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Robert G. Pugh

Robert Gahagan Pugh, Sr., known as Bob Pugh (August 25, 1924 – November 17, 2007), was a prominent attorney in Shreveport, Louisiana, who, as his local bar association president in 1970–1971, initiated the first prepaid legal services plan in the United States. By the time that Pugh died of a lengthy illness at the age of eighty-three, some 43 percent of Americans were covered by legal insurance.Pugh and his older son, Robert, Jr., were the first father-son team ever to make oral arguments before the United States Supreme Court. Heavily involved in political, civic, and social circles throughout his city, state, and nation, Pugh amassed a lengthy resume of accomplishments and honors in a legal career of some fifty-seven years.Pugh was an advisor to three Louisiana governors, including Democrat Edwin Washington Edwards, Republican David C. Treen, and Democrat-turned Republican Buddy Roemer. He also represented sports figures with their contracts, including Terry Bradshaw, Joe Ferguson, Pat Tilley, and Joe Delaney.In 1990, the Louisiana Bar Foundation presented Pugh with its 1990 Distinguished Attorney Award. He was listed in the publications The Best Lawyers in America, Who's Who in American Law, and Who's Who in America. He was also a fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.In 1972, Pugh was elected as a Caddo Parish delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention of 1973, which produced the Louisiana Constitution of 1974. Among his colleagues at the convention was future Governor Roemer and former State Representative Frank Fulco of Shreveport. Another was future U.S. District Judge Tom Stagg of Shreveport, who served as one of Pugh's ten pallbearers. In the convention, Pugh authored many of the sections on local and state governments. In October 2004, Pugh and Stagg were jointly honored in ceremonies at the Petroleum Tower in Shreveport by their alma mater, the Paul M. Hebert Law Center of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, with the "Distinguished Alumnus Award". Pugh was the 2003 winner; Stagg, the 2004 recipient.