Edward Gordon "Ned" Randolph, Jr. (February 1, 1942 – October 4, 2016), was an American politician who served in the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 repr ...

from 1972 to 1976, in the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...

from 1976 to 1984, and as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...

from 1986 to 2006. Randolph ran for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1982 and 1992, losing both campaigns. In 1997, Randolph lost a bid for a seat on the

Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal The Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal are the intermediate appellate courts for the state of Louisiana. There are five circuits, each covering a different group of parishes. Each circuit is subdivided into three districts. As with the Louisi ...

. Randolph was inducted into the

Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame located in Winnfield, Louisiana. Created by a 1987 act of the Louisiana State Legislature, it honors the best-known politicians and political journalists in the state. H ...

in 2008.

Death and legacy

Randolph died on October 4, 2016, from complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. An outpouring of remembrances by members of the

, former governors, Governor

John Bel Edwards John Bel Edwards (born September 16, 1966) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 56th governor of Louisiana since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Democratic leader of the Louisiana House of ...

, and numerous other former and current local, state, and national public servants followed. On November 27, 2018, the Alexandria City Council voted to name the downtown convention in Randolph's honor to focus upon the late mayor's emphasis on economic development. The official name is the Alexandria Edward G. "Ned" Randolph Riverfront Center; in short form, the Randolph Riverfront Center. First opened in 1996 with a price tag of $17.2 million, of which $13 million was state funded, the center has more than 67,000 square feet of events space and is connected to the Hotel Bentley and the Holiday Inn Downtown.

References

1942 births 2016 deaths Democratic Party Louisiana state senators Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Tulane University alumni Princeton University alumni Mayors of Alexandria, Louisiana Bolton High School (Louisiana) alumni People from Colfax, Louisiana Neurological disease deaths in Louisiana Deaths from Alzheimer's disease {{Louisiana-stub