View source for Edwin Edwards

{{Short description|American politician (1927–2021)}}
{{other people||Edwin Edwards (disambiguation)}}
{{Cleanup rewrite|date=April 2024}}{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Edwin Edwards
| image               = Edwin Edwards (1986) (cropped).png
| caption             = Edwards in 1986
| order               = 50th [[List of governors of Louisiana|Governor of Louisiana]]
| lieutenant          = [[Melinda Schwegmann]]
| term_start          = January 13, 1992
| term_end            = January 8, 1996
| predecessor         = [[Buddy Roemer]]
| successor           = [[Mike Foster (American politician)|Mike Foster]]
| lieutenant1         = [[Robert Louis Freeman Sr.]]
| term_start1         = March 12, 1984
| term_end1           = March 14, 1988
| predecessor1        = [[Dave Treen]]
| successor1          = Buddy Roemer
| lieutenant2         = [[Jimmy Fitzmorris]]
| term_start2         = May 9, 1972
| term_end2           = March 10, 1980
| predecessor2        = [[John McKeithen]]
| successor2          = Dave Treen
| office3             = Associate Justice of the [[Louisiana Supreme Court]]
| term_start3         = April 14, 1980
| term_end3           = December 1, 1980
| predecessor3        = 
| successor3          = 
| state4              = [[Louisiana]]
| district4           = {{ushr|LA|7|7th}}
| term_start4         = October 2, 1965
| term_end4           = May 9, 1972
| predecessor4        = [[T. Ashton Thompson|Ashton Thompson]]
| successor4          = [[John Breaux]]
| state_senate5       = Louisiana
| district5           = 35th
| term_start5         = May 12, 1964
| term_end5           = October 2, 1965
| predecessor5        = [[Bill Cleveland]]
| successor5          = [[Howard A. Duncan]]
| birth_name          = Edwin Washington Edwards
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1927|8|7}}
| birth_place         = [[Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana]], U.S.<!-- KATC, WAFB, and New York Times obits all say he was born in rural Avoyelles Parish NEAR Marksville, but take effort to make the distinction. -->
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2021|7|12|1927|8|7}}
| death_place         = [[Gonzales, Louisiana]], U.S.
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse              = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Elaine Edwards|Elaine Schwartzenburg]]|1949|1989|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Candace Picou|1994|2004|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Trina Grimes Scott|2011|<!-- Omission per Template:Marriage instructions -->}}
}}
| children            = 5
| education           = [[Louisiana State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]])
| allegiance          = United States
| branch              = [[United States Navy]]
| serviceyears        = 1945–1946
| battles             = [[World War II]]
}}

'''Edwin Washington Edwards''' (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/10/14/trina-edwards-exhumes-former-governor/ |title=Trina Edwards, widow of former Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards, exhumed his body after burial and had it cremated |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2021-10-14 |accessdate=2022-02-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_917ed65e-2c64-11ec-9635-cf85e39af823.html|title = Late Gov. Edwin Edwards' wife had his remains exhumed and cremated; his children are angry| date=October 13, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/edwards-to-lie-in-honor-at-state-capitol-saturday|title = Edwin Edwards to lie in honor at State Capitol Saturday|date = July 13, 2021}}</ref> was an American politician  who served as the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] for {{ushr|LA|7}} 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 (United States)|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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ostermeier |first=Eric |title=The Top 50 Longest-Serving Governors of All Time |url=http://editions.lib.umn.edu/smartpolitics/2013/04/10/the-top-50-longest-serving-gov/ |work=Smart Politics |date=April 10, 2013}}</ref>

An influential figure in Louisiana politics, Edwards, who was dubbed the "very last of the line of [[New Deal]] [[Southern Democrats]]",<ref name=laststand>{{cite news |last=Nichols |first=Bill |title=Edwin Edwards' last stand |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/edwin-edwards-louisiana-2014-elections-105563.html |publisher=Politico |date=April 10, 2014 |access-date=April 10, 2014}}</ref> was long dogged by charges of corruption. In 2001, he was found guilty of [[Racket (crime)|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.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |last=McGaughy |first=Lauren |title=Former Gov. Edwin Edwards considering return to politics |url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/edwin_edwards_election_race_se.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031073035/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/10/edwin_edwards_election_race_se.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 31, 2013 |website=NOLA.com |date=October 29, 2013}}</ref> 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 United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana|2014]], Edwards again sought election to the U.S. House of Representatives, running to represent {{ushr|LA|6}}.<ref name=congress2014>{{cite news |title=Ex-Con Ex-Governor Running for Congress |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-19/edwin-edwards-is-running-for-congress.html |publisher=Bloomberg |date=February 19, 2014 |access-date=February 20, 2014}}</ref> He placed first in the [[Louisiana primary|jungle primary]], but was defeated by Republican [[Garret Graves]] by nearly 25 percentage points in the [[runoff election]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Runoff election returns, December 6, 2014 |url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/12062014/12062014_MultiParish.html |publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]] |access-date=December 6, 2014}}</ref> 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.

==Early life and career==
Edwin Washington Edwards was born in rural [[Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana|Avoyelles Parish]] near [[Marksville, Louisiana|Marksville]] on August 7, 1927.<ref name = NYTObit>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/12/us/politics/edwin-edwards-dead.html|title = Edwin Edwards, Flamboyant Louisiana Governor, Is Dead at 93|last = McFadden|first = Robert D.|authorlink = Robert D. McFadden|date = July 12, 2021|accessdate = July 12, 2021|work = [[The New York Times]]}}</ref> His father, Clarence Edwards, was a half-[[Louisiana Creole|French Creole]] [[Presbyterian]] [[sharecropping|sharecropper]], while his mother, the former Agnès Brouillette, was a [[Louisiana French|French]]-speaking [[Catholic Church|Catholic]].<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-07-12|title=Former Gov. Edwin Edwards has died at 93|url=https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/former-gov-edwin-edwards-has-died-at-93|access-date=2021-07-12|website=KATC|language=en}}</ref> Edwards' ancestors were among early Louisiana colonists from France who eventually settled in Avoyelles Parish, referred to as the original French Creoles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avoyelles.com |title=Avoyelles Family Name Origins |last1=DeCuir |first1=Randy |date=September 12, 1996 |access-date=May 17, 2015}}</ref> Like many 20th century politicians from Avoyelles, Edwards assumed that he had [[Cajuns|Cajun]] ancestry, when in fact he may have had none. His father was descended from a family in [[Kentucky]] that came to Louisiana during the [[American Civil War]]. His great-great-grandfather, William Edwards, was killed in Marksville at the beginning of the Civil War because of his pro-[[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] sentiment.<ref name="William Edwards">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1862/07/13/news/funeral-lieut-dekay-disgraceful-exhibitions-rebel-sympathizers-resistance-cotton.html |title=The Funeral of Lieut. Dekay Disgraceful Exhibitions by the Rebel Sympathizers Resistance to Cotton-Burning-Shameful Outrages-Louisiana in the State of Anarchy. |date=July 13, 1862 |access-date=August 19, 2015 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

The young Edwards had planned on a career as a preacher. As a young man, he did some preaching for the Marksville [[Church of the Nazarene]]. He served briefly in the [[U.S. Navy Air Corps]] near the end of [[World War II]]. After his return from the military, he graduated at the age of twenty-one from [[Louisiana State University Law Center]] and began practicing law in [[Crowley, Louisiana|Crowley]], the seat of [[Acadia Parish, Louisiana|Acadia Parish]]. He relocated there in 1949 after his sister, Audrey E. Isbell, who had moved there with her husband, told him there were few French-speaking attorneys in the southwestern Louisiana community.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Edwards entered politics through election to the Crowley City Council in 1954.<ref name=returnguv>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/return-of-the-guv-20140711 |title=Return of the Guv |work=[[National Journal]] |author=Eric Benson |date=July 12, 2014 |access-date=September 4, 2014}}</ref> He was a member of the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]] which, in that era, had a monopoly on public offices in Louisiana, but which fell out of favor in the late 20th century. Edwards remained on the Crowley council until his election to the [[Louisiana State Senate]] in 1964; in that race he defeated, in a major political upset in the Democratic primary, the incumbent [[Bill Cleveland]], a Crowley businessman who had served for twenty years in both houses of the Louisiana legislature. Years later as governor, Edwards appointed Cleveland's daughter, Willie Mae Fulkerson (1924–2009), a former member of the Crowley City Council, to the Louisiana Board of Prisons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geesey-ferguson.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=786248|title=Willie Mae Cleveland Fulkerson Life Legacy|publisher=geesey-ferguson.com|date=September 15, 2009|access-date=March 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402170253/http://www.geesey-ferguson.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=786248|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==1971–1972 campaign for governor==
[[File:Edwin Edwards.jpg|thumb|left|Edwards as Congressman, circa 1969]]

In the [[Louisiana gubernatorial election, 1971-72|election of 1971–1972]], Edwards won the governorship after finishing first in a field of seventeen candidates in the Democratic primary, including the final race of former governor [[Jimmie Davis]] and [[Gillis William Long|Gillis Long]], a relative of Huey Long. His greatest support came from southern Louisiana, particularly among its large numbers of Cajun, Creole, and African-American voters.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Both Edwards and Johnston ran on reform-oriented platforms during the primary, but Edwards was more adept at making political deals and building alliances for the runoff round of voting. Edwards said that the major philosophical difference that he held with Johnston was in regard to their "awareness of problems of the poor".<ref>Leo Honeycutt, ''Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana'', Lisburn Press, 2009, p. 104</ref> Johnston won the endorsement of Edwards' legislative colleague, [[Joe D. Waggonner]] of [[Bossier Parish]], but the Shreveport state senator declined to accept Edwards' offer of a televised debate between the two.<ref>Honeycutt, p. 81</ref>

[[Bill Dodd]], who was defeated for state superintendent of education in the same election cycle that Edwards was winning the governorship in for the first time, attributed the Edwards victory in part to political kingmaker [[Louis J. Roussel Jr.]], of New Orleans. According to Dodd, Roussel "can do more than any other individual in Louisiana to elect any candidate he supports for any office in this state.&nbsp;... He is such a good administrator and motivator that he can put together an organization that will win in business and in politics."<ref>[[Bill Dodd]], ''Peapatch Politics: The Earl Long Era in Louisiana Politics'' (Baton Rouge: Claitor's Publishing, 1991), p. 158</ref>

==First two terms as governor, 1972–1980==
[[File:Edwin Edwards (LA 2).png|150px|thumb|left|Edwards during his first term as governor.]]
[[File:Nixon Contact Sheet WHPO-9690 (cropped1).jpg|thumb|right|Edwards with President [[Richard Nixon]] in 1972]]
Both in his political rhetoric and in his public persona, Edwards cast himself as a Louisiana [[populism|populist]] in the tradition of [[Huey P. Long]] and [[Earl K. Long]].<ref name=laststand/> He was inaugurated as governor on May 9, 1972. One of his first acts was to call for a constitutional convention to overhaul Louisiana's bulky charter.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

On taking office, Edwards hired J. Kelly Nix as his executive assistant and in 1974 elevated him to first executive assistant. In the second term, however, Nix left the administration to take office as the Louisiana state school superintendent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lapoliticalmuseum.com/inductees.php?viewID=79|title=J. Kelly Nix|publisher=lapoliticalmuseum.com|access-date=October 7, 2013|archive-date=October 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020111207/http://www.lapoliticalmuseum.com/inductees.php?viewID=79|url-status=dead}}</ref> Dale Thorn, who had been Edwards' press secretary while he was in Congress, continued in that position for the first and most of the second Edwards terms. He was later associate commissioner of higher education for the [[Louisiana Board of Regents]], and a journalism professor at [[Louisiana State University]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/clarionledger/obituary.aspx?n=jesse-dale-thorn&pid=170968700#sthash.g1JbouVI.dpuf|title=Jesse Dale Thorn|newspaper=[[The Advocate (Baton Rouge)|Baton Rouge Morning Advocate]]|access-date=May 17, 2014}}</ref>

Under Edwards, [[Michael O'Keefe (Louisiana politician)|Michael H. O'Keefe]] of New Orleans in 1976 was named president of the state Senate, an office that was held by the lieutenant governor prior to the implementation of the state Constitution of 1974. In 1983, as Edwards prepared to return to office, O'Keefe was engulfed in scandal and forced to resign as senate president.  He was as replaced by Edwards loyalist [[Samuel B. Nunez Jr.]], of [[Chalmette, Louisiana|Chalmette]] in [[St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana|St. Bernard Parish]]. On the same day Edwards won election to a third term, O'Keefe lost his bid for a seventh term by a wide margin to state Rep. Ben Bagert. In 2013, O'Keefe was still serving time in prison for a 1999 conviction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=Michael&Middle=&LastName=O%27Keefe&Race=W&Sex=M&Age=81&x=53&y=26|title=Inmate Locator: Michael O'Keefe, Sr.|publisher=bop.gov|access-date=June 21, 2013|archive-date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190838/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=Michael&Middle=&LastName=O%27Keefe&Race=W&Sex=M&Age=81&x=53&y=26|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During his first two terms in office, Edwards developed a reputation for being one of the most colorful and flamboyant politicians in the history of a state known for its unorthodox political figures. Charismatic, well dressed, and quick with clever one-liners and retorts, Edwards maintained wide popularity.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

===Policies and achievements===
[[File:Gerald Ford Edwin Edwards 1976.jpg|right|thumb|Edwards shakes hands with President [[Gerald Ford]], April 1976]]
[[File:Ford A9450 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-04-27)(Gerald Ford Library) (cropped2).jpg|thumb|right|Edwards with President Ford, April 1976]]
After enduring three grueling rounds of voting in the 1971–1972 campaign, Edwards pushed a bill through the legislature that limited state elections to two rounds by having Democratic, Republican, and independent candidates run together on the same ballot in a [[nonpartisan blanket primary]]. Though the [[jungle primary]] system was intended to benefit Edwards' own political career, many observers cite it as being a major factor in the eventual rise of the state's Republican Party and the creation of a genuinely competitive two-party system. For this, Edwards was facetiously christened "father of Louisiana's Republican Party".

William Denis Brown III, a lawyer and a state senator from [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], was Edwards's floor leader in the upper legislative chamber in the first term as governor. A native of [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]] reared on a plantation north of [[Lake Providence, Louisiana|Lake Providence]] in [[East Carroll Parish, Louisiana|East Carroll Parish]], Brown was instrumental in drafting the Louisiana Mineral Code. Thereafter from 1980 to 1988, Brown was the chairman of the Louisiana Board of Ethics.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thenewsstar/obituary.aspx?n=william-denis-brown&pid=156381763|title=Obituary of William Denis Brown, III|newspaper=Monroe News Star|access-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref>

Early in the first gubernatorial term, Edwards initiated the creation of the first new Louisiana state constitution in more than a half century. He intended to replace the Constitution of 1921, an unwieldy and outmoded document burdened with hundreds of amendments. A constitutional convention was held in 1973; the resulting document was put into effect in 1975. {{as of|2021}}, the 1973 Constitution remains in effect.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Louisiana_Constitution#:~:text=Louisiana's%20current%20constitution%2C%20the%20version,of%20the%20constitution%20of%201898|title = Louisiana Constitution}}</ref> Edwards also undertook a major reorganization of the state government, abolishing over 80 state agencies and modeling the remaining structure after that of the federal government.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Edwards named State Representative [[J. Burton Angelle]] of [[Breaux Bridge, Louisiana|Breaux Bridge]] as his director of the [[Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries]], a key appointment which Angelle filled for Edwards' first three terms of office.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stickney |first=Ken |title=Angelle: Local guy with a long-term vision |url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/story/news/politics/state/2015/08/29/angelle-local-guy-long-term-vision/71398046/ |newspaper=[[The Town Talk (Alexandria)|Alexandria Town Talk]] |date=August 29, 2015 |access-date=August 31, 2015}}</ref>

Edwards' tenure in the 1970s coincided with a huge boom in the state's oil and gas industry after the gas pricing crisis of 1973. Edwards was able to greatly expand the state's oil revenues by basing [[severance tax]]es on a percentage of the price of each barrel rather than the former flat rate. This oil money fueled a massive increase in state spending (a 163% increase between 1972 and 1980), and Edwards was able to consistently balance the state budget due to the boom in oil revenue. Much of this increased spending went toward health and human services programs and increased funding for vocational-technical schools and higher education.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Edwards easily won reelection in 1975, with 750,107 votes (62.3 percent). In second place was Democratic state senator [[Robert G. "Bob" Jones]] of [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]], son of former governor [[Sam H. Jones|Sam Houston Jones]], with 292,220 (24.3 percent). Secretary of State [[Wade O. Martin Jr.]], ran third with 146,363 (12.2 percent). Thereafter, Jones and Martin became Republicans. [[Addison Roswell Thompson]], the perennial segregationist candidate from New Orleans, made his last race for governor in the 1975 primary.<ref>[[Louisiana Secretary of State]], Louisiana election returns, November 1, 1975</ref>

===Early scandals===
Though arguably minor compared to the Edwards scandals of the 1980s and 1990s, the governor was embroiled in several ethics controversies during his first two terms in office. At the time, Edwards was remarkably candid about his questionable practices. When questioned about receiving illegal campaign contributions, he replied that "It was illegal for them to give, but not for me to receive."<ref name=returnguv/> He also insisted he saw no problem with investing in a proposed New Orleans office building called "One Edwards Square" (it was never actually named that) while still governor, and demonstrated his gambling prowess to the press on one of his frequent gambling trips to [[Las Vegas]]. Later, Edwards' commissioner of administration Charles Roemer{{spaced ndash}}father of future governor [[Buddy Roemer]]&nbsp;– was convicted of taking bribes and having connections with [[Italian-American Mafia|Mafia]] boss [[Carlos Marcello]]. Edwards managed to avoid direct implication in the Roemer case.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

During the governor's first term, a disaffected former Edwards bodyguard named [[Clyde Vidrine]] made several high-profile accusations of corruption, including the sale of state agency posts. The accusations were investigated by a grand jury, but the Edwards administration attacked Vidrine's credibility and the investigation stalled. Later, Vidrine published a tell-all book called ''Just Takin' Orders'',<ref>{{cite book |last=Vidrine |first=Clyde C. |author-link=Clyde Vidrine |date=January 1, 1977 |title=Just Takin' Orders: A Southern Governor's Watergate |asin=B0006CZEYY |publisher=Vidrine}}</ref> which included salacious details of Edwards' frequent gambling trips and extramarital escapades. Vidrine was murdered in December 1986 by the husband of a woman he was guarding, who believed Vidrine was having an affair with his wife.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-12-17-mn-3282-story.html |title = Gov. Edwards' former bodyguard is killed: Friend's husband held |date = 1986-12-17 |access-date = 2013-09-19 |last = United Press International |newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1367&dat=19861217&id=kO8VAAAAIBAJ&pg=6921,238375|date = 1986-12-17 |title = Governor's ex-guard killed outside court |access-date = 2013-09-19 |agency=Associated Press |via=Google News}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021}}</ref>

In a 1976 scandal known as [[Koreagate]], it came to light that Edwards and his wife Elaine had received questionable gifts in 1971, while Edwards was a U.S. representative. South Korean rice broker [[Tongsun Park]] was under investigation for trying to bribe American legislators on behalf of the South Korean government, and for making millions of dollars in commissions on American purchases of South Korean rice. Edwards admitted that Park gave Elaine an envelope containing $10,000 in cash, but insisted that the gift was given out of friendship and that there was nothing improper about it. In the course of the controversy, Edwards stated that he thought it was "super moralistic" for the U.S. government to prohibit American businessmen to accept gifts from foreign officials in the course of their business dealings. The scandal also engulfed Edwards's former congressional colleague [[Otto Passman]] of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], who was later acquitted of all charges in the case, but nonetheless was defeated in his 1976 re-election bid by [[Jerry Huckaby]] of [[Ringgold, Louisiana|Ringgold]].

==First political comeback: Edwards vs. Treen, 1983==
{{Main|1983 Louisiana gubernatorial election}}
Barred by the state constitution from seeking a third term immediately after his second, Edwards temporarily left politics in 1980 but made it clear he would run again for governor in 1983. He served as a temporary Associate Justice of the [[Louisiana Supreme Court]] from April 14, 1980 to December 1, 1980.<ref>{{cite web | title=Louisiana Digital Media Archive | url=https://ladigitalmedia.org/video_v2/asset-detail/LSWI-0414-04_EWE }}</ref> He began raising money and touring the state long before the 1983 election, maintaining what supporters called "the government in waiting". Early in 1982, Edwards said that he was so committed to running again for governor that "only death alone can separate me from this.&nbsp;... We are being led by a governor whose only answer to unemployment is to buy a $350,000 jet."<ref>"Edwards Denies Wrongdoing - Keeps Running", ''Minden Press-Herald'', March 15, 1982, p. 1</ref>

In 1979, Republican [[David Treen]] was narrowly elected governor on a pledge of [[good government]] reform. Edwards had supported Treen's opponent, Democratic Public Service Commissioner [[Louis Lambert (politician)|Louis Lambert]] of [[Ascension Parish]]. As widely expected, Edwards in 1983 defeated Treen's re-election attempt. The election offered a clear contrast between the flamboyant, charismatic Edwards and the low-key, policy-oriented Treen. While Treen focused on Edwards' reputation for corruption and dishonesty, Edwards sought to portray Treen as incompetent and unresponsive to the public. Treen said of Edwards: "It's difficult for me to understand his popularity", which indicated in the eyes of many that he did not fully comprehend Louisiana politics.<ref name=roll/> The two major candidates spent over $18 million (approximately $56.25 million in 2024 dollars) between them; the election became renowned as one of the most expensive campaigns ever conducted in a state the size of Louisiana. [[John Maginnis (Louisiana political writer)|John Maginnis]]' 1984 book, ''The Last Hayride'', chronicles this colorful but lopsided campaign.

{{anchor|Dead girl or a live boy}}
Before election day, Edwards joked with reporters: "The only way I can lose this election is if I'm caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy."<ref name=returnguv/><ref>{{cite news |title=Blagojevich Fatigue? Get Used to It |author=Warren, James |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 21, 2010 |access-date=March 2, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/us/22cncwarren.html |page=A23A}}</ref> Edwards zinged Treen many times, once describing Treen as "so slow it takes him an hour and a half to watch ''[[60 Minutes]]''." During a gubernatorial debate in 1983, Treen asked Edwards, "How come you talk out of both sides of your mouth?" Edwards instantly responded, "So people like you with only half a brain can understand me."

Edwards' brother, [[Marion Edwards|Marion David Edwards]] (1928–2013),<ref name=marde>{{cite news|url=http://obits.nola.com/obituaries/nola/obituary.aspx?n=marion-d-edwards&pid=162308325&fhid=16696#fbLoggedOut|title=Marion D. Edwards|newspaper=[[The Times-Picayune]] |access-date=January 14, 2013}}</ref> was part of the 1983 campaign and of the entourage that headed to France and [[Belgium]] early in 1984 to raise money to repay a lingering $4.2 million campaign debt.<ref name=marion>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/viewart/20130113/NEWS01/130113002/Marion-Edwards-brother-ex-Louisiana-governor-dies-84|title=Marion Edwards, brother of ex-Louisiana governor, dies at 84|publisher=Alexandria Daily Town Talk|access-date=January 13, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216223231/http://www.thetowntalk.com/viewart/20130113/NEWS01/130113002/Marion-Edwards-brother-ex-Louisiana-governor-dies-84|archive-date=February 16, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Six hundred supporters joined the Edwardses on an eight-day tour that included dinner at [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] and gambling in [[Monte Carlo]]. Each paid $10,000. Edwards expected a 70 percent profit on the contributors' tickets to retire the debt. Bumper stickers were printed in blue and gold campaign colors and distributed to those who contributed to the retirement of this debt. For years afterwards, motorists saw stickers on vehicles bearing the slogan, "I did Paris with the Gov."<ref name=roll>{{cite news |last=Greenberg |first=Paul |date=April 3, 1985 |title=Louisianans just let good times roll |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=892&dat=19850403&id=1jlPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6792,465776 |newspaper=[[The Daily Courier (Arizona)|The Courier]] |location=Prescott, Arizona |access-date=May 17, 2015 }}</ref>

==Third term as governor, 1984–1988==
State finances nosedived during the third Edwards administration. Money from petroleum [[severance tax]]es decreased sharply in the middle 1980s because of plummeting oil prices. In 1984, Edwards attempted to deal with the erosion of state revenue by approving $730 million—Edwards had requested $1.1 billion—in new personal taxes, including a 1 percentage point increase in the state [[sales tax]], $61 million in higher [[corporate income tax]]es, and $190 million in additional [[gasoline tax]]es.<ref name=taxes>"Legislators buckle under EWE threat", ''Minden Press-Herald'', March 23, 1984, p. 1</ref> The legislature, overwhelmingly dominated by lawmakers beholden to Edwards, passed these taxes into law, but the taxes were highly unpopular and damaged Edwards' level of public support. Republican state representative [[Terry W. Gee]] of New Orleans said at the time, "Nobody realized the magnitude of what's going on; I've had 180 phone calls in two days against the higher taxes."<ref name=taxes/>

Much of Edwards' support in the 1970s had been fueled by high levels of social spending during times of economic prosperity; with economic conditions worsening, his popularity waned. To obtain passage of the higher taxes, Edwards first submitted Treen's 1984–1985 proposed budget as a warning to lawmakers. The Treen budget, he claimed, would cut state spending too drastically and cause roads to fall apart, bridges to collapse, and insurance premiums to skyrocket. Edwards predicted that if lawmakers passed Treen's budget instead of the higher taxes the voters would rebel and blame the legislature itself for the results.<ref>"Edwards submits Treen's budget in attempt to force legislators' hands", ''Minden Press-Herald'', April 17, 1984, p. 1</ref> In the end, Edwards got most of what he wanted and was able to use the excuse of teacher pay increases to put pressure on lawmakers.<ref>"Edwards wins tax battle", ''Minden Press-Herald'', June 30, 1984, p. 1</ref>

===John Volz indictment and trials===
In February 1985, soon after his third term began, Edwards was forced to stand trial on charges of [[mail fraud]], [[obstruction of justice]], and bribery, brought by U.S. Attorney [[John Volz]]. The charges were centered around an alleged scheme in which Edwards and his associates received almost $2 million in exchange for granting preferential treatment to companies dealing with state hospitals. Edwards proclaimed his innocence and insisted that the charges were politically motivated by Volz and the Republican Party. The first trial resulted in a mistrial in December 1985, while a second trial in 1986 resulted in an acquittal. After Edwards and his four co-defendants were acquitted, the hotel where the jurors had been sequestered revealed that half of the jurors had stolen towels as they left.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/6f5ac09e80c78785988072ee896ed40d |title=Jurors Accused Of Swiping Hotel Towels |publisher=Apnewsarchive.com |date=1986-05-22 |access-date=2014-08-18}}</ref> Edwards quipped that he had been judged by a "jury of my peers".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/us/21iht-letter.html | work=The New York Times | first=Albert R. | last=Hunt | title=Kooky Politics Make for Entertaining Races | date=June 20, 2010}}</ref>

[[Russell B. Long]] had correctly predicted in March 1985 that Edwards would indeed be acquitted by a Louisiana jury and that the ensuing trial would not disrupt state government.<ref>"Long predicts EWE acquittal", ''Minden Press-Herald'', March 14, 1985, p. 1</ref> When Long announced his retirement from the U.S. Senate seat that he had held since 1948, he indicated his preference for Edwards as his senatorial successor but added, correctly, that he did not think Edwards would enter the 1986 Senate election. Long's successor would be U.S. Representative [[John Breaux]], Edwards' successor for the [[Louisiana's 7th congressional district|7th District]] seat 14 years earlier.<ref>"Sen. Long doesn't think Edwards will run (for U.S. Senate)", ''Minden Press-Herald'', March 29, 1985, p. 7A</ref>

Prosecutors referred to Marion Edwards, also indicted in the alleged health care scheme, as a "bag man" for his brother. Marion ridiculed this characterization at a [[French Quarter]] bar in New Orleans, when media representatives were present. He placed a shopping bag on his head to resemble a crown and tossed about phony $100 bills.<ref name=marion/>

Edwards later recited during a toast at a French Quarter bar, though his beverage was non-alcoholic as he was a [[teetotaler]], a rhyming invitation for Volz to "kiss my ass". The trials were rather lengthy, and at one point during the first trial but before the mistrial Edwards rode to the Hale Boggs U.S. Courthouse on a [[mule]] from his hotel. When asked by reporters why he did so, he replied something to the effect that it was symbolic of the speed and intellect of the federal judicial system, but also that he supported "tradition". Marion Edwards, an attorney, often wore a pinstripe suit with a top hat and cane and held comedic press briefings at the end of each court session on the steps of the courthouse. Marion Edwards mocked the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney Volz, and United States Judge [[Marcel Livaudais]], who presided over the trials.

Even after beating the Volz indictment, Edwin Edwards' popularity was in decline. Despite his acquittal, the trial brought many sordid details of Edwards's conduct under public scrutiny. It was revealed that during frequent gambling trips to Las Vegas, Edwards lost hundreds of thousands of dollars under aliases such as T. Wong, E. Lee, B. True and Ed Neff (Edwards said he signed E. Nuff (enough), but computers read the name as "Ed Neff"), later paying these gambling debts using suitcases stuffed with cash of unknown origin.<ref name=laststand/>

After the trial, Edwards' support for the legalization of gambling as a solution to the state's severe revenue shortages contributed to a further decline in his popularity. He had made unpopular budget cuts to education and other social programs earlier in his term. Beginning in January 1986, he argued that legalizing casino gambling in up to fifteen locations and creating a [[Louisiana Lottery (modern)|state lottery]] would be a way to restore the programs, but the state legislature rejected his gambling proposals. Entering a tough re-election campaign in 1987, Edwards seemed vulnerable. Going into the election, his disapproval ratings ranged from 52 to 71 percent.

At first Edwards had predicted that a casino and a state lottery would net the state $600 million; then he lowered the expectations to $150 million.<ref>"Edwards hedges on gambling expectations", ''Minden Press-Herald'', February 14, 1986, p. 8B</ref> Both gambling measures would eventually be implemented, but not during Edwards' third term.

==Defeat: Edwards vs. Roemer, 1987==
Several notable candidates lined up to face Edwards in the [[1987 Louisiana gubernatorial election|1987 gubernatorial election]]. Perhaps his strongest early challenger was Republican Congressman [[Bob Livingston]]. Also in the race were [[Billy Tauzin]], a then-Democratic Cajun congressman from [[Thibodaux, Louisiana|Thibodaux]] who was a strong Edwards supporter while serving in the state legislature from 1972 to 1980; Democratic secretary of state [[James H. "Jim" Brown|Jim Brown]] of [[Ferriday, Louisiana|Ferriday]], and a Democratic congressman from [[Bossier City, Louisiana|Bossier City]], [[Buddy Roemer]], the son of former Commissioner of Administration Charles Roemer, who climbed up from a series of low poll rankings early in the campaign.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

==="Anyone But Edwards"===
Edwards was the issue of the campaign. Because of his name recognition, his resilient supporters, and unmatched political skill, even a weakened Edwards could safely assume he would win a place in Louisiana's unique primary election system runoff. The question was whether his opponent in the runoff would be someone who could beat him.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

There was a prevailing sense in the race that Edwards needed Livingston in the runoff. Livingston was a Republican in a state that had at that point elected only one Republican governor since [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]]. And Livingston was widely perceived as lacking in charisma and personality, which would work to Edwards's advantage. Any other opponent, a moderate Democrat without the ethical problems, would be dangerous. To that end, Edwards talked up Livingston. Perhaps the key moment in the 1987 race came at a forum between the candidates. As usual, the main topic of discussion was Edwin Edwards. His challengers were asked, in succession, if they would consider endorsing Edwards in the general election if they did not make it to the runoff. The candidates hedged, particularly Secretary of State Brown, a reliable Edwards supporter in the state Senate who in his 1979 election drew many of the same voters who supported fellow Democrat [[Louis Lambert (politician)|Louis Lambert]] in his failed gubernatorial bid in the same general election vs. Treen. The last candidate to speak was Buddy Roemer: "No, we've got to slay the dragon. I would endorse anyone but Edwards." The next day, as political commentator John Maginnis put it, Jim Brown was explaining his statement while Buddy Roemer was ordering "Slay the Dragon" buttons. Boosted by his endorsement as the 'good government candidate' by nearly every newspaper in the state, Roemer stormed from last place in the polls and on election night, overtook Edwin Edwards and placed first in the primary election, with 33 percent of the vote compared with Edwards' 28 percent. This marked the first time Edwin Edwards ever finished other than in first place in an election.

In what seemed to be the end of Edwards' political career, the governor withdrew from the contest in his concession speech, automatically electing [[Buddy Roemer]] governor. In fact, he was cleverly setting a trap for Roemer. By withdrawing, Edwards denied Roemer the opportunity to build a governing coalition in the general election race, and denied him the decisive majority victory that he surely would have attained. In one stroke, Edwards made Buddy Roemer a minority governor. Also, Edwards virtually ceded control of the state to Roemer even before his inauguration. By doing so, he passed on the burden of the state's problems to the new governor, who was essentially under the gun even before assuming office. For four years, Roemer struggled to be a reform governor of Louisiana as so many had before him. And although virtually no one realized it at the time, Edwin Edwards quietly waited in the wings for a return to power.

=={{anchor|Second comeback}}Second comeback: Edwards vs. Duke, 1991==
{{Main|1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election}}
As the 1991 governor's race drew near, many of Edwards' friends encouraged him to abandon his planned comeback, believing he had no chance of winning. After Edwards' loss in 1987, journalist Lanny Keller wrote that the only way Edwin Edwards could ever be elected again was to run against [[Adolf Hitler]].<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/gamingvotewhyele00poun | url-access=registration | page=[https://archive.org/details/gamingvotewhyele00poun/page/10 10] | quote=lanny keller adolf hitler. | title=Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren't Fair (And What We Can do About It)| publisher=Macmillan | isbn=9780809048922| last1=Poundstone| first1=William| date=February 17, 2009}}</ref> Edwards' runoff opponent would be former [[Grand Wizard]] of the [[Ku Klux Klan]], [[David Duke]].

The runoff between an avowed [[White supremacy|white supremacist]] and a suspected felon gained national attention. The [[Louisiana Coalition against Racism and Nazism]] was formed to challenge Duke, with its leadership including longtime Treen supporter [[Elizabeth Rickey|Beth Rickey]], a member of the [[Louisiana Republican Party|Louisiana Republican State Central Committee]] from New Orleans.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} The coalition revealed through a recording of Duke at a White Nationalist conference that he was still involved in Ku Klux Klan activities.<ref>Patricia Sullivan, "Beth Rickey dies with an immune disorder and Crohn's disease", ''[[The Washington Post]]'', September 16, 2009</ref>{{Failed verification|date=April 2024}}

Edwards found himself receiving endorsements from notable [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] politicians including Treen, Roemer, and even president [[George H. W. Bush]]. A popular bumper sticker urging support for Edwards read "Vote For the Crook. It's Important."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-09-02 |title=Louisiana The No-Win Election - TIME |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974345,00.html |access-date=2024-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902214859/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974345,00.html |archive-date=September 2, 2010 }}</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=70UbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6U4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=vote%20for%20the%20crook%20it's%20important&pg=4928%2C3605557 "Voters to pick 'scoundrel' or ex-KKK Grand Wizard"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424135057/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=70UbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6U4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=vote%20for%20the%20crook%20it%27s%20important&pg=4928%2C3605557 |date=April 24, 2016 }}, ''[[Milwaukee Sentinel]]'', November 15, 1991</ref> Another read "Vote for the Lizard, not the [[Grand Wizard|Wizard]]."<ref>[http://photos.nola.com/tpphotos/2011/12/175duke.html Photo of bumper sticker] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925004604/http://photos.nola.com/tpphotos/2011/12/175duke.html |date=September 25, 2012 }}, ''The Times-Picayune''</ref>{{Failed verification|date=April 2024}} Edwards said of Duke that "the only thing we have in common is that we both have been wizards beneath the sheets"<ref>{{cite news|author=David Usborne |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/former-louisiana-governor-edwin-edwards-yesterdays-man-at-87-maybe-not-yet-9700489.html |title=Former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards: Yesterday's man? At 87, maybe not yet&nbsp;... |newspaper=The Independent |date=2014-08-29 |access-date=2016-08-08}}</ref> and feigned concern for Duke's health due to smoke inhalation "because he's around so many burning crosses".<ref name=laststand/> When a reporter asked Edwards what he needed to do to triumph over Duke, Edwards replied "stay alive".{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} On election day, Edwards defeated Duke in a landslide, 61% to 39%, a margin of nearly 400,000 votes, in an election that saw record breaking turnout. His margin of victory over Duke was also noticeably higher than the margin Louisiana U.S. Senator [[J. Bennett Johnston]] achieved over Duke in the 1990 Democratic primary for the Senate.<ref>{{cite web | title=Edwards Defeats Duke in Louisiana Landslide : Election: He regains governorship with a resounding 61%-39% victory over the former klan leader. Turnout easily surpasses record | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=November 17, 1991 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-17-mn-386-story.html }}</ref>

==Fourth term as governor, 1992–1996==
In his last term, Edwards asked his boyhood friend, [[Raymond Laborde]], to leave the state House after twenty years to serve as commissioner of administration. Laborde, who had once defeated Edwards for class president at [[Marksville High School]] and had earlier been his legislative floor leader, agreed to join the administration.<ref>{{cite web |first=Timothy |last=Philip |url=http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070318/COMMUNITIES/703160358 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209123227/http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070318/COMMUNITIES/703160358 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 9, 2012 |title=Ex-governor tops list of colorful parish politicians |work=[[The Town Talk (Alexandria)|The Town Talk]], March 18, 2007 |access-date=December 19, 2009 }}</ref> He invited former state Representative [[Kevin Reilly (Louisiana politician)|Kevin P. Reilly Sr.]], of Baton Rouge, former CEO of [[Lamar Advertising Company]] to serve as secretary of economic development. Reilly had been removed in 1986 as chairman of the Louisiana House Appropriations Committee after having criticized Edwards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lsu.com/UNV002.NSF/%28NoteID%29/0EB8760B2EBFB14986256BC3005ADE30?OpenDocument |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714000652/http://www.lsu.com/UNV002.NSF/%28NoteID%29/0EB8760B2EBFB14986256BC3005ADE30?OpenDocument |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |title=Kevin and Dee Dee Reilly receive honorary degrees from LSU |publisher=lsu.com |access-date=March 13, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

In 1992, Edwards appointed the professional [[penology|penologist]], [[Richard Stalder]], as secretary of the [[Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections]], a position that used to be given to political supporters.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oYGF3ZDsmEYC&q=Richard+Stalder&pg=PA44|title=Dennis Shere, Cain's Redemption: A Story of Hope and Transformation in America's Bloodiest Prison |pages= 44–45|publisher=[[Moody Publishers|Northfield Publishing Company]] |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-881273-24-0|access-date=December 16, 2013}}</ref> Stalder remained secretary until 2008, serving during three subsequent gubernatorial terms in the position.

During his previous term as governor, Edwards promoted casino gambling in Louisiana, which had been a major part of his platform in the 1991 campaign. In June 1992, his heavy lobbying led the state legislature to pass a bill calling for a single large land-based casino in New Orleans. He also appointed a board that, at his private direction, awarded 15 floating riverboat casinos that had been authorized by the Legislature and the Roemer administration. He appointed a political ally, Paul Fontenot, to head the State Police; he would oversee the licensing and investigation of casino operators. On another front he again demonstrated his broad commitment to civil rights by becoming the first Southern governor to issue an executive order protecting lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons from discrimination in state governmental services, employment, and contracts.<ref>La. Executive Order EWE 92-7</ref>

Despite the discovery that some licensees had links to organized crime or other unsavory ties, Edwards blocked the revocation of their licenses. But a political backlash against gambling-related corruption began. Though he had originally planned to run for re-election in 1995, he announced in June 1994, shortly after marrying his second wife Candy Picou, that he would be retiring from politics at the end of his term.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.c-span.org/video/?57742-1/governor-retirement-address |title=Governor Retirement Address |publisher=C-SPAN |date=June 6, 1994 |access-date=November 9, 2014}}</ref> Edwards was succeeded as governor by State Senator [[Murphy J. Foster Jr.]], who ran as an opponent of gambling interests. Edwards retired to a newly purchased home in [[Baton Rouge]], intent on returning to a private law practice and living out his remaining days in contentment with his young wife, Candy, who was Edwards' junior by 37 years.

==Indictment and conviction==
Former Congressman [[Cleo Fields]] achieved considerable notoriety in 1997 when an [[FBI]] surveillance videotape showed him accepting a large amount of cash (about $20,000) from Edwards and stuffing it in his pockets. At the time Fields stated that the incident was just an innocent business transaction between friends, and said there was a humorous explanation, which he would make public shortly thereafter. A cloud hung over Fields as an unindicted co-conspirator in Edwards' criminal trial and in the end Fields refused to deliver the promised "humorous" explanation, stating that at the time of the cash transfer, he was not an elected official, and therefore under no obligation to explain publicly.<ref>[http://www.bestofneworleans.com/archives/2000/1024/news-pol.html] {{dead link|date=December 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} DuBos, Clancy, "Questions for Cleo", ''[[Gambit Weekly]]'' newspaper / Best of New Orleans web site, October 24, 2000</ref><ref>[http://www.bestofneworleans.com/archives/2000/1024/news-pol.html] {{dead link|date=December 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} DuBos, Clancy and Sam Winston, "An Epic Tale", ''[[Gambit Weekly]]'' newspaper / Best of New Orleans web site, March 21, 2006</ref><ref>{{cite news | publisher = theguardian.com | date = May 28, 2014 | title = Louisiana's Edwin Edwards goes back on the ballot: 'I'm kind of a strange fella' | author =  Paul Lewis | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/28/edwin-edwards-louisiana-silver-fox-governor }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | publisher =  nola.com | date = May 28, 2017 | title = The rise and fall of Gov. Edwin Edwards | author =  John Pope | url = https://www.nola.com/300/article_25f29b72-8af3-5e68-9c42-37da19577950.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | publisher = cnn.com | date = January 9, 2001 | title = Former Louisiana governor gets 10-year prison term in corruption case | url = https://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/01/09/edwards.sentenced/index.html}}</ref>

After being fingered by Texas for-profit prison entrepreneur Patrick Graham, who allegedly gave him $845,000 in conjunction with a scheme to locate a private juvenile prison in [[Jena, Louisiana|Jena]] in [[La Salle Parish]], Edwards was indicted in 1998 by the federal government with the prosecution led by U.S. Attorney [[Eddie Jordan (attorney)|Eddie Jordan]].{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} The prosecution soon released transcripts of audio conversations, and excerpts of video surveillance that seemed to indicate dubious financial transactions. The Edwards investigation also resulted in the conviction of [[San Francisco 49ers]] owner [[Edward J. DeBartolo Jr.]], who admitted to paying Edwards a $400,000 bribe (DeBartolo was convicted for not reporting the extortion) in exchange for Edwards's assistance in securing a riverboat casino license. The conviction forced DeBartolo to turn over control of the 49ers to his sister, [[Denise DeBartolo York]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/10/07/MN4647.DTL |title=DeBartolo Guilty of Felony / $1 million fine, 2 years of probation |publisher=Sfgate.com |date=October 7, 1998 |access-date=March 18, 2017 | first1=David | last1=Dietz | first2=Howard | last2=Arceneaux}}</ref>

Edwards was found guilty on seventeen of twenty-six counts, including [[racketeering]], [[extortion]], [[money laundering]], [[mail fraud]], and [[wire fraud]]; his son Stephen was convicted on 18 counts. "I did not do anything wrong as a governor, even if you accept the verdict as it is, it doesn't indicate that", Edwards told the press after his conviction. On his way to prison he said, "I will be a model prisoner, as I have been a model citizen". From 2002 to 2004 Edwin Edwards was incarcerated at the [[Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth|Federal Medical Center]] in [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]], Texas.

Edwards' sometime co-conspirator, Cecil Brown, a Eunice cattleman, was convicted for his part in the payoffs in 2002. Brown was also convicted in 2000 on four counts of extortion and racketeering by the same jury which found Edwin and Stephen Edwards guilty.

In 2004, Edwards filed for divorce from his second wife Candy, saying that Mrs. Edwards had "suffered enough" during his incarceration. In June 2005, the former Mrs. Edwards was arrested for threatening a police officer at a traffic stop in [[Port Barre, Louisiana|Port Barre]], screaming "don't you know who I am?"

In 2005, Edwards was moved to the [[Federal Correctional Institution, Oakdale|Federal Correctional Institution]] in [[Oakdale, Louisiana|Oakdale]] in [[Allen Parish, Louisiana|Allen Parish]], where he served his sentence as inmate #03128-095. According to the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons]], he was scheduled to be released on July 6, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=edwards&Middle=&FirstName=edwin&Race=U&Sex=M&Age=&x=0&y=0 |title=Federal Bureau of Prisons |publisher=Bop.gov |access-date=August 11, 2010 |archive-date=May 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525103752/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&LastName=edwards&Middle=&FirstName=edwin&Race=U&Sex=M&Age=&x=0&y=0 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In prison, he served as the facility's librarian: "I did what I could for my fellow inmates. I helped a number of them get their [[GED]]s and I was helping several more when my term expired. Now, I have to be honest; I didn't stick around to see if they succeeded{{nbsp}}..."<ref name=laststand/>

Two men whom Edwards defeated in Louisiana elections—David C. Treen and J. Bennett Johnston Jr.—and a third who was his protégé and successor in the Seventh District U.S. House seat, U.S. Senator John Breaux, confirmed in July 2007 that they intended to approach then U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] to seek a pardon or [[Commutation of sentence|commutation]] for Edwards, who celebrated his 80th birthday in prison in August 2007. Bush denied a pardon for Edwards before he left the presidency on January 20, 2009.<ref name="Los Angeles Times">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-28-na-pardons28-story.html |title=Bush rejected pardons for Duke Cunningham, Edwin Edwards and Michael Milken |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 28, 2009 |access-date=August 11, 2010 | first=Josh | last=Meyer}}</ref>

Edwards supporters also lobbied U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] for a pardon for Edwards so he might run in the [[2011 Louisiana gubernatorial election]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwl.com/Edwards-says-he-would-win-another-race-for-governo/10655990 |title=Edwards Says He Would Win Another Race for Governor - WWL - AM870 &#124; FM105.3 &#124; News &#124; Talk &#124; Sports |access-date=2011-08-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110915202514/http://www.wwl.com/Edwards-says-he-would-win-another-race-for-governo/10655990 |archive-date=September 15, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref> Obama did not reply to petitions by supporters of Edwards and lacking a pardon, Edwards remained ineligible to seek the governorship of Louisiana until the end of his life and would have only been eligible to run after fifteen years would have passed from the end of his sentence.<ref name="autogenerated2"/>

In 2009, Edwards was listed as an "honorary [[pallbearer]]" at the funeral of perennial political candidate [[L. D. Knox]] of [[Winnsboro, Louisiana|Winnsboro]], who in the 1979 gubernatorial contest, when Edwards was not on the ballot, legally changed his name to "None of the Above" Knox to dramatize his support for the "None of the Above" option in elections.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/dclassifieds?Dato=20090531&Kategori=OBITUARY&Class=30&Type=CAT30200&Lopenr=90500234&Selected=6 |title=Obituary of L. D. Knox |work=Monroe News Star, June 1, 2009 |access-date=June 6, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301000728/http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/dclassifieds?Dato=20090531&Kategori=OBITUARY&Class=30&Type=CAT30200&Lopenr=90500234&Selected=6 |archive-date=March 1, 2012 |df=mdy }}</ref>

On January 13, 2011, Edwards was released from prison and served the remainder of his sentence at a [[halfway house]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/13/AR2011011306537.html|title=Former La. governor Edwards out of prison|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]], January 14, 2011|access-date=November 19, 2012|date=January 14, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110706/APN/1107060598|title=Former Gov. Edwards' house arrest ends quietly|date=July 6, 2011|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> His sentence ended on July 6, 2011<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/07/today_brings_more_freedom_to_e.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411115740/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/07/today_brings_more_freedom_to_e.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 11, 2013|title=Today brings more freedom to Edwin Edwards, but he's still on probation|date=July 6, 2011|work=NOLA.com}}</ref> and he began three years of [[probation]]. He entered into home confinement at his daughter's [[Denham Springs, Louisiana]] home through the supervision of a halfway house, on January 13, 2011. Following that, Edwards was placed on probation.<ref>Jonathan Tilove. The Times-Picayune. January 13, 2011.</ref><ref name="Washington Post">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/13/AR2011011301433.html |title=Former La. Gov. Edwin Edwards out of prison|agency=Associated Press |date=January 13, 2011 |access-date=January 13, 2011 | first=Melinda | last=Deslatte |newspaper=The Washington Post}} {{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> On February 7, 2013, Edwards was granted early release from probation due to good behavior.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2013/02/edwin_edwards_polarizing_la_fo.html|title=Edwin Edwards, polarizing former La. governor, still a force to be reckoned with|date=February 15, 2013|work=NOLA.com}}</ref>  His wife Trina made the announcement on her Facebook page.<ref>Jeff Adelson. ''The Times-Picayune''. February 7, 2013.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbrz.com/tags/edwin%20edwards/ |title=WBRZ News 2 Louisiana : Baton Rouge, LA &#124; View Tags |publisher=Wbrz.com |access-date=October 26, 2013}}</ref>

In a poll taken in October 2011, months after he had been released from prison, 30 percent of respondents named Edwards the state's best governor since 1980.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/10/bobby_jindal_and_edwin_edwards.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017161638/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/10/bobby_jindal_and_edwin_edwards.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 17, 2011|title=Bobby Jindal and Edwin Edwards have been the best Louisiana governors, poll respondents say|date=October 14, 2011|author=Ed Anderson|work=NOLA.com}}</ref>

==2014 Congressional election==
In February 2014, Edwards announced that he was contemplating running in the [[United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana, 2014|2014 election]] to represent the [[Louisiana's 6th congressional district]] in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is centered on the state capital of Baton Rouge. With U.S. Representative [[Bill Cassidy]] exiting the seat to run for the Senate, Edwards said of the solidly Republican district: "I'm the only hope the Democrats have here."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/02/ex-con-ex-louisiana-gov-edwards-eyes-political-comeback/|title=Ex-Con Ex-Louisiana Gov. Edwards Eyes Political Comeback, February 20, 2014|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=March 17, 2014}}</ref> He formally declared his candidacy at a March 17 meeting of the Press Club of Baton Rouge, saying, "I want you to know, I'm going to give it every effort."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdsu.com/politics/edwards-im-running-for-congress/25017476|title=Edwards: I'm running for Congress: Former governor downplays concerns about troubled past|date=March 17, 2014|publisher=[[WDSU-TV]]|access-date=March 17, 2014}}</ref> If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, a runoff would be held on December 6, 2014, between the top two candidates. Two other Democrats, a Libertarian and nine Republicans, most notably [[Garret Graves]], a former aide to Governor [[Bobby Jindal]], State Senator [[Dan Claitor]], businessman Paul Dietzel, II, and State Representative [[Lenar Whitney]], also sought the seat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/path_to_victory_for_republican.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141029171101/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/path_to_victory_for_republican.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 29, 2014|title=Path to victory for Republicans in the 6th Congressional District is coming in 2nd in the primary|publisher=Nola.com|date=October 21, 2014|access-date=October 29, 2014}}</ref>

After Edwards' announcement, Cassidy told [[KEEL]] radio news in Shreveport that he doubted that Edwards "has a chance. It's a conservative district, and he's obviously not a conservative. But it kind of shows, I think, to a certain extent that the Democratic bench is weak."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://710keel.com/baton-rouge-congressman-bill-cassidy-edwin-edwards-doesnt-have-a-chance-in-6th-district-race/?trackback=tsmclip|title=Cassidy: Edwards 'Doesn't Have A Chance' In 6th District|date=March 19, 2014 |publisher=[[KEEL]]|access-date=March 21, 2014}}</ref> Louisiana political writer [[John Maginnis (Louisiana political writer)|John Maginnis]] said that Edwards was "likely to make the runoff" because of his name recognition, but "I don't see how he could win in a strong GOP-performance district like the 6th. But it should be entertaining." State pollster Elliott Stonecipher said that "the most basic math of the Edwards race yields an 'it is not impossible' answer" and former governor [[Buddy Roemer]] said that while it is unlikely, "yes, [Edwards] can win".<ref name=laststand/>

An April 2014 article in ''[[Politico]]'' that discussed his chances noted that he was "still sharp as a razor" and "in remarkably vigorous health".<ref name=laststand/> He pronounced himself "disappointed" with President Obama for "sitting" on the [[Keystone Pipeline]] and  listed his campaign priorities as "Building support for a high-speed rail system between Baton Rouge and New Orleans and emphasizing the good aspects of [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Obamacare]], while doing what I can to change or amend the provisions that I think are onerous."<ref name=laststand/> He said that he would have voted against the Affordable Care Act, but criticized Governor Jindal for not accepting the [[Medicaid]] expansion. If elected, he hoped to serve on the [[United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure|Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure]], to spur the construction of elevated roadways in the state.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lsureveille.com/news/politics/former-gov-edwards-returns-to-politics-in-th-district-race/article_f5a0fd66-d0c2-11e3-99d6-0017a43b2370.html|title=Former Gov. Edwards returns to politics in 6th District race|newspaper=The Daily Reveille|date=April 30, 2014|access-date=May 2, 2014}}</ref>

A September 2014 survey of statewide Louisiana voters by [[Public Policy Polling]] found that 40% had a favourable opinion of Edwards, 44% did not and 17% were unsure. Asked whether they would rather have Edwards as governor than incumbent Republican governor [[Bobby Jindal]], 47% said they would prefer Edwards, 43% preferred Jindal and 10% were not sure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2014/PPP_Release_LA_9301205.pdf|title=Cassidy has small edge over Landrieu head to head|publisher=Public Policy Polling|date=September 30, 2014|access-date=September 30, 2014}}</ref>

Edwards finished first in [[United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana, 2014#Polling 2|every poll taken]] of the race, though only with a plurality. Runoff polls showed him losing to all of his Republican opponents. An article in ''[[The Times-Picayune]]'' in late October 2014 noted that he had run a vigorous, serious campaign and noted that, as previously, analysts were split on whether he could actually win. David Wasserman of ''[[The Cook Political Report]]'' said that for Edwards, "mathematically, victory is something close to impossibility." Conversely, a spokesman for Republican opponent Lenar Whitney and political analyst Michael Beychok both said that he had a chance to win and Republican candidate Garret Graves said "There's no one alive anymore in this state that has the experience or, quite frankly, the tactics (of) Edwin Edwards." Edwards was expected to make the runoff, with his chances dependent on which Republican joins him, with several analysts saying that Edwards' best chance would come if Whitney, the most conservative Republican running, does so. Edwards' strategy was to appeal to black and Cajun voters and conservative Democrats, also campaigning on college campuses to appeal to younger voters. Columnist Bob Mann predicted that if Edwards made the runoff, the media would decry Louisiana voters' toleration for corruption when, "in truth (Edwards) never really had a chance to win."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/does_edwin_edwards_have_an_act.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029194252/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/does_edwin_edwards_have_an_act.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 29, 2014|title=Does Edwin Edwards have a legitimate shot at being elected to Congress?|publisher=Nola.com|date=October 28, 2014|access-date=October 29, 2014}}</ref>

As expected, Edwards as the principal Democratic candidate led the 2014 primary field for Congress with 77,862 votes (30.1 percent), winning every parish in the district.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/11/edwin_edwards_takes_most_paris.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141117224530/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/11/edwin_edwards_takes_most_paris.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 17, 2014|title=Edwin Edwards takes most parishes, but Dems only got 35% of vote in 6th Congressional primary|publisher=Nola.com|date=November 5, 2014|access-date=November 17, 2014}}</ref> He then faced the Republican runner-up, [[Garret Graves]], in the December 6 runoff election. Graves had received 70,706 "[[jungle primary]]" votes (27.4 percent). Losing Republican candidates were [[Paul Dietzel II]], with 35,013 votes (13.6 percent), state Senator [[Dan Claitor]] with 26,520 (10.3 percent), and state Representative [[Lenar Whitney]] with 19,146 votes (7.4 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11042014/11042014_Congressional.html|title=Election results 11/4/2014|publisher=staticresults.sos.la.gov|access-date=November 5, 2014}}</ref> Edwards lost to Graves by a 62–38 percent margin in the runoff. It was only the second loss of his political career.

==Edwards' record of longevity==
Edwards has the seventh longest gubernatorial tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. history at 5,784 days.<ref name="Ostermeier">{{cite web |url=http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2013/04/the_top_50_longest_serving_gov.php |title=The Top 50 Longest-Serving Governors of All Time |work=Smart Politics |first=Eric |last=Ostermeier |date=April 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130053528/http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2013/04/the_top_50_longest_serving_gov.php |archive-date=November 30, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Few governors have served four four-year terms. Edwards followed [[George Wallace]] of [[Alabama]], [[Jim Hunt]] of [[North Carolina]], [[Bill Janklow]] of [[South Dakota]], [[Terry Branstad]] of [[Iowa]], [[Lewis Cass]] of [[Michigan]], and [[Jim Rhodes]] of [[Ohio]] as 16-year governors. However, Branstad was elected to a fifth nonconsecutive term as governor of Iowa in 2010, placing him second to [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]] of New York (21 years) as the longest-serving governor in U.S. history, and won a sixth term as governor in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/2014/11/04/iowa-governor-terry-branstad-reelected-historic-win/18490693/ |title=Terry Branstad re-elected to historic sixth term |publisher=desmoinesregister.com |access-date=2014-11-06 }}</ref> In December 2015 Branstad surpassed New York's George Clinton as the longest-tenured governor in American history, with 8,169 days in office.<ref>{{cite news|title=Terry Branstad Is Now The Longest-Serving Governor In American History|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/terry-branstad-governor_566ed17de4b0fccee16f1919|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The Huffington Post]] (archived)|date=December 14, 2015 |access-date=December 15, 2015|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102182810/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/terry-branstad-governor_566ed17de4b0fccee16f1919|archive-date=January 2, 2016}}</ref>

Veteran journalist [[Iris Kelso]] once described Edwards as clearly "the most interesting" of the six governors that she had covered while working for three newspapers and [[WDSU]], the [[NBC]] television affiliate in New Orleans. Kelso declared Edwards more colorful than [[Earl Long]], whom she covered for less than a year in the office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://beta.wpcf.org/oralhistory/kelsoint.html|title=Iris Turner Kelso: Introduction|publisher=beta.wpcf.org|access-date=October 13, 2013}}</ref>

==Personal life==
===Marriages and family===
In 1949, Edwards married [[Elaine Edwards|Elaine Schwartzenburg]], whom he had met at Marksville High School. The couple had four children, daughters Anna and Victoria and sons Stephen and David.  In August 1972, Edwards appointed her as an interim U.S. senator to complete the unfinished term of [[Allen J. Ellender]] of [[Houma, Louisiana|Houma]], who died while campaigning for his seventh term in office. Ellender was [[President pro tempore of the United States Senate|President pro tempore]] and chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations|Committee on Appropriations]] at the time of his death. Elaine Edwards resigned seat six days after the election of Ellender's permanent successor, [[J. Bennett Johnston]], in order to give Johnston seniority over other new senators elected on November 7, 1972 (including future [[President of the United States|President]] [[Joe Biden]]).

On July 1, 1989, the couple divorced after forty years of marriage. They had begun living apart on March 15, 1988, the day after Edwards' third term ended. Mrs. Edwards did not reside at the [[Louisiana Governor's Mansion]] during Edwin's third term, instead staying at the family's ranch in southeast Baton Rouge.<ref>''Minden Press-Herald'', July 12, 1989, p. 1</ref>

In 1994, Edwards married Candy Picou (born 1964). In 1997, the couple entered the headlines when they attempted to have a child. Edwards had a [[vasectomy reversal]], and the couple froze sperm to attempt to have a baby but were not successful.<ref name=returnguv/>

In July 2011, Edwards married Trina Grimes, his prison pen pal. They began corresponding while he was serving his sentence for corruption. At the time of the wedding, he was 83, and she was 32.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-ex-la-gov-83-marries-32-year-old-prison-pen-pal-2011jul29-story.html |title = Ex-La. Gov, 83, marries 32-year-old prison pen pal|date = July 29, 2011}}</ref> On August 1, 2013, Grimes gave birth to their child.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2013/08/trina_scott_edwards_34_wife_of.html| title = 08}}</ref> In 2013, Edwards and Trina co-starred in an [[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]] reality show, ''[[The Governor's Wife]]'' based on their life together.<ref name="kondolojy1">{{cite press release|last=Kondolojy|first=Amanda|title=A&E Network Premieres 'The Governor's Wife' on Sunday October 27 at 10PM|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/09/26/ae-network-premieres-the-governors-wife-on-sunday-october-27-at-10pm/204998/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001192433/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/09/26/ae-network-premieres-the-governors-wife-on-sunday-october-27-at-10pm/204998/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 1, 2013|work=TV by the Numbers|date=September 26, 2013}}</ref><ref name="stanley1">{{cite news|last=Stanley|first=Alessandra|title=Real Politician of Louisiana, at Home|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/arts/television/the-governors-wife-on-ae-follows-life-of-edwin-edwards.html|work=The New York Times|date=October 25, 2013}}</ref>

===Extended family===
One of Edwards's brothers, Nolan Edwards, a former assistant district attorney in Acadia Parish, was murdered in Crowley by an irate client in 1983, the same year that Edwards was engineering his comeback bid for a third term as governor. Nolan's killer, Rodney Wingate Jr., of [[Church Point, Louisiana|Church Point]], Louisiana, then killed himself. Wingate had been pardoned by Governor Edwards in 1980 for two drug convictions in the 1970s, a pardon procured through the intervention of Nolan Edwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19830819&id=pvtEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5444,1126713|title=Former client kills self, ex-governor's brother in Louisiana|publisher=[[Lakeland Ledger]], August 19, 1983|access-date=December 9, 2012}}</ref> Nolan's murder halted the 1983 politicking. Newspapers carried a photograph of brothers Edwin and Marion locked in an embrace on an airport tarmac.<ref name=marion/>

Marion Edwards, an insurance agent and political consultant, was a cancer survivor and counseled other patients for many years. Born on July 10, 1928, in Marksville, he died on January 12, 2013, at the age of eighty-four at his home in [[Broussard, Louisiana|Broussard]] near [[Lafayette, Louisiana|Lafayette]], Louisiana. The cause of death was not released. The Marion D. Edwards Fellowship in [[Hepatic]] [[Oncology]] at the [[M.D. Anderson Hospital]] and Tumor Institute in [[Houston]], Texas, is named in his honor. Marion Edwards, who was [[Church of the Nazarene|Nazarene]], was survived by his second wife, the former Deborah "Penny" Meaux, and three daughters from his first marriage to Aline Luther Edwards: Wanda Edwards, Elizabeth Kersten, and Donna Edwards.<ref name=marde/><ref name=marion/>

Another brother, Allen Edwards, the longtime owner of a farm and heavy equipment company in [[Quitman, Arkansas|Quitman]] in northern [[Arkansas]], died in 2009, while Edwards was in prison. Edwards did not attend the funeral because of security difficulties.

Edwards was an uncle by marriage to former U.S. Representative [[Charles Boustany]], a Republican from Lafayette, whose district includes much of the territory represented from 1965 to 1972 by then-U.S. Representative Edwin Edwards. Boustany's wife is the former Bridget Edwards, a daughter of Nolan Edwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crowleypostsignal.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Boustany-+Dugal+-to+unite+in+holy+matrimony%20&id=12832286&instance=secondary_stories_left_column |title=Boustany, Dugal to unite in holy matrimony, May 2011 |publisher=Crowley Post Signal |access-date=December 9, 2012 }} {{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Third wife and reality television show===
On July 29, 2011, Edwards married Trina Grimes Scott (born August 1978) from Baton Rouge, at the [[Hotel Monteleone|Monteleone Hotel]] in New Orleans. Edwards' one-time prison [[pen pal]], she was fifty-one years his junior and was born midway in his second term as governor.<ref>[http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/edwin_edwards_trina_griems_sco.html] "Edwin Edwards, Trina Grimes Scott marry in private ceremony", ''[[The Times-Picayune]]'', July 29, 2011</ref> She is a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]].<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2014/03/17/former-gov-edwin-edwards-announces-run-for-us-congress |title = Former Gov. Edwin Edwards announces run for U.S. Congress |date = 2014-03-17 |newspaper = Gambit |location = New Orleans |first = Allman |last = Kevin |access-date = 2014-06-27 |archive-date = July 25, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140725231139/http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2014/03/17/former-gov-edwin-edwards-announces-run-for-us-congress |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Edwin and Trina Edwards were the subjects of the reality show ''The Governor's Wife'', which premiered October 27, 2013, on the [[Arts & Entertainment Network]].<ref name="kondolojy1"/><ref name="stanley1"/> The program focused on Trina's rearing of teenaged sons and acting as stepmother to Edwards' daughters who are almost twice her age. According to the A&E description of the program: "Between school projects, running for president of the Homeowner's Association, fending off skeptics who think she's a gold digger, and thoughts of adding a baby of their own to the mix, the Edwards clan truly represents a new take on the modern family."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/01/ex-gov_edwin_edwards_and_wife.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130216133811/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/01/ex-gov_edwin_edwards_and_wife.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 16, 2013|title=Ex-Gov. Edwin Edwards and wife to star in reality TV show, January 4, 2013|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|access-date=January 13, 2013}}</ref> The couple announced February 15, 2013 that Trina was pregnant.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2013/02/former_gov_edwin_edwards_wife.html|title=Former Gov. Edwin Edwards' wife, Trina, announces pregnancy|newspaper=The Times-Picayune|access-date=February 15, 2013}}</ref> Trina gave birth to their son on August 1, 2013.<ref>{{cite news|title=34-year-old wife of Edwin Edwards, 85, gives birth to boy|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/34-year-old-wife-of-edwin-edwards-85-gives-birth-to-boy/|work=CBS News|access-date=August 1, 2013}}</ref>

Following Edwards's death, Trina remarried in 2023 to Louisiana politician [[John Alario]], who served as Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives during Edwards' third and fourth terms, and later as President of the Louisiana Senate under Governors [[Bobby Jindal]] and [[John Bel Edwards]].

===Health and death===
Edwards did not drink alcohol or smoke.<ref name = NYTObit />

In 2015, Edwards was hospitalized for [[pneumonia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/former-gov-edwin-edwards-in-hospital-with-pneumonia/369311837|title=Former Governor Edwin Edwards in Hospital With Pneumonia|publisher=WWLTV.com|access-date=December 14, 2016|date=December 13, 2016|author=Dominic Messa}}</ref> On December 13, 2016, Edwards was hospitalized under stable condition again for pneumonia in Baton Rouge.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/12/edwin_edwards_pneumonia_hospit.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20161216170844/http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/12/edwin_edwards_pneumonia_hospit.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 16, 2016|title=Former Gov. Edwin Edwards hospitalized, recovering from Covid |newspaper=The Times-Picayune|access-date=December 14, 2016|date=December 13, 2016|author=JR Ball}}</ref>

Edwards was rushed to the hospital again by ambulance in November 2020, with shortness of breath. Edwards returned to his home in Gonzales after spending two nights at Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center in Baton Rouge.  It was reported that he had a common head cold and he reportedly tested negative for both [[COVID-19]] and pneumonia, as well as the flu. His wife told the media that he was resting well and "giving orders" once he got home.

Edwards was sent to [[hospice care]] for pain in his lungs in [[Gonzales, Louisiana]] on July 6, 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schnell |first=Michael |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/561734-edwin-edwards-in-hospice-care-at-louisiana-home |title=Edwin Edwards in hospice care at Louisiana home |work=The Hill |date=July 6, 2021 |access-date=July 6, 2021}}</ref> He died six days later on July 12, 26 days short of his 94th birthday.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wafb.com/2021/07/12/former-la-governor-edwin-edwards-has-died-93/ |title=Former La. Governor Edwin Edwards has died at 93 |work=WAFB |date=July 12, 2021 |access-date=July 12, 2021}}</ref> The cause of death was respiratory complications.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bridges |first=Tyler |url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_6c91c6a0-2bf2-11e9-b57a-0f28036ae840.html |title=Edwin Edwards, Louisiana populist who served 4 terms as governor and 8 years in prison, dies at 93 |work=The Advocate |date=July 12, 2021 |access-date=July 12, 2021}}</ref> At the time of his death, Edwards had outlived four of his successors: [[Dave Treen]], [[Buddy Roemer]], [[Mike Foster (American politician)|Mike Foster]], and [[Kathleen Blanco]].

He would [[lie in state]] at the [[Louisiana State Capitol]] in Baton Rouge on July 17, 2021.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/the-biggest-legacy-of-all-louisiana-pays-its-final-respects-to-edwin-edwards-at-state/article_a93c0056-e73a-11eb-95a7-5fd9a7a0c63c.html|title='The biggest legacy of all': Louisiana pays its final respects to Edwin Edwards at State Capitol|first=Tyler|last=Bridges|publisher=The Advocate|date=July 17, 2021|accessdate=March 26, 2025}}</ref><ref name=lieinstateandburial>{{cite news|url=https://www.fox8live.com/2021/07/17/watch-live-former-gov-edwin-edwards-lies-state-la-state-capitol/|title=Former Gov. Edwin Edwards lies in state at La. State Capitol|publisher=Fox 8|date=July 17, 2021|accessdate=March 26, 2025}}</ref> He was initially buried at Resthaven Gardens of Memory,<ref name=lieinstateandburial /><ref name=buriedthencremated>{{cite news|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/late-gov-edwin-edwards-wife-had-his-remains-exhumed-and-cremated-his-children-are-angry/article_917ed65e-2c64-11ec-9635-cf85e39af823.html|title=Late Gov. Edwin Edwards' wife had his remains exhumed and cremated|first=Tyler|last=Bridges|publisher=The Advocate|date=October 13, 2021|accessdate=March 26, 2025}}</ref> Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, However, his widow Trina would later exhume his remains in October 2021 and have him cremated.<ref name=buriedthencremated /> A year after Edwards' death, Trina would be engaged to another Louisiana political legend, former Louisiana House speaker and Senate President [[John Alario]].<ref name=edwardsandalario>{{cite news|url=https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2022/08/23/gov-edwin-edwards-widow-trina-engaged-another-political-legend/7869547001/|title=Trina Edwards, widow of Gov. Edwin Edwards, is marrying another Louisiana political legend|first=Greg|last=Hilburn|publisher=Lafayette Daily Advertiser|date=August 23, 2022|accessdate=March 26, 2025}}</ref> Alario was notably Edwards' handpicked choice when he twice served as speaker of the House.<ref name=edwardsandalario />

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Portal bar|Biography|United States|Louisiana|Law|Politics|border=n}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140502231228/http://www.sos.la.gov/HistoricalResources/AboutLouisiana/LouisianaGovernors1877-Present/Pages/EdwinWEdwards.aspx State of Louisiana&nbsp;– Biography]
* Boulard, Garry, "Edwin Edwards: Reflections on a Life", ''[[Times of Acadiana]]'', August 15, 2001.
* Bridges, Tyler. ''Bad Bet on the Bayou: The Rise of Gambling in Louisiana and the Fall of Governor Edwin Edwards''. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2001.
* Dawson, Joseph G. ''The Louisiana Governors: From Iberville to Edwards''. Baton Rouge: LSU Press, 1990.
* Honeycutt, Leo.  ''Edwin Edwards, Governor of Louisiana, An Authorized Biography by Leo Honeycutt''.  Lisburn Press, 2009.
* Lemann, Nancy. ''Ritz of the Bayou''. Knopf, 1987.
* [[John Maginnis (Louisiana political writer)|Maginnis, John]]. ''The Last Hayride''. Baton Rouge: Gris Gris Press, 1984.
* [[John Maginnis (Louisiana political writer)|Maginnis, John]]. ''Cross to Bear''. Baton Rouge: Darkhorse Press, 1992.
* Reeves, Miriam G. ''The Governors of Louisiana''. [[Gretna, Louisiana|Gretna]], Louisiana: [[Pelican Publishing Company]], 1998.
{{CongBio|E000067}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}

*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/02/20/edwin-edwardss-greatest-hits-crooks-super-pacs-and-viagra/ Edwards' greatest quotes]
*[https://nymag.com/news/features/edwin-edwards-2014-7/ ''New York'' magazine profile]
*[http://www.nola.com/entertainment/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2013/09/edwin_edwards_grilled_by_larry.html Larry King interview]
* {{Twitter}}
* {{C-SPAN|20634}}

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|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Buddy Roemer]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[List of Governors of Louisiana|Governor of Louisiana]]|years=[[1991 Louisiana gubernatorial election|1991]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Cleo Fields]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[John McKeithen]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Governors of Louisiana|Governor of Louisiana]]|years=1972–1980}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Dave Treen]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Dave Treen]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Governors of Louisiana|Governor of Louisiana]]|years=1984–1988}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Buddy Roemer]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Buddy Roemer]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Governors of Louisiana|Governor of Louisiana]]|years=1992–1996}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Mike Foster (American politician)|Mike Foster]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Governors of Louisiana}}
{{LARepresentatives}}
{{Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Edwin}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:American members of the Church of the Nazarene]]
[[Category:American people convicted of money laundering]]
[[Category:American people of French descent]]
[[Category:Cajun people]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2014 United States elections]]
[[Category:Catholics from Louisiana]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana]]
[[Category:Democratic Party governors of Louisiana]]
[[Category:Louisiana State University Law Center alumni]]
[[Category:Louisiana city council members]]
[[Category:Louisiana Democrats]]
[[Category:Louisiana lawyers]]
[[Category:Louisiana politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Democratic Party Louisiana state senators]]
[[Category:Marksville High School alumni]]
[[Category:People from Ascension Parish, Louisiana]]
[[Category:People from Crowley, Louisiana]]
[[Category:People from Marksville, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of extortion under color of official right]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of mail and wire fraud]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of racketeering]]
[[Category:Politicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Political scandals in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]
[[Category:United States Naval Aviators]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:20th-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature]]
[[Category:Members of the House Un-American Activities Committee]]
[[Category:American teetotalers]]