Published: February 16, 2026
By: Kylah Babin, LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE — When people think of Jack McFarland, they think of the clean-cut, white-haired logger from Winnfield who knows the state budget inside and out as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. What many don’t know is that his career in politics came from something as simple as doing others’ laundry.
When McFarland worked behind the drive-thru window at his dry-cleaning business in Winnfield, Louisiana, he would strike up conversations with customers, including the mayor and sheriff.
“It puts you in the middle of all the politics,” McFarland said. “I met a lot of people.”
He would listen to the complaints the officials had about one another. Then, he would help negotiate solutions.
Read more at The Daily Advertiser.
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 
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