The governor of Louisiana (french: Gouverneur de la Louisiane) is the head of state and head of government of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The governor is the head of the

executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state. In poli ...

of Louisiana's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws.

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

John Bel Edwards has held the office since January 2016.

Qualifications

Anyone who seeks to be elected Governor of Louisiana must meet the following qualifications: *have attained the age of 25 years *be an elector *have been a citizen of the United States and a citizen of Louisiana for at least the preceding five years

Governors

For Governors of Louisiana before the territory was transferred to United States control, see List of colonial governors of Louisiana.

Governor of the Territory of Orleans

Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France in 1803. On October 1, 1804, Orleans Territory was organized from the southern part of the Purchase, with the remainder being made the District of Louisiana and placed under the jurisdiction of Indiana Territory. The District of Louisiana would later become Louisiana Territory, but after Orleans Territory became the state of Louisiana, Louisiana Territory was renamed Missouri Territory.

Governors of the State of Louisiana

Louisiana was admitted to the Union on April 30, 1812. It seceded from the Union on January 26, 1861, and was a founding member of the Confederate States of America on February 8, 1861. However, since substantial parts of the state remained in Union hands throughout the war, there were 2 lines of governors elected. Following the end of the American Civil War, Louisiana during Reconstruction was part of the Fifth Military District, which exerted some control over governor appointments and elections. Louisiana was readmitted to the Union on July 9, 1868. The 1812 constitution established the office of governor, to serve for four years starting from the fourth Monday after the election. In 1845, the start date was moved to the fourth Monday of the January after the election; in 1864, it was moved to the second Monday of the January after the election; in 1879 it was moved to the first Monday after the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

announced the election result; the 1921 Constitution fixed the new inauguration date as the second Tuesday in May. The 1974 Constitution changed the date, effective in 1980, to the second Monday of the March following the election; this was amended in 1987, to become effective in 1992, to the second Monday of January. Governors were not allowed to succeed themselves until 1864, when the constitution held no term limits. The restriction on governors succeeding themselves was reintroduced in 1868, removed again in 1879, and again added in 1898. An amendment to the constitution passed in 1966 allowed governors to succeed themselves once before requiring a gap before they can be elected again. Governors of Louisiana can only serve two consecutive terms, but can serve again after being out of office for one term; more than half of one full four year term is considered a term as well. Five governors have served nonconsecutive terms.

Andre B. Roman André Bienvenue Roman (March 5, 1795–January 26, 1866) was Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the ninth U.S. Governor of Louisiana. Early years Born near Opelousas, the son of Jacques Étienne Roman of Opelousas, Lo ...

Francis T. Nicholls Francis Redding Tillou Nicholls (August 20, 1834January 4, 1912) was an American attorney, politician, judge, and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He served two terms as the 28th Governor of L ...

, and

Jimmie Davis James Houston Davis (September 11, 1899 – November 5, 2000) was an American politician, singer and songwriter of both sacred and popular songs. Davis was elected for two nonconsecutive terms from 1944 to 1948 and from 1960 to 1964 as the ...

each served two non-consecutive terms, while Earl Long and

Edwin Edwards Edwin Washington Edwards (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the U.S. representative for from 1965 to 1972 and as the 50th governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972– ...

both served in three distinct stints. In the event of a vacancy, the President of the Senate originally acted as governor. The 1845 constitution created the office of

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, to be elected at the same time and manner as the governor and who would act as governor in the event of a vacancy. The 1913 constitution established that the lieutenant governor would become governor in case of a vacancy. The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected on a ticket.

Succession

Notes

References

External links

Louisiana Secretary of State websiteCemetery Memorials by La-Cemeteries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louisiana, List of Governors of Lists of state governors of the United States * Governors Governors Governor