|religion=[[Methodist]]
|party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]
| spouse=(1) Jessie Faye Sherard Wimberly (died 1934)(2) Dorothy Knox Wimberly Emma Campbell Kearny Bouanchaud (married 1936-1962, his death) |children=Faye Wimberly Mary (born 1921, first marriage)<br>Lorris M. Wimberly, Jr. (born 1946, second marriage)<br>Parents:<br>Rush and Annie May Poland Wimberly| occupation=[[Business]]man, [[Cattle]]man; [[Farmer]]|footnotes='''Notes'''<br>(1) Wimberly served three nonconsecutive stint
'''Hewitt Leonidas Bouanchaud''' (August 19, 1877 – October 17, 1950) was a [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[attorney]] and [[politician]] from one of the oldest families in New Roads in Pointe Coupée Parish, [[Louisiana]], located north of the capital city of [[Baton Rouge]]. He was the Louisiana lieutenant governor from 1920 to 1924, at a time when that officer presided over the state Senate. Now the lieutenant governor, [[Billy Nungesser]], is charged in the state constitution with the promotion of recreation and [[tourism]].
Bouanchaud was born at Poydras Plantation, one of eight children of Joseph Alcide Bouanchaud (1838-1896) and his second wife, the former Eugénia Helene Hébert (1853-1918). He graduated from Poydras Academy, [[Louisiana State University]] in Baton Rouge, and [[Tulane University]] in [[New Orleans]], from which he obtained his LL.B. degree in 1902.<ref name=lahist/> In 1908, he was elected as the state representative for Pointe Coupée Parish, at a time when each of the sixty-four parishes had at least one member elected to the state House. He was the House Speaker in his final House term from 1916 to 1920.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://house.louisiana.gov/H_PDFdocs/HouseMembership_History_CURRENT.pdf|title=Membership of the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2024|publisher=Louisiana House of Representatives|accessdate=June 10, 2020}}</ref>
While lieutenant governor, Bouanchaud was also elected as the president of the 1921 state constitutional convention, since updated into the current constitution in 1974. In 1924, rather than seeking reelection as lieutenant governor, Bouanchaud ran unsuccessfully for [[governor]] in the [[primary]] election but was defeated by Henry Luse Fuqua, Sr. (1865-1926) who died two years into his gubernatorial term. In 1929, with his state political career at an end and [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]] as governor, Bouanchaud was elected as district attorney for the 18th Judicial District in New Roads. He left the DA's office in 1936, and resumed his law practice and engaged also in [[farming]] and [[cattle]] raising.<ref name=lahist>{{cite web|url=https://www.lahistory.org/resources/dictionary-louisiana-biography/dictionary-louisiana-biography-b/|title=Bouanchaud, Hewitt Leonidas|publisher=''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'': Louisiana Historical Association|accessdate=June 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'' used the sources for its article on Bouanchaud: Alcée Fortier, ed., ''Louisiana,'' Vol. 3 (1914);Judy Riffel, ed., ''A History of Pointe Coupée Parish and Its Families'' (1983), and Dave H. Brown, ''A History of Who’s Who in Louisiana Politics in 1916'' (1916).</ref>