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She wed Edwin Edwards in 1949 but found too late that she disliked her husband's commitment to "the fishbowl of politics": "All I wanted to do was get married and have babies and keep house," she said in 1984. The Edwardses divorced in 1989;<ref name=obit/> he remarried twice, but she remained single thereafter.

She wed Edwin Edwards in 1949 but found too late that she disliked her husband's commitment to "the fishbowl of politics": "All I wanted to do was get married and have babies and keep house," she said in 1984. The Edwardses divorced in 1989;<ref name=obit/> he remarried twice, but she remained single thereafter.

Edwin Edwards named his wife to the Senate on August 1, 1972. She served only until the November [[general election]],<ref name=obit/> which was handily won in a multi-candidate field by the Democra former state Senator [[J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.]], of [[Shreveport]], who coincidentally had been her husband's 1971 intra-party gubernatorial opponent. Johnston held the seat until his retirement after four terms on January 3, 1997.

Edwin Edwards named his wife to the Senate on August 1, 1972. She served only until the November [[general election]],<ref name=obit/> which was handily won in a multi-candidate field by the Democrat former state Senator [[J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.]], of [[Shreveport]], who coincidentally had been her husband's 1971 intra-party gubernatorial opponent. Johnston held the seat until his retirement after four terms on January 3, 1997.

During the 1976 presidential election, Mrs. Edwards surprised observers by endorsing [[Republican Party|Republican]] nominee, [[Gerald Ford]], for a full term of his own.<ref>{{cite book|title=Public papers of the Presidents of the United States, Gerald R. Ford|author=Gerald R. Ford|year=1977 |publisher=Government Printing Office|pages=2324–25|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BRCTaYzoDlcC&pg=PA2325&dq=elaine+gerald+ford+louisiana&hl=en&ei=yQ1rTrKJLozPiAKQ1pzWBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> She by-passed her fellow Democrat, [[Jimmy Carter]] of [[Georgia]], while her husband first endorsed [[California]]'s leftist Governor [[Jerry Brown]], but later backed Carter when Brown failed to obtain the nomination. During her last term as First Lady and thereafter, Mrs. Edwards owned a small business which made custom-made dresses. In the 1990s, she moved to New York City in the 1990s to find occasional work as a soap opera actress.

During the 1976 presidential election, Mrs. Edwards surprised observers by endorsing [[Republican Party|Republican]] nominee, [[Gerald Ford]], for a full term of his own.<ref>{{cite book|title=Public papers of the Presidents of the United States, Gerald R. Ford|author=Gerald R. Ford|year=1977 |publisher=Government Printing Office|pages=2324–25|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BRCTaYzoDlcC&pg=PA2325&dq=elaine+gerald+ford+louisiana&hl=en&ei=yQ1rTrKJLozPiAKQ1pzWBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> She by-passed her fellow Democrat, [[Jimmy Carter]] of [[Georgia]], while her husband first endorsed [[California]]'s leftist Governor [[Jerry Brown]], but later backed Carter when Brown failed to obtain the nomination. During her last term as First Lady and thereafter, Mrs. Edwards owned a small business which made custom-made dresses. In the 1990s, she moved to New York City in the 1990s to find occasional work as a soap opera actress.