Elaine S. Edwards

Elaine S. Edwards
United States Senator from Louisiana
In office August 1, 1972 – November 13, 1972
Appointed by	Edwin Edwards
Preceded by	Allen J. Ellender
Succeeded by	J. Bennett Johnston
First Lady of Louisiana
In office May 9, 1972 – March 10, 1980
Personal details
Born	Elaine Schwartzenburg March 8, 1929 Marksville, Louisiana, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Edwin Edwards (1949–1989)
Children	Anna Victoria Stephen David
Religion	Roman Catholicism[1][2][3]

Elaine Schwartzenburg Edwards (born March 8, 1929) is a former United States Senator and the first wife of Edwin Washington Edwards, making her a former First Lady of Louisiana.

Early life

Edwards was born in Marksville, the seat of Avoyelles Parish, to Errol Leo Schwartzenburg (1909-1999)^[4][5] and Myrl Dupuy Schwartzenburg (1907-2001).^[6][7][8][9] Elaine also had a brother, Frank,^[10] and another brother, Ralph.^[11]

Senate career

On August 1, 1972, Edwin Edwards appointed Elaine to the U. S. Senate after the death of Allen Ellender. She agreed to resign after a new senator was elected, and she shared her husband's political philosophy.^[12]

During the 1976 presidential election campaign, Elaine endorsed Gerald Ford^[13] over Jimmy Carter, while her husband first endorsed California governor Jerry Brown,^[14] and later endorsed Carter after Brown failed to obtain the nomination.^[15][16]

Personal life

She married Edwin Edwards in 1949.^[17] An observer said that Elaine Edwards "wanted the opposite of what Edwin wanted. She hated the fishbowl of politics."^[18] Both graduated from Marksville High School.

Edwin and Elaine Edwards divorced in 1989 after forty years of marriage.^[19] She is the mother of four children, including Stephen Edwards, who was convicted alongside his father in 2000, stemming from a riverboat casino licensing scheme.^[20] The other three children are Anna, Victoria and David.^[21]

References

1. Hugh A. Mulligan. "Good times sour for La.'s Edwards (continued from page 1, on to page 8A as "La.'s tough times tough on Edwards")". Lakeland Ledger. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
2. "Edwin Edwards Timeline". kplctv.com. KPLC 7 News. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
3. Coozan Dudley LeBlanc: from Huey Long to Hadacol. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
4. "Alexandria Daily Town Talk, July 17, 1999". USGenWarchives.net. 17 July 1999. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
5. "Errol Leo Schwartzenburg". FindAGrave. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
6. "Myrl Dupuy Schwartzenburg". FindAGrave. 6 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
7. "Google News Search Myrl Schwartzenburg Elaine". Google. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
8. "Google News Search Myrl Schwartzenburg". Google. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
9. Matthew Andrew Wasniewski, United States Congress House Committee on House Administration, United States Congress House Office of History and Preservation (2006). Women in Congress, 1917-2006. Government Printing Office. pp. 467–469. ISBN 978-0-16-076753-1. Retrieved 9 September 2011. line feed character in |authors= at position 98 (help)
10. "Frank Charles Schwartzenburg, Sr., age 84 of Marshalltown, Iowa, native of Marksville". Avoyellestoday.com. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
11. Philip Timothy (16 March 2007). "Ex-governor tops list of colorful parish politicians". thetowntalk.com. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
12. "Governor's wife to replace Ellender". The Milwaukee Sentinel. 2 August 1972. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
13. Gerald R. Ford (1977). Public papers of the Presidents of the United States, Gerald R. Ford. Government Printing Office. pp. 2324–2325.
14. "Carter nomination seems assured; more Dems climb on bandwagon". Eugene Register-Guard. 10 June 1976. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
15. "Conservatism balances regional pride in South". The Sun. 18 October 1976. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
16. "Google News Archive search edwards endorse carter ford". Retrieved 9 September 2011.
17. Matthew Andrew Wasniewski, United States Congress House Committee on House Administration, United States Congress House Office of History and Preservation (2006). Women in Congress, 1917-2006. Government Printing Office. pp. 467–469. ISBN 978-0-16-076753-1. Retrieved 9 September 2011. line feed character in |authors= at position 98 (help)
18. Leo Honeycutt, Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana, Lisburn Press, 2009, p. 82
19. Matthew Andrew Wasniewski, United States Congress House Committee on House Administration, United States Congress House Office of History and Preservation (2006). Women in Congress, 1917-2006. Government Printing Office. pp. 467–469. ISBN 978-0-16-076753-1. Retrieved 9 September 2011. line feed character in |authors= at position 98 (help)
20. "Edwards convicted". Gadsen Times. 8 May 2000. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
21. The Biographical encyclopedia of the United States, Volume 2. Allied Publishers. 1968. p. 370. Retrieved 9 September 2011.

External links

• United States Congress. "Elaine S. Edwards (id: E000068)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.