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Governor John Bel Edwards serves as the 56th governor of the great state of Louisiana. In 2008, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives, where he served for eight years. He was then twice elected as governor, first in 2015 and again in 2019. Gov. Edwards has been a champion of improving lives for all Louisiana citizens.
After facing a $2 billion deficit when he first came into office, his administration will be leaving a surplus of more than $2 billion thanks to enacting fiscally responsible policies. In addition, he has made historic investments in education at every level, given teachers and support personnel pay raises, adopted Medicaid expansion, secured bipartisan support for criminal justice reform, expanded broadband, and successfully led Louisiana through the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic as well as several major hurricanes and severe weather events.
Gov. Edwards was born seventh out of eight children to Sheriff Frank Jr. and Dora Jean Edwards, a Charity Hospital nurse. He grew up in Amite, a rural town in Tangipahoa Parish, and learned the value of being a public servant from his parents. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he served on active duty and earned Airborne, Ranger, and Jumpmaster status. After retiring from the Army with the rank of captain, he moved back home, earned a law degree from Louisiana State University, and opened a civil law practice. He and First Lady Donna Edwards are the proud parents of three children.
