John Bel Edwards

John Bel Edwards served as the 56th Governor of Louisiana from 2016 until January 2024. In 2008, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives, where he represented the people of Amite, Greensburg, Kentwood, and Hammond for eight years before being elected governor. Edwards attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. As a cadet, he completed Airborne School and served as vice-chairman of the panel that enforces the West Point Honor Code. The governor graduated from West Point in 1988, commissioning as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served on active duty for 8 years, earning Airborne, Ranger, and Jumpmaster status, culminating with command of a rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He earned his J.D. from LSU Law Center in 1999.