NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards has died. He was 93.
Edwards passed away peacefully at his home in Gonzales, surrounded by family and friends. Louisiana’s only four-term governor expired of respiratory problems that had plagued him in recent years, doctors said.
Edwards was less than a month short of his 94th birthday.
Born in Marksville in Avoyelles Parish during the Great Flood of 1927, in 1944, Edwards joined the U.S. Navy when he was 17 and became a pilot. His squadron was deploying to the Pacific theatre when Japan surrendered, ending World War II.
Edwards graduated from LSU Law School in 1949, served two terms as a Crowley City Councilman in Acadia Parish; one term in the Louisiana Senate as a floor leader for Governor John McKeithen; one term in Congress; and four terms as governor.
Leo Honeycutt, the Edwards’ Family Spokesperson, and a well-known Biographer. He confirmed this information in a press release this morning to WGNO News. If you would like to read the full release, click here.
Mrs. Edwards added, “His last words were to Eli. Eli told him every night, ‘I love you.’ And he told Eli, ‘I love you, too.’ Those were his last words.”
Funeral arrangements are pending, according to the family, but will include lying in state in the rotunda at the Louisiana State Capitol for visitation by the public. The day has not been set.
Serving as the 50th Governor of Louisiana, Edwards was in office for four terms: 1972–1980, 1984–1988, and 1992–1996.
“In the last 10 to 15 years, I’ve come to realize that he’s one of the best administrators of state business that Louisiana ever had. In fact, I mean, he even was in office four times longer than Huey Long was and we’re still talking about him and that was 80 years ago. Who knows what they’re going to be saying about Edwin Edwards in the next 50 or 60 years. He was the real delegator of authority. He knew how to get the right people in the right position and take care of this huge business of the state,” said Leo Honeycutt, Biographer and Edwards’ Family Spokesperson.
“He said, I don’t want anyone to be upset by this or get mournful about it or sad. It’s all just part of it. He said, I’ve lived a good life and have had better breaks than probably most people have had. I’ve had some bad breaks.”
Exactly seven days before his death, Edwards entered into hospice care with family and loved ones by his side.
