![]() ![]() John Bel Edwards - no relation to the former governor - who praised Edwards as a consensus builder and deal maker who modernized state government and worked hard to fund education and the state's charity hospital system. The Southern University marching band was part of a procession that carried the body from the 34-story Capitol built in the 1930s, on a nearly mile-long route to the Old State Capitol, a 19th Century structure, where a private funeral ceremony for Edwards was held.Īmong the speakers was current Gov. His body lay in honor Saturday at the Capitol, where members of the public were allowed to file by. The four-term former governor, died at his home in Gonzales last Monday at age 93 after placing himself in hospice care following bouts with respiratory illness. Edwin Edwards down the steps of Louisiana's towering state Capitol Sunday and loaded it onto a horse-drawn carriage for transport to his funeral site. – Bagpipes played as an honor guard carried the flag-draped casket bearing the body of former Louisiana Gov. I love Louisiana, and I always will.BATON ROUGE, La. Visitors received a commemorative card with Edwards’ photo and bearing one of his quotes: “I tried to help as many people as I could and I hope I did that, and I hope, if I did, that they will help others too. Large bouquets of flowers, a row of Louisiana and American flags and photos documenting Edwards with prominent politicians, on the campaign trail and with his family, lined the path around the casket. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who is not related to Edwin Edwards, was among the first to pay his respects to the former governor’s family - before the public and media were allowed inside the vast, ornate hall where the casket rested on the Louisiana state seal.Įdwin Edwards’ wife, Trina, more than 50 years his junior, and their 7-year-old son Eli - the ex-governor’s fifth child - returned to the visitation area once it was opened to the public, and Edwards’ other children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren mingled with mourners as well. Republican House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, who lived in the same Gonzales neighborhood as Edwards, personally managed the memorial events, arranged the display and stood in Memorial Hall between the Louisiana House and Senate chambers as visitors arrived. Troy Carter, a Democrat who served in the Louisiana Legislature during one of Edwards’ terms, described the former governor as “just someone that you could never question his love of the people of Louisiana.” The mourners were diverse, including people who never met Edwards personally, lawmakers, former elected officials and his closest political allies. ![]() But after an initial crowd of a few hundred cycled past the casket, visitors thinned to a steady trickle. He arrived four hours before the visitation event was open to the public, expecting long lines and a packed mass of people waiting to get in. A registered Republican, Naquin wore an Edwards campaign T-shirt and a Trump 2020 ballcap. Naquin visually demonstrated the unusual coalitions of support Edwards built during his lifetime. He wasn’t just a politician,” said Wilfred Naquin, 73, a retired firefighter who lives an hour away in Independence. ![]() “He was the best governor in my lifetime. “He related to his constituents.”Įdwards died Monday of respiratory problems at his home in Gonzales, a suburb of Baton Rouge, at age 93. He helped a lot of poor people,” she said. The history of this state cannot be told without telling the story of Edwin Edwards.”Īngela Smothers, 65, a retired substitute teacher, also traveled the 80 miles (128.75 kilometers) from New Orleans to the state’s capital city to see the Democratic former governor one last time. “You cannot study Louisiana politics without studying Edwin Edwards, the good, the bad, the indifferent. “I couldn’t miss it,” said Kevin Hagan, 30, a one-time political science student who drove from New Orleans for Edwards’ public memorial event. That prison term, however, wasn’t front of mind to those who came to say their goodbyes to Louisiana’s most prominent and charismatic elected official since firebrand populist Huey Long was governor and U.S. The quick-witted politician dominated the state’s politics for decades, but a corruption scandal sent him to federal prison for about eight years after he left office. Edwin Edwards on Saturday, saying their farewells at a public viewing in the marble-trimmed main hall of the state Capitol where the powerful and flamboyant politician served 16 years.Įdwards was the only person elected four times as Louisiana’s governor during a career of remarkable highs and lows. Mourners steadily filed by the flag-draped open casket of former Louisiana Gov. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |