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1952 - 1956

Robert Floyd Kennon, 50th governor of Louisiana, died in 1988.  He is buried in the Young Family Cemetery.

He attended Louisiana State University after graduating from Minden High School.  Kennon was very active at LSU, writing articles for the Daily Reveille, captain in the ROTC, played center on the football team, helped to organize the tennis team and was a tennis team member.  He was also an outstanding scholar. 

He entered politics in Minden, serving as mayor from 1925-1928.  He later became the Bossier-Webster Parish District Attorney from 1930 to 1940.

By 1942 he was judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.  From 1945 to 1947 he was an Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.

During World War II he was a Lt. Colonel in the National Guard serving overseas with the XIII Corps, Ninth Army,

After the war, in 1948 Kennon ran against a youthful Russell B. Long, son of ex-governor and senator Huey P. Long, for the vacant senate seat of John H. Overton.  Senator Overton died in office.  Long received 51% of the vote, but Kennon's state wide attraction was thus established.

He defeated Judge Carlos Spaht to become governor in 1952.  Governor Kennon implemented reforms in the the civil service system, battled prostitution and gambling, implemented prison reforms and installed voting machines state wide.

He ran unsuccessfully for governor again in 1963 and then retired from politics.

Favorite News

Kennon Receives 33rd Masonic Degree 10-22-1941
Kennon Enters Governors Race 5-14-1947
Kennon, Russell Long Race for Governor 11-30-1951
Kennon Family Set to Occupy Mansion 2-21-1952
Kennon Forces in Opening Session 5-13-1952
Kennon Inaugural Festivity 5-14-1952
Angola State Prison Under New Management 7-20-1952
Kennon Supports Texas Gov. Allan Shivers for President 2-19-1953
Kennon Administration Review 5-16-1956
Hate Issue Arises in Governor Race 12-06-1963
Obit - New York Times 1-12-1988

Favorite Biographies

La. Secretary of State
National Governors Association
Wikipedia