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|resting_place=Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Cemetery in Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish
|resting_place=Episcopal Church of the Redeemer Cemetery in Oak Ridge in Morehouse Parish
|spouse= Bennie Faye Berry Barham
|spouse= Bennie Faye Berry Barham
|children=Ben Edwards Barham, II (deceased)<br>
|children=Ben Edwards Barham, II (deceased)
Erle West Barham<br>
Erle West Barham<br>
Amy Barham Westbrook<br>
Amy Barham Westbrook<br>
|relations=[[Robert J. Barham]] (brother)
|relations=[[Robert J. Barham]] (brother)
|party= [[Republican Party|Republican]]
|party= [[Republican Party|Republican]]
|alma_mater=Oak Ridge High School<br>
|alma_mater=Oak Ridge High School
[[Louisiana State University]]<br>
[[Louisiana State University]]<br>
[[University of Louisiana at Monroe]]
[[University of Louisiana at Monroe]]
==Political life==
==Political life==
On February 6, 1968, Barham ran unsuccessfully in a race for state representative. He polled 44 percent as the Republican nominee and the third candidate in a two-seat district. The winners were the Democrats T. T. Fields and James Peyton Smith. In that election, all 105 state House seats were won by Democrats.<ref>''Monroe News-Star,'' February 7, 1968.</ref>
On February 6, 1968, Barham ran unsuccessfully in a race for state representative. He polled 44 percent as the Republican nominee and the third candidate in a two-seat district. The winners were the Democrats T. T. Fields and James Peyton Smith. In that election, all 105 state House seats were won by Democrats.<ref>''Monroe News-Star,'' February 7, 1968.</ref>
In the 1975 Senate election, Barham campaigned extensively and narrowly prevailed, 14,499 (50.1 percent) to Democratic candidate L. B. "Buddy" Loftin's 14,470 ballots (49.9 percent). The district then encompassed Morehouse, Richland, West Carroll and East Carroll parishes to the north and east of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]].
In the 1975 Senate election, Barham campaigned extensively and narrowly prevailed, 14,499 (50.1 percent) to Democratic candidate L. B. "Buddy" Loftin's 14,470 ballots (49.9 percent). The district then encompassed Morehouse, Richland, West Carroll and East Carroll parishes to the north and east of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]].
In his 1979 defeat, Barham did not benefit from any [[governor|gubernatorial]] coat-tail effect. The four parishes in the district largely split their votes between victorious Republican candidate [[David C. Treen]] and his Democratic opponent, state Senator [[Louis Lambert]] of Baton Rouge.<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' October 29, 1979.</ref> However, eight years earlier, Treen in defeat had won most of those same northeast parishes by comfortable margins in his first race against [[Edwin Edwards]]. Had Treen had run stronger in the 33rd Senate district, his party may have held on to its single state Senate seat.
In his 1979 defeat, Barham did not benefit from any [[governor|gubernatorial]] coat-tail effect. The four parishes in the district largely split their votes between victorious Republican candidate [[David C. Treen]] and his Democratic opponent, state Senator [[Louis Lambert]] of Baton Rouge.<ref>''[[Shreveport Journal]],'' October 29, 1979.</ref> However, eight years earlier, Treen in defeat had won most of those same northeast parishes by comfortable margins in his first race against [[Edwin Edwards]]. Had Treen had run stronger in the 33rd Senate district, his party may have held on to its single state Senate seat.
Edwards Barham technically was not the first Louisiana Republican state senator of the modern era. A. C. Clemons, Jr., of Jennings]] in Jefferson later as a full-term elected senator. When Edwards Barham was defeated, there were no Republicans in the state Senate for the following term.
Edwards Barham technically was not the first Louisiana Republican state senator of the modern era. A. C. Clemons, Jr., of Jennings]] in Jefferson later as a full-term elected senator. When Edwards Barham was defeated, there were no Republicans in the state Senate for the following term.
Edwards Barham's former seat was later held by his younger brother, [[Robert J. Barham]]. Another Barham brother is Thomas West Barham (born November 1939), also of Oak Ridge. Robert Barham was first elected to the state Senate as a Democrat in a [[special election]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11081994/11081994_MultiParish.html|title=Official Election Results: 11/8/1994|publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]]|accessdate=October 20, 2014}}</ref> He was reelected as a Democrat with a 93 percent margin to a full term in 1995 and unopposed in 1999. Thereafter, he switched to Republican affiliation and won reelection again without opposition in 2003. Meanwhile, he ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana's 5th congressional district seat in the 2002 primary.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns (Legislative), November 5, 2002.</ref>
Edwards Barham's former seat was later held by his younger brother, Robert Jocelyn Barham (born 1949)<ref>Another Barham brother is Thomas West Barham (born November 1939), also of Oak Ridge, Louisiana.</ref> who was first elected to the state Senate as a Democrat in a [[special election]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://staticresults.sos.la.gov/11081994/11081994_MultiParish.html|title=Official Election Results: 11/8/1994|publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]]|accessdate=October 20, 2014}}</ref> He was reelected as a Democrat with a 93 percent margin to a full term in 1995 and unopposed in 1999. Thereafter, he switched to Republican affiliation and won reelection again without opposition in 2003. Meanwhile, he ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana's 5th congressional district seat in the 2002 primary.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns (Legislative), November 5, 2002.</ref>
Edwards and Robert Barham were distant cousins of Louisiana Supreme Court Justice [[Mack Barham Barham]], who was originally from Bastrop. They were also cousins of Democratic State Senator [[Charles C. Barham]], who represented an adjoining district based about [[Ruston, Louisiana|Ruston]] from 1964 to 1972 and 1976 to 1988.<ref>"Senate to consider honor for Barham", ''The Baton Rouge Advocate,'' May 5, 2010.</ref><ref>It is unclear how Erle "Ninety" Barham was related to [[C. E. "Cap" Barham]], the Louisiana lieutenant governor from 1952 to 1956] and the father of state Senator Charles Barham.</ref>
After leaving the state Senate, Edwards Barham continued to support Republican candidates, including [[Rodney Alexander]], former representative of Louisiana's 5th congressional district, who first won the seat as a Democrat when Edwards Barham's brother, Robert Barham, ran in the primary but failed to secure a general election berth. In 2004, Alexander switched to the Republican Party and went on to defeat a fellow Republican, [[Jock Scott]] of [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]].
After leaving the state Senate, Edwards Barham continued to support Republican candidates, including [[Rodney Alexander]], former representative of Louisiana's 5th congressional district, who first won the seat as a Democrat when Edwards Barham's brother, Robert Barham, ran in the primary but failed to secure a general election berth. In 2004, Alexander switched to the Republican Party and went on to defeat a fellow Republican, [[Jock Scott]] of [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]].
==Educational and civic activities==
==Educational and civic activities==
Years after his legislative career, Barham was appointed to the board of supervisors of the Louisiana Technical and Community Colleges by Republican former Governor [[Mike Foster|Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr.]] The term ended in July 2005. Earlier, Barham served on the Louisiana Board of Regents and the board of supervisors of the University of Louisiana System. He held the chairmanship of all three of those boards, the only person yet to have done so.<ref name=obit/>
Years after his legislative career, Barham was appointed to the board of supervisors of the Louisiana Technical and Community Colleges by Republican former Governor [[Mike Foster|Murphy James "Mike" Foster, Jr.]] The term ended in July 2005. Earlier, Barham served on the Louisiana Board of Regents and the board of supervisors of the University of Louisiana System. He held the chairmanship of all three of those boards, the only person yet to have done so.<ref name=obit/>
Barham was a member of the Louisiana Cotton Producers Association and the Northeast Louisiana Rice Growers Association. He was a former director of the Bank of Oak Ridge, a former commissioner of Morehouse General Hospital, a past president of the Morehouse Parish chapter of the [[American Farm Bureau Federation]], and a past member and president of the Oak Ridge Lions International. He was a member of the Masonic lodge. He served as the treasurer of the [[Episcopal]] Church of the Redeemer in Oak Ridge.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thenewsstar/obituary.aspx?n=erle-edwards-barham&pid=172869276&fhid=20705|title=Erle Edwards Barham|publisher=''Monroe News-Star''|accessdate=October 20, 2014}}</ref>
Barham was a member of the Louisiana Cotton Producers Association and the Northeast Louisiana Rice Growers Association. He was a former director of the Bank of Oak Ridge, a former commissioner of Morehouse General Hospital, a past president of the Morehouse Parish chapter of the [[American Farm Bureau Federation]], and a past member and president of the Oak Ridge Lions International. He was a member of the Masonic lodge. He served as the treasurer of the [[Episcopal]] Church of the Redeemer in Oak Ridge.<ref name=obit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thenewsstar/obituary.aspx?n=erle-edwards-barham&pid=172869276&fhid=20705|title=Erle Edwards Barham|publisher=''Monroe News-Star''|accessdate=October 20, 2014}}</ref>
==Death==
==Death==
Lie his father, Edwards Barham died in a plane crash. On October 17, 2014, Barham, a certified flight instructor, was taxiing back to the hangar after a flight at Rayville Municipal Airport in Richland Parish when his Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft struck a perimeter fence. He died airborne en route to [[Shreveport]] for medical attention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.knoe.com/story/26818644/former-state-senator-edwards-barham-dies-in-plane-crash|title=Former state Senator Edwards Barham dies in place crash|publisher=KNOE-TV|accessdate=October 20, 2014}}</ref>
Ben Edwards Barham, II, the oldest of the four children of Edwards and Bennie Barham, died at the age of fifty-five less than a month after his father's death. He too was a farmer, pilot, outdoorsman, and Episcopalian. He and his wife of thirty-eight years, the former Bonnie Dry, have two daughters: Stacy Barham Walker and Lydia Barham Acey and her husband, Justin Acey, and six grandchildren.<ref name=benebobit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thenewsstar/obituary.aspx?n=ben-edwards-barham&pid=173140738&fhid=20705|title=Ben Edwards Barham obituary (1959-2014)|publisher=''Monroe News-Star''|accessdate=November 13, 2014}}</ref>
Ben Edwards Barham, II, the oldest of the four children of Edwards and Bennie Barham, died at the age of fifty-five less than a month after his father's death. He too was a farmer, pilot, outdoorsman, and Episcopalian. He and his wife of thirty-eight years, the former Bonnie Dry, have two daughters: Stacy Barham Walker and Lydia Barham Acey and her husband, Justin Acey, and six grandchildren.<ref name=benebobit>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thenewsstar/obituary.aspx?n=ben-edwards-barham&pid=173140738&fhid=20705|title=Ben Edwards Barham obituary (1959-2014)|publisher=''Monroe News-Star''|accessdate=November 13, 2014}}</ref>