This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (April 2024) |
Edwin Edwards | |
---|---|
![]() Edwards in 1986 | |
50th Governor of Louisiana | |
In office January 13, 1992 – January 8, 1996 | |
Lieutenant | Melinda Schwegmann |
Preceded by | Buddy Roemer |
Succeeded by | Mike Foster |
In office March 12, 1984 – March 14, 1988 | |
Lieutenant | Robert Louis Freeman Sr. |
Preceded by | Dave Treen |
Succeeded by | Buddy Roemer |
In office May 9, 1972 – March 10, 1980 | |
Lieutenant | Jimmy Fitzmorris |
Preceded by | John McKeithen |
Succeeded by | Dave Treen |
Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court | |
In office April 14, 1980 – December 1, 1980 | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 7th district | |
In office October 2, 1965 – May 9, 1972 | |
Preceded by | Ashton Thompson |
Succeeded by | John Breaux |
Member of the Louisiana Senate from the 35th district | |
In office May 12, 1964 – October 2, 1965 | |
Preceded by | Bill Cleveland |
Succeeded by | Howard A. Duncan |
Personal details | |
Born | Edwin Washington Edwards August 7, 1927 Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, U.S. |
Died | July 12, 2021 Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S. | (aged 93)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses | Candace Picou
(m. 1994; div. 2004)Trina Grimes Scott (m. 2011) |
Children | 5 |
Education | Louisiana State University (BA, JD) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1945–1946 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Edwin Washington Edwards (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021)[1][2][3] was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 7th congressional district from 1965 to 1972 and as the 50th governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972–1980, 1984–1988, and 1992–1996). A member of the Democratic Party, he served twice as many elected terms as any other Louisiana chief executive. He served a total of almost 16 years in gubernatorial office, which at 5,784 days is the sixth-longest such tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. history.[4]
An influential figure in Louisiana politics, Edwards, who was dubbed the "very last of the line of New Deal Southern Democrats",[5] was long dogged by charges of corruption. In 2001, he was found guilty of racketeering charges and sentenced to ten years in federal prison. Edwards began serving his sentence in October 2002 in Fort Worth, Texas, and was later transferred to the federal facility in Oakdale, Louisiana. He was released from federal prison in January 2011, having served eight years.[6] He was also considered to be the last remnant of the political machine founded and led by Huey Long and Earl Long to serve as governor.
In 2014, Edwards again sought election to the U.S. House of Representatives, running to represent Louisiana's 6th congressional district.[7] He placed first in the jungle primary, but was defeated by Republican Garret Graves by nearly 25 percentage points in the runoff election,[8] a sign of Edwards' precipitous decline in popularity due to his felony conviction, as well as the Republican Party of Louisiana's growing dominance over state politics.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search