, including an invitation from President Lyndon B. Johnson to serve as a student ambassador at the White House.
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Copelin’s political career began soon after college as an executive assistant to Mayor Victor Schiro, later continuing under Mayor Moon Landrieu as part of the city’s first fully-integrated leadership team. In the 1970s, he emerged as a central figure in Black political mobilization as co-founder of the Southern Organization for Unified Leadership (SOUL). Under his and Don Hubbard’s guidance, SOUL became one of the South’s most effective political organizations, helping elect Governor Edwin Edwards and Mayor Moon Landrieu and ushering in a new era of Black political power.
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In business, Copelin became the first Black tax assessor for the City of New Orleans and later founded Superdome Services, Inc. (SSI), which managed operations for the Louisiana Superdome and grew into one of the state’s largest employers. He also co-founded Louisiana Sports, helping produce the historic 1978 Muhammad Ali vs. Leon Spinks rematch, “The September to Remember," a fight that shattered live-gate and television-viewership records and drew an audience of dignitaries from around the world.
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Elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1986, Copelin represented District 99 for 14 years and became known as the legislature’s “go-to guy” as a master of rules, procedure, and political maneuvering.
He served as Speaker Pro Tempore, chaired the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, and played key roles in national political organizations. He also chaired Jesse Jackson’s 1988 Louisiana presidential campaign and later served as national co-chair.
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Copelin has been married to Donna Sorapuru for 35 years and is the father of four children: Sherman III, Michon, Shane, and Courtney.
Mr. Clancy DuBos
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Clancy DuBos is widely regarded as one of Louisiana’s most influential political journalists, commentators, and analysts, shaping public understanding of state and local politics for more than five decades. A New Orleans native, DuBos earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of New Orleans, where his interest in political life first took root. He began his reporting career in 1973 with The Times-Picayune, at age 18, after his freshman year at UNO, covering a broad range of civic issues before becoming one of the newspaper’s key City Hall reporters.
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In 1981, DuBos transitioned into both television journalism and column writing, bringing his insight and depth of knowledge to New Orleans audiences and readers as an on-air political analyst and Gambit weekly newspaper columnist. He enjoyed a long tenure as political editor and columnist for Gambit, which he and his wife, Margo, owned and operated for 27 years. His carefully reasoned columns often blending historical context, political analysis, and civic advocacy, established him as a trusted voice across party lines. He also served as a longtime political analyst for WWL-TV, providing election-night commentary and ongoing analysis during major political events.
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Over the course of his career, DuBos has chronicled many of Louisiana’s most pivotal political developments, from mayoral administrations and statewide elections to legislative battles and disaster-recovery efforts. His reporting has emphasized accuracy, fairness, and a deep respect for the democratic process.
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Through his writing, broadcasting, and civic engagement, DuBos has contributed immeasurably to Louisiana’s political discourse. His work has informed generations of voters and elevated public understanding of the complexities of governance in the state. Clancy DuBos’s enduring commitment to factual, contextual, and accessible political reporting has made him one of Louisiana’s most trusted interpreters of public life, leaving a significant mark on the state’s civic and journalistic landscape.
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Mr. John Hill
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John Hill is a distinguished Louisiana political journalist whose career spanned nearly four decades covering state government, public policy, and the personalities that shaped Louisiana politics.
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A native of Bastrop, Louisiana, Hill developed an early interest in journalism and public affairs. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Louisiana State University in 1967 and was later honored with induction into the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Hall of Fame in 2004, recognizing his lasting contributions to the profession.
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Hill began his reporting career in Monroe and by 1969, was already covering Louisiana politics. His skill, insight, and command of the subject soon led him to Baton Rouge in 1973, where he served as Capitol Bureau Chief for both The Shreveport Times and the Monroe Morning World, newspapers serving readers across north Louisiana.
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Hill became a full-time capital correspondent, covering legislative sessions, gubernatorial administrations, and pivotal political events with clarity and authority. Following Gannett’s acquisition of several Louisiana newspapers, Hill became Capitol Bureau Chief for Gannett News Services, a position from which he would eventually retire. This position expanded his influence statewide as well as nationally by his contributions of political reporting and analysis to USA Today.
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Throughout his career, Hill earned the respect of readers and peers alike for his deep understanding of legislative process and his commitment to accuracy and fairness. He viewed politics not simply as a beat, but as a public trust, connecting government actions to the people they affect. Hill retired as Capitol Bureau Chief for Gannett News Services, leaving behind a legacy of integrity, insight, and service to Louisiana’s civic life.​
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Mr. Haywood H. Hillyer III
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Haywood H. Hillyer III (1937-2010) was for 35 years one of the key behind-the-scenes builders of the Louisiana Republican Party and, as the state’s Republican National Committeeman from 1988-1992, he played a lead role in keeping David Duke from taking control of the official party apparatus.
Hillyer, a New Orleans native, champion sailor, and jazz aficionado, objected to one-party machine politics and thus registered with the GOP in 1958 when there were fewer than 10,000 Republicans in the state. He worked closely for years with later Governor Dave Treen and others to turn Louisiana into a competitive two-party system – one based not on racial issues but on ideals of maximum liberty and honest local government.
At Tulane University, he founded and published a conservative journal called The Liberator, where his eye for talent brought onto its masthead two future federal judges, one future Republican nominee for mayor and U.S. Senator, and a future Pulitzer Prize-winning editor. Hillyer also was one of just 100 young people nationwide invited to a conference at National Review editor William F. Buckley’s Connecticut estate, where they founded the Young Americans for Freedom organization that would turn modern conservatism from a mostly intellectual pursuit into a true political movement.
Hillyer, an attorney, was president of the New Orleans Bar Association and held executive positions for the Louisiana Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association. He spent 25 years on the Republican State Central Committee, the last four of which as the National Committeeman. He also was Ronald Reagan’s campaign chairman for the Second Congressional District of Louisiana in 1980.
As National Committeeman, he faced the insurgency of former Ku Klux Klan leader Duke, and, as local journalists will attest, he led the charge on the party’s state executive committee to block Duke at every turn.
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Mr. ben Jeffers
Ben Jeffers has devoted more than five decades to public service at the national, state, and local levels. A resident of Baton Rouge, he is a graduate of Southern University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business.
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In 1978, Jeffers founded Ben Jeffers, Inc., a successful management and marketing consulting firm. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to U.S. Congressman Cleo Fields. Throughout his career, Jeffers has held senior leadership roles in the private sector and in every level of government. His municipal service includes serving as Personnel Administrator for the City of Baton Rouge. At the state level, he was appointed Acting Director of New Orleans Charity Hospital, Undersecretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Director of Human Services, and Chief of Staff to Governor Edwin Edwards. He later served on the Louisiana Tax Commission by appointment of Governor John Bel Edwards.
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Nationally, Jeffers served as Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Carter Administration and as a congressional aide to Congressman Edwin Edwards. He also held leadership roles in journalism as General Manager of the Lake Charles Newsleader and publisher of the Lake Charles Times.
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Jeffers has chaired or held leadership positions on numerous state and federal boards and initiatives, including voter education programs, public safety task forces, and aging services. Deeply engaged in civic life, he has led arts, economic development, and political organizations at the local and national levels.
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A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Jeffers also ran statewide for Louisiana Secretary of State. He and his wife, Salomia Lawson Jeffers, have one son and are active members of Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge.
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MR. Ron nabonne
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Ron Nabonne has devoted his career to public service, law, and political leadership, playing a behind-the-scenes yet influential role in Louisiana’s modern political history.
Born and raised in New Orleans in 1947, Nabonne graduated from St. Augustine High School in 1965 before earning his undergraduate degree from Loyola University of the South in 1969. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Tulane University School of Law in 1972 and was admitted to the Louisiana Bar that same year.
Early in his career, Nabonne served with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, where he worked during a pivotal era of federal enforcement and social change. He also served his country as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army. These formative experiences shaped his lifelong commitment to justice, public service, and civic responsibility.
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Following his federal service, Nabonne entered private legal practice, most notably with the law firm of Collins, Douglas, and Elie. He later became one of Louisiana’s most respected political consultants, campaign managers, and strategists. Known for his sharp legal mind and strategic insight, Nabonne has advised both Democratic and Republican candidates, as well as public officials at the local and state levels.
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Throughout his career, Nabonne managed and guided successful campaigns involving candidates, issue propositions, municipal bonds, tax elections, and charter amendments, including term-limits initiatives. His portfolio includes campaigns for Sidney J. Barthelemy, Mike Yenni, Bernette Johnson, Tim Coulon, John Young, Eddie Jordan, Paul Connick, Lambert Boissiere III, Marlin Gusman, Jason Williams, Arnie Fielkow, and many others who helped shape Louisiana’s political landscape.
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Ron Nabonne’s induction into the Louisiana Political Museum & Hall of Fame recognizes a career marked by integrity, strategic excellence, and lasting influence. He is married to journalist and author Sally-Ann Roberts.
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Ms. norma jane sabiston
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Norma Jane “NJ” Sabiston (1955–2020) was a deeply influential figure in Louisiana and national public policy, known as a trusted advisor to Presidents, Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and Mayors. Over her remarkable 40-year career, she was guided not by proximity to power, but by a fierce commitment to the hard-working families of Louisiana and the country. Admired by friends, respected across party lines, and formidable to her political opponents, Sabiston built a reputation as a strategist whose optimism, determination, and skill shaped major public decisions for decades.
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A New Orleans native, Sabiston graduated from Marion Abramson Senior High and earned a Political Science degree from the University of New Orleans. She began her career with Congressman Billy Tauzin and later joined Senator John Breaux’s staff. Her historic work in electing Mary Landrieu as the first woman from Louisiana to serve in the United States Senate became a defining achievement. She then served as Senator Landrieu’s Chief of Staff for 15 years, playing a pivotal role in securing billions in federal relief after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other natural disasters. After returning home, she founded her own governmental relations firm, continuing her advocacy for Louisiana.
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Sabiston was a tireless champion for New Orleans, promoting its unique culture, strengthening its arts community, and supporting progressive city leadership. She served on numerous boards dedicated to youth leadership, climate solutions, racial equity, education, and the arts. A co-founder of the Louisiana Center for Women in Government and Business Hall of Fame, she was inducted in 2002.
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Remembered for her style, strength, and generosity, she leaves a lasting legacy through the institutions she helped build and the many young leaders she mentored. Her life stands as proof that one person truly can make a difference.