Gov. John Bel Edwards, the 56th governor of Louisiana and a 1999 graduate of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, will deliver the 2016 LSU Law Commencement address scheduled for Friday, May 27, at the Baton Rouge River Center.
“The Paul M. Hebert Law Center of LSU is proud and honored to welcome Gov. John Bel Edwards back to his law school. The governor was an outstanding law student and Coif graduate, whom I and several other members of our current faculty had the pleasure of teaching,” LSU Law Interim Dean Bill Corbett said. “The 2016 graduating class wanted the governor to serve as its commencement speaker, and we are most grateful that he has made time in his busy schedule to do this.
“Gov. Edwards’s delivery of the commencement address will serve as an inspiration and reminder to our graduates that, as graduates of the LSU Law Center, they, too, can accomplish great things, enjoy remarkable careers, and render valuable service to society.”
The governor grew up in Amite, La., as one of eight children. With four Tangipahoa Parish Sheriffs in his lineage, he learned the importance of public service at an early age.
Edwards graduated in 1988 from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was on the dean’s list. He was chosen by his classmates as the vice chairman of the Honor Committee in Charge of Investigations. He served eight years active duty with the U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger, which culminated with command of a rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
While earning his Juris Doctorate at LSU, Edwards graduated as a member of the Order of the Coif, and following his graduation, he set up a civil law practice in his home town of Amite.
In 2008, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 72, where he served for eight years. As a state representative, Edwards was named chairman of the Louisiana House Democratic Caucus, making him the Louisiana House Minority Leader. In November 2015, the voters of Louisiana elected him governor.
With his swearing in on Jan. 11, 2016, Edwards became the fourth LSU Law graduate to serve as Louisiana governor, following Robert F. Kennon (1925), John McKeithen (1942) and Edwin Edwards (1949).
Past commencement speakers of LSU Law Center include Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson in 2013, Fifth Circuit Federal Judge James L. Dennis in 2002 and incoming dean of the LSU Law Center Thomas Galligan in 2006.
The LSU Law Center’s commencement ceremonies will take place on Friday, May 27, at 10 a.m. at the Baton Rouge River Center, 275 River Road South in Downtown Baton Rouge.
