The Resume

(March 17, 1913-August 15, 1974)
Born in Kentwood, Louisiana
Managing Director of the International Trade Mart in New Orleans (1947-65)
Prosecuted by Jim Garrison on charges of participating in a conspiracy to assassinate John F. Kennedy (1969)
Portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones in Oliver Stone’s film ‘JFK’

Why he might be annoying:

His middle name was LaVerne.
He was a closeted homosexual.
He was a chain smoker, which probably contributed to his death from lung cancer.
He was suing Garrison for defamation when he died; since he had no surviving relatives, the suit was dismissed.
He was buried under a gravestone marked ‘Clay L.’ with no last name.
Outside of New Orleans, he is remembered solely as the only person brought to trial for the Kennedy assassination.

Why he might not be annoying:

As an officer in the Supply Corps during World War II, he stockpiled and organized supplies for the Normandy invasion.
He was decorated by three countries: he received the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star from the US and the Croix de Guerre from France, and was named a Chevalier of the Order of the Crown of Belgium.
He restored over 20 buildings in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter.
He praised JFK’s ‘youth, imagination, style and elan,’ and many of his programs, particularly the Alliance for Progress for Latin America.
Garrison claimed that Shaw was the ‘Clay Bertrand’ who contacted attorney Dean Andrews about representing Lee Harvey Oswald, even though Andrews described Bertrand as young and blonde, while Shaw was 50ish and prematurely gray.
He was acquitted in less than an hour after the case went to the jury (March 1, 1969).
One of Garrison’s researchers, Tom Bethell, said, ‘I agree with the jury that he was totally innocent. There was no credible evidence that he knew either Oswald or [David] Ferrie, let alone planned to shoot JFK.’

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Allegedly Gay Men
• Born on St. Patrick's Day [March 17th] (Ranked: 1913)
• Brothers and Sisters, I Have None
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 61]
• I Attended Columbia
• I Died in 1974 (Ranked: 61)
• I Have Lung Cancer
• Kennedy Assassination Participants
• Look at Me, I Read the News Today
• Profiles 37501-37750 (Ranked: 37684)
• Served in World War II
• Silver Foxes [Gray and Don't Care]

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 14 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying