State senator.
Louis de la Parte, Jr. (1929-2008) served from 1953-56 in the U.S. Air Force, where he attained the rank of captain. After his military service, de la Parte became an assistant state attorney in Hillsborough County and started a private practice in Tampa. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1962-1966 and in the Florida Senate from 1966-1974 and was Senate President in his last year. During his 12 years as a state lawmaker, de la Parte worked to improve nursing home regulation, youth services that handled juvenile criminal cases, and state health legislation. He led the initiative to combine various state social services together into what would become the Department of Children & Families. Upon leaving public service he opened his own law firm, de la Parte & Associates, in 1975, where he worked until his retirement in 1990. In 1996, the state Legislature renamed the Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida after de la Parte, acknowledging the former senator's efforts in improving state mental health services.
From the description of Louis de la Parte, Jr. papers, 1970-1991. (University of South Florida). WorldCat record id: 711067256
