Former Crowley City Judge Edmund Reggie Dies At 87

Former Crowley city judge Edmund Reggie has died at the age of 87.

KATC-TV 3 reports Reggie passed away at his Lafayette home Tuesday morning.

Reggie was the son of Lebanese parents. While living in Crowley, he was appointed as the city's judge in 1951 at the age of 24.

Reggie is widely known as a friend of the Kennedy's, and he was instrumental in bringing former president John F. Kennedy to the International Rice Festival in 1959 during his presidential campaign. Reggie's daughter, Victoria, would later marry Edward Kennedy in 1992.

Reggie was never elected to public office, but he served in public life in the campaigns and administrations of several governors, including former governor Edwin Edwards. His political work earned him the Most Distinguished Young Democrat in Louisiana, and he was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in 2004.

Reggie's oldest son, Ed Michael Reggie, released a statement about his father's death:

We were blessed to have had Dad for so long, although never long enough, but I want you to know that his spirituality, humor, good nature and sharp mind were intact right up to his last hours. We will miss him beyond description, but will carry him in our hearts every single day. He was a loving father who set high standards for us and taught us by example. His family always came first.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.