Edwin Edwards Turns 89

Former four-term governor Edwin Edwards says he is well on his way to becoming the oldest governor of Louisiana, as he turned 89-years-old on Sunday. Edwards’s youngest son Eli just turned 3, and he says it’s given him a chance to be a better father than he was to his first four children. He has some advice for young fathers.

“Don’t make the mistake I made. I was very busy practicing law, trying to make a living, getting into politics, and frankly I didn’t spend enough time with my children when they were babies as I should have,” Edwards said.

Edwards is still moving around quite well for someone who is pushing 90. Former-governor Jimmy Davis is the state's longest living governor as he died at the age of 102 in 2000.

Edwards believes he’ll live to see 100. He says his lifestyle contributes to a person’s ability to get around in their later years.

“I never smoked, never drank, never used illegal drugs, and with the exception of liking cracklings and boudin, I’m pretty careful about my diet,” Edwards said.

Edwards was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for 26 counts of racketeering, extortion, money laundering, and fraud. He says the judges probably thought it would be a life sentence, but he was released in 2011. He says the sentence killed him politically, but not physically.

“When I was in prison, I spent my time not crying, complaining, or ringing my hands. I did what I could to make life better for inmates who didn’t have the advantages that I had,” Edwards said.