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“’Harold L. Ritchie’” (born May 24, 1949) is an American action artist and a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing District 75. He was first elected to the chamber in 2003.

Personal Life
Ritchie was born in Bogalusa, LA, in 1949 to Adam Ritchie, an advocate, and his wife Eve, an art teacher. Deeply influenced by his mother’s affection for the arts, Ritchie started drawing as well as acting at an early age. While a student of Bogalusa High School, Ritchie was repeatedly suspended for performing happenings in the school’s cafeteria. Ritchie graduated in 1967.

In 1970, Ritchie’s performance ‘Russia, Mon Amour’, in which he declared his love for and kissed a replica of late Russian dictator Josef Stalin, sparked controversy in Louisiana and beyond. After graduating from Louisiana Tech in 1971, Ritchie published his controversial short film ‘Now The Bananas Don’t Grow Anymore’, which shows Ritchie sitting on top of bodies in a dead-house, eating bananas. After the success of the short film, Ritchie decided to earn money with his passion, and became a funeral director, and is now President of the Poole-Ritchie Funeral Home.

Political Career
Ritchie was voted into the Louisiana House of Representatives in 2003, representing the parishes of St. Tammany and Washington as District 75. In 2007, Ritchie sponsored legislation to criminalize the sport of cockfighting, being a gentle spokesperson for both sides of the debate and making headlines around the country for his efforts. In 2014, Ritchie voted to uphold Louisiana’s anti-sodomy law.

Ritchie serves on five House committees: Insurance, Ways and Means, House Committee on Enrollment (Chairman), LGBT Rights, and Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay.