Edwin Edwards

For other people with the same name, see Edwin Edwards (disambiguation).
Edwin Edwards
Edwards in 1986
50th Governor of Louisiana
In office
January 13, 1992 – January 8, 1996
LieutenantMelinda Schwegmann
Preceded byBuddy Roemer
Succeeded byMike Foster
In office
March 12, 1984 – March 14, 1988
LieutenantRobert Louis Freeman Sr.
Preceded byDave Treen
Succeeded byBuddy Roemer
In office
May 9, 1972 – March 10, 1980
LieutenantJimmy Fitzmorris
Preceded byJohn McKeithen
Succeeded byDave 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 byAshton Thompson
Succeeded byJohn Breaux
Member of the Louisiana Senate
from the 35th district
In office
May 12, 1964 – October 2, 1965
Preceded byBill Cleveland
Succeeded byHoward A. Duncan
Personal details
Born
Edwin Washington Edwards

(1927-08-07)August 7, 1927
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 2021(2021-07-12) (aged 93)
Gonzales, Louisiana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1949; div. 1989)​
Candace Picou
​
​
(m. 1994; div. 2004)​
Trina Grimes Scott
​
(m. 2011)​
Children5
EducationLouisiana State University (BA, JD)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1945–1946
Battles/warsWorld 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.

  1. ^ "Trina Edwards, widow of former Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards, exhumed his body after burial and had it cremated". The Washington Post. October 14, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  2. ^ "Late Gov. Edwin Edwards' wife had his remains exhumed and cremated; his children are angry". October 13, 2021.
  3. ^ "Edwin Edwards to lie in honor at State Capitol Saturday". July 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Ostermeier, Eric (April 10, 2013). "The Top 50 Longest-Serving Governors of All Time". Smart Politics.
  5. ^ Nichols, Bill (April 10, 2014). "Edwin Edwards' last stand". Politico. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  6. ^ McGaughy, Lauren (October 29, 2013). "Former Gov. Edwin Edwards considering return to politics". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013.
  7. ^ "Ex-Con Ex-Governor Running for Congress". Bloomberg. February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  8. ^ "Runoff election returns, December 6, 2014". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved December 6, 2014.