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'''Elaine Lucille Schwartzenburg  Edwards''' (March 8, 1929 – May 14, 2018) was a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] who served in 1972 as an interim [[United States Senator]] for her native [[Louisiana]]. She was appointed to the vacancy created by the death of [[Allen J. Ellender]] by her then husband, [[Governor]] [[Edwin Edwards]]. She was the longest serving First Lady of Louisiana for twelve non-consecutive years from 1972 to 1980 and again from 1984 to 1988. In her later years, she was a small fashion businesswoman and a soap opera actress in [[New York City]].  

'''Elaine Lucille Schwartzenburg  Edwards''' (March 8, 1929 – May 14, 2018) was a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] who served in 1972 as an interim [[United States Senator]] for her native [[Louisiana]]. She was appointed to the vacancy created by the death of [[Allen J. Ellender]] by her then husband, [[Governor]] [[Edwin Edwards]]. She was the longest serving First Lady of Louisiana for twelve non-consecutive years from 1972 to 1980 and again from 1984 to 1988. In her later years, she was a small fashion businesswoman and a soap opera actress in [[New York City]].  

Originally from Marksville in Avoyelles Parish in south central Louisiana, Mrs. Edwards was a daughter of Errol Leo Schwartzenburg  (1909-1999) and the former Myrl Dupuy (1907-2001).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83021563|title=Errol Leo Schwartzenburg|date=January 6, 2012|publisher=FindAGrave|accessdate=May 15, 2018}}</ref> She had two brothers, Frank Charles Schwartzenberg (1928-2013), who relocated to Marshalltown, [[Iowa]], and a younger sibling, Ralph Schwatzenberg (born 1936).

Originally from Marksville in Avoyelles Parish in south central Louisiana, Mrs. Edwards was a daughter of Errol Leo Schwartzenburg  (1909-1999) and the former Myrl Dupuy (1907-2001).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83021563|title=Errol Leo Schwartzenburg|date=January 6, 2012|publisher=FindAGrave|accessdate=May 15, 2018}}</ref> She had two brothers, Frank Charles Schwartzenberg (1928-2013), who relocated to Marshalltown, [[Iowa]], and a younger sibling, Ralph Schwatzenberg (born 1936).<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://obits.theadvocate.com/obituaries/theadvocate/obituary.aspx?n=elaine-schwartzenburg-edwards&pid=189030771|title=Elaine Schwartzenburg Edwards|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|date=May 19, 2018|accessdate=May 20, 2018}}</ref>

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 Elaine 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, when [[Mary Landrieu]] succeeded him.

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.

Edwin and Elaine Edwards had four children together, Anna, Victoria, Stephen, and David.<ref name=obit/> She died at the age of eighty-nine at a daughter's home in Denham Springs near [[Baton Rouge]].<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_afea9256-579a-11e8-a8f7-bf13ceaabca2.html|title=Former Louisiana first lady Elaine Edwards dies: Edwin Edwards: 'She was a great asset'|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Tyler Bridges|date=May 14, 2018|accessdate=May 15, 2018}}</ref>in

Edwin and Elaine Edwards had four children together, Anna, Victoria, Stephen, and David. She died at the age of eighty-nine at a daughter's home in Denham Springs near [[Baton Rouge]].<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_afea9256-579a-11e8-a8f7-bf13ceaabca2.html|title=Former Louisiana first lady Elaine Edwards dies: Edwin Edwards: 'She was a great asset'|publisher=''The Baton Rouge Advocate''|author=Tyler Bridges|date=May 14, 2018|accessdate=May 15, 2018}}</ref>

Memorial services were to be held on May 21 at Resthaven Gardens Cemetery in Baton Rouge.<ref name=obit/>

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