Wikipedia

Paul Hollis

Paul Bryan Hollis (born September 1, 1972) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for the revised 104th District in St. Tammany Parish in southeastern Louisiana from 2012 to 2024.

Paul Hollis
Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives
from the 104th district
In office
January 9, 2012 – January 8, 2024
Preceded byNita Hutter
Succeeded byJack Galle
Personal details
Born
Paul Bryan Hollis

(1972-09-01) September 1, 1972 (age 52)
Metairie, Louisiana, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseAshley Tastet
Children2
EducationLouisiana State University,
Baton Rouge (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

A son of the late State Senator Ken Hollis, Paul Hollis defeated fellow Republican Christopher Trahan, 3,905 votes (56 percent) to 3,096 (44 percent) in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 22, 2011.[1]

Hollis was an announced candidate for the United States Senate election in Louisiana, 2014, but withdrew from the race in July. Victory went to another Republican, the physician and U.S. Representative Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge.

Background

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Paul Hollis was born in Metairie in Jefferson Parish, the third son of Judy and Ken Hollis. He graduated in 1990 from Grace King High School in Metairie, at which he was the student body president.

Hollis held his first job – for a lawn care service – at the age of thirteen and worked through high school as a restaurant busboy. After studying martial arts for many years, he attained his black belt in karate and began teaching at Elmwood Fitness Center before his senior year.

At Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Hollis opened his first small business, a karate school. He received a degree in political science from LSU in 1994.

Paul met Ashley Tastet in 1996, and they married a few years later. In 2003, the couple had their daughter, Bree. In 2006, the Hollises settled near Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish. In 2013, Paul and Ashley had their second child, son Zachary.

Business

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Hollis began collecting coins in 1978, at the age of six, when he received a Peace dollar from a grandmother.[2] He still has the keepsake coin.

Hollis was employed by as the youngest salesperson at Blanchard and Company of New Orleans, one of the nation's largest rare coin and precious metal firms. He worked there until 2001, when he attained the position of "numismatist".

In 2003, Hollis started his own firm, Paul Hollis Rare Coins, supplying collectible coins to television home shopping networks located in Tennessee and Minnesota. Paul Hollis Rare Coins now specializes in ancient coins that circulated during the earthly lifetime of Jesus Christ.

Hollis is one of the few numismatists to visit and undertake an in-depth of study of each of the United States Mints. He has achieved status of expert in treasure coins, often being interviewed by national and international media outlets.

In the winter of 2004, Hollis joined the Odyssey Marine Exploration to salvage coins from the SS Republic (1853).[3]

In 2009, Hollis gave 1,000,000 Lincoln cents.[4] He also gave 1,050 Adams dollars to students at the middle school he attended, John Quincy Adams Middle School.[5]

In 2008, Hollis notably arranged for and escorted the 1844-0 Proof $10 Eagle, worth $2.5 million, to be on display at the Old U.S. Mint of the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge.[6] This allowed twenty thousand persons to see the coin where it was minted.

Legislative career

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Hollis was elected to the Louisiana House in November 2011. His District 104 was newly redrawn as a result of the legislative redistricting plan, Act 1 of the 1st Extraordinary Session of 2011, signed into law by Governor Bobby Jindal on April 14, 2011.[7] The district covers parts of the St. Tammany Parish communities of Mandeville, Abita Springs, Covington, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell.[8]

During his first year in office, Hollis was part of the Louisiana Bicentennial Task Force and assisted with an exhibit at the Old State Capitol and the writing and production of the "History of Banking and Finance in Louisiana" in cooperation with the Secretary of State's office.

Hollis serves on the Commerce, Education, and Retirement committees.[9]

In May 2017, Hollis obtained House passage, 70 to 27, of his bill to make it easier for voters to recall public officials. Currently, the threshold for obtaining signatures is too high for most recall petitions to bring forth an election, particularly in heavily-populated areas. Recall organizers must define in the petition the reason for targeting an elected official. If approved by the Senate, the bill would require 20 percent of registered voters to sign a petition to set up a recall elections in jurisdictions of greater than 100,000 voters; for those between 25,000 and 100,000 25 percent is required. For areas under 1,000, the requirement is 40 percent. In communities of between 1,000 and 25,000 voters, one third must sign for the election to be held.[10]

Hollis was succeeded by Jack Galle on January 8, 2024.[11]

Writing career

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Hollis is the author of the book American Numismatist, written for the American Numismatic Association. He traces U.S. history through the coins that were struck along the way. With many significant pictures and images of coins, the book is considered a resource to help beginners learn the trade.[12]

John Albanese, one of the world's top-ranked coin graders, wrote a foreword to Hollis' book.[12]

Acknowledgments

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Hollis has received the:

Hollis was nominated by former Louisiana House Speaker Chuck Kleckley to serve as a member of the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family. He is also a member of the newly formed Gulf Coast Legislative Council.

References

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  1. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State – Election Results by Parish". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  2. ^ "Paul Hollis to Announce Candidacy – Louisiana Coin Dealer Running for U.S. Senate". coinlink. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
  3. ^ "Paul Hollis Rare Coins". Coin Week. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  4. ^ "Hollis to give away 40,000 Lincoln cents". Numismatic News. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  5. ^ "Students given dollars". Numismatic News. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  6. ^ "1844-0 Proof Returned Home". Coin News. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  7. ^ "HB1 – 2011 1st Extraordinary Session (Act 1)". Louisiana Legislature. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "Louisiana House of Representatives – Redistricting PSC". Louisiana Legislature. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  9. ^ "Paul Hollis' Biography". votesmart.org. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  10. ^ Littice Bacon-Blood (May 10, 2017). "House passes bill Wednesday to make recall efforts easier". -New Orleans Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on May 14, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  11. ^ "Oct. 14 election: See who won Baton Rouge area seats in Louisiana senate, house". 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  12. ^ a b "American Numismatist (Book by Paul Hollis)". Silver Towne L.P. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  13. ^ "Pro-Business Louisiana Legislators Lauded at Legis-Gator Luncheon". Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  14. ^ "LABI Legislator Ranking". Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  15. ^ "2012 Legislative Award Winners". Louisiana Family Forum. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
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