James Thomas Tanner, Jr., attorney, banker, and public servant, was born May 24, 1885, in Garfield (Caddo Parish), Louisiana. He received an undergraduate degree in 1908 and a law degree in 1911, both from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. From 1920 to 1924, he represented Caddo Parish in the state legislature. In 1924, he married Lady Jane Ellis, of Abilene, Texas. He was in the oil and drilling business in the 1920s, and in 1930 he began a career in the city government of Shreveport, serving from 1930 to 1965 as secretary-treasurer, and as commissioner of finance from 1965 to 1966. Tanner co-authored the original Shreveport retirement charter and was secretary of the retirement fund from 1949 to 1966. He also maintained a farm called Tanelwild in Caddo Parish. The Tanners were active in civic and social organizations in Shreveport and were members of the First Baptist Church there. In 1946, Tanner served as president of the state LSU Alumni Federation. Tanner died on February 3, 1980. Mrs. Tanner died on May 30, 1986.
From the description of J. Thomas Tanner, Jr. papers, 1869-1980. (Louisiana State University). WorldCat record id: 122519413
