The Red River had been cleared of the 180 mile long raft of debris that had clogged its channel since time immemorial by Captain Henry Miller Shreve, commanding the US Army Corps of Engineers. In Shreve’s honor, the Shreve Town Company and the village of Shreve Town were named. On March 20, 1839, the village of Shreve Town was incorporated as the town of Shreveport.

In 1871 Shreveport was incorporated as a city. Shreveport’s original boundaries were contained within a parcel of land sold to the Shreve Town Company by the indigenous Caddo Indians in 1835. In 1838, Caddo Parish (county) was carved out of Natchitoches Parish and Shreve Town became the parish seat; Shreveport remains the parish seat of Caddo Parish, Louisiana today.

CITY OF SHREVEPORT

All executive and administrative powers of the City of Shreveport are vested in and exercised by the mayor.  The mayor is responsible for the conduct of the executive branch of the city government and  administers all of the city’s offices, departments, boards, commissions and agencies. Tom Arceneaux was sworn in as Shreveport’s 57th Mayor on December 31, 2022. Mayor Arceneaux is a graduate of Captain Shreve High School, LSU, and LSU Law School and has spent much of his adult life in Shreveport. He is an attorney and has been active in civic affairs, especially as an advocate for the Highland neighborhood, where he lives in a home he restored with his wife, Elizabeth. 

SHREVEPORT CITY COUNCIL

All legislative powers accruing to the city under the City Charter and under the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana are vested in and exercised by the Shreveport City  Council. The Council is composed of seven members, each of whom is elected from a separate district of the city. Council holds regular meetings twice each month at city hall.

CADDO PARISH 

The Caddo Parish Administrator is responsible for the daily operations of the ten departments of the Parish – Animal Services and Mosquito Control, Communications, Facilities and Maintenance, Finance, Human Resources, Information Services, Juvenile Services, Legal, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works.  The departments manage programs in criminal justice, highways and streets, sanitation, planning and zoning, public health and welfare, culture and recreation, economic development, and general administrative services.  Citizens of Caddo Parish provide funding for the parish’s operations primarily through sales and property taxes.

CADDO PARISH COMMISSION

The Caddo Parish Commission is the governing authority for the Parish of Caddo and is a political subdivision of the State of Louisiana. The Commission consists of 12 members called Commissioners who are elected to four-year terms from single-member districts.